Organic Bamboo Cutlery
Product Eco Rating
Organic Bamboo cutlery has a minimal impact on the environment and is considered to be very sustainable and eco friendly.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world and very easily renewable as the stems just need to be chopped and roots do not need to be dug up to plant a new crop. Bamboo plants also improve the quality of the soil, reduce erosion, produce Oxygen and soak up more than 5 times the CO₂ than similar plants. Very little work is required from harvesting the Bamboo to then shaping it into cutlery.
By using natural Bamboo, no chemicals are needed and a very small amount of energy is required during the manufacturing to create a product that is recyclable and 100% biodegradable.
Bamboo as a material is very strong and quite durable, although in the case of this cutlery, as it’s natural Bamboo, along with their use and regular contact with food and water, they may wear out a faster than other Bamboo products that are thicker and treated less harshly, this is heavily dependent upon how often they are used and how quickly (& well) they are cleaned.
The speed that Bamboo grows and regrows, the lack of chemicals, energy and other resources required to produce organic Bamboo cutlery, the products’ relative durability and ability to be both recycled and fully biodegrade are what makes this natural Bamboo cutlery a very environmentally friendly and sustainably made product, even more so when compared to typical, dreadful Plastic cutlery.
Sustainability of Bamboo products
Bamboo can grow up to 120 cms per day, making it one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It’s regarded as a ‘super plant’ and possibly the most renewable material on the planet, at least one of the quickest to renew/regrow. In 3-5 years, Bamboo can be fully grown, which is only about 10% of the time that it takes for many Hardwood trees to become ready for harvesting, to then make some similar products that can be made from both materials, such as tableware, toothbrushes and many other accessories.
When harvesting Bamboo, the plant just needs to be cut off near the ground level and then it’ll quickly regenerate with no need to tear up the roots and replace it with a new plant. Other than Bamboo growing super fast, it can also be great for the soil that it grows in as it nourishes it and reduces erosion, furthermore, when comparing Bamboo with similar plants, it produces over a third more Oxygen and absorbs around five times more Carbon Dioxide.
Bamboo is non-toxic, can grow in almost any soil or clay type and with its very small roots, often between 30-50 cms, it uses very little water, especially when compared to growing Cotton. Growing Bamboo also requires minimal maintenance and no herbicides or pesticides.
Growing, harvesting and regrowing Bamboo is extremely sustainable, then the material itself is extremely strong and durable. Bamboo is tougher than any Hardwood and when comparing its tensile strength to Steel, which is 23,000 PSI, Bamboo outperforms it and is stronger with 28,000 PSI.
Manufacturing Bamboo accessories, such as cutlery or dinner plates is quite simple and doesn’t require a harsh process or harmful chemicals, which further increases the sustainability of Bamboo products. Although Bamboo products available at WAY&FARER are mainly produced with no or low amounts of chemicals, some manufactures do still use harsh chemicals, so not all Bamboo accessories are processed in and eco-friendly way. Another thing to keep in mind is that clothing and fabrics made from Bamboo can go through a process with lots of chemicals and produce toxic fumes, so it’s best to research how each particular manufacturer process Bamboo when you’re looking at fabric.
When Bamboo isn’t manufactured using a chemical process, it’s completely recyclable and 100% biodegradable.