Families that are striving to live greener can make many small choices that add up to a big impact. Bamboo is a sustainable household option, if you pick the right products and places to implement it. Where does bamboo work best? Where will it have the most potential to do good? Are there any drawbacks to using bamboo?

The Pros of Bamboo

You hear “bamboo” and think panda bears, China, and oodles of bamboo forests just waiting to be munched up. This beautiful grass with a hollow stem, however, offers far more than just a source of sustenance for an endangered species. Bamboo is a sustainable, renewable, versatile material — it’s also vastly underused in the United States.

Deforestation contributes to plant disease, soil loss, erosion, and problems with the water cycle. When trees are cut down, the regulation of the climate and ecosystem are upended. Bamboo, however, is a viable alternative as one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet. It can mature in just a couple of years, compared to fully matured hardwood, which takes 30 to 50 years. Some species of bamboo can grow a whopping 35 inches in a day.

Bamboo doesn’t need as much water as trees to thrive and this hardy plant is so tough it doesn't need fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides, making it eco-friendly. Bamboo absorbs five times more carbon and produces 35% more oxygen than a similar stand of trees. Plus, bamboo is anti-fungal, antibacterial, 100 percent biodegradable, and decomposes naturally in the environment. What’s not to love?

Things to consider when using Bamboo

It’s important to consider where your bamboo products and household goods are sourced. Although bamboo cultivation offers a great opportunity for U.S. farmers, the United States imports most of the bamboo we consume. When bamboo is imported — pre- or post-production — it’s authentic bamboo, but what about the environmental impact caused by trekking these items across the globe? Imported bamboo products are likely to have a hefty transportation carbon footprint, so it’s important to weigh that aspect when you’re considering how these items fit into your lifestyle.

How bamboo is processed also makes a difference in its true sustainability, especially for bamboo fabrics! If a product hasn’t been chemically processed, like most bamboo products sold in solid form, you should be in good shape. But not all bamboo fabrics are created equally! 

Clothing and Fabrics

Bamboo is hard. Turning this plant into a soft fabric like viscose rayon takes chemical processing involving sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide. These chemicals are dangerous to a one-time wholly natural material, and they produce chemical runoff and make a major ding on the environment.

Nevertheless, there are greener bamboo fabrics, most notably bamboo Lyocell, which is made using a closed-loop cycle so nothing toxic leaks into the environment. Lyocell bamboo fabric is the “greenest” alternative when it comes to bamboo fabrics. Just be sure to ask questions or do your research on how your fabric is sourced and manufactured!

Household Goods

What you use to make your food, eat your food, and clean your food and dishes makes all the difference in your health and wellness. Some sustainable bamboo kitchen items include:

• No Tox bamboo dish brush
• No Tox bamboo vegetable brush
• Bamboo cutting boards and utensils 

Personal Hygiene

Taking care of your body is about more than just the products you use, it’s about the tools you use to deliver that care, including:

• Bamboo Switch wooden hairbrush, face brush, tooth brush, and more!
  
  

Bamboo Fabrics

Bamboo Lyocell fabrics are not only buttery soft, but are the lowest-impact option when it comes to manufacturing 

• BOODY underwear, sleep wear, bras, and more!
• Toad & Co TENCEL Lyocell products

We could go on, but long story short, we give a big five stars to bamboo for it’s sustainability and versatility. Ultimately, bamboo in solid form is the most ideal incarnation of this grass and, if you look hard enough, you can find a versatile list of household goods or personal care products made of sustainable, eco-friendly bamboo. Be sure to swing through the shop and check out all of our bamboo products!