Just came across this thread. I am an Industrial Designer from Australia current doing an internship in a design studio in Mexico City. I am currently working on a range of sustainable furniture and looking for a local supplier of Bamboo board, I found a supplier in the USA, http://www.kireiboard.com however am wondering if you know of anyone producing a similar product here in Mexico. Obviously I will have to give consideration to all the points made in this post however it is just one approach I am currentñy considering.

Thanks
Kieran

But there are things about bamboo we need to know like how to cut it how to mantain it. Because when we cut the right bamboo it means that we are giving new life to the plant because the type of bamboo we want for construction is the older one so when you cut an old bamboo it will begin to grow 2 or 3 new bamboos instantly.

Thanks for getting in touch with me, you should be receiving your free samples anytime soon now.

I only just saw this comment, hence the late reply. We are amongst the few bamboo flooring manufacturers which are fully owned by a foreign company, in this case, a Singapore company. So we have total control over how we wish to run the business.

The glue we use exceeds the E0 standard for formaldehyde release, and we use zero-formaldehyde glue upon request too. The working conditions for the workers are excellent. We provide them with free meals, spacious and well-ventilated environment, ear plugs for workers operating noisy machinery e.g. cutters, uniforms, and even lodging for those who stay far away (most of them come from Shaowu city and go back home after work). And on top of this, we even pay them salaries which are above market rate.

Visitors to our factory are most welcome. :)

I appreciate the information. I live in Singapore and my wife and I have been considering bamboo flooring because we have seen the environmentally friendly aspects, plus it is natural and beautiful. However, the posts above made me think about the working conditions of the workers and the land being cleared to grow the bamboo.

What does your company in Singapore do to meet the environmental and social concerns as discussed above? What kind of glue do you use? Have you taken steps to ensure it is the most environmentally safe glue on the market? If not, why not? The same goes for the working conditions for your plant in China? Anyway, it seems you are concerned. I just like some specific examples, if possible? Thanks

Some of you asked why can’t the bamboo in USA be used for products like bamboo flooring. The simple explanation is cost. It is much cheaper to manufacture in China, where most of these flooring come from. Even for us as a Singapore company, we also have our own factory in China. Unless the customer is willing to bear the cost of a made-in-USA product, this isn’t going to change.

The glue used to stick the strips of bamboo together can be a concern. Be sure to check that a low formaldehyde glue (E1/E0 standard) is used.

If you’re a distributor or corporate buyer, please visit the factory to ensure that the working conditions are healthy – no excessive noise, adequate light and ventilation, fair wages etc. Many China companies cut corners in order to sell their products at the cheapest possible prices. Indirectly, this is the result of fierce price competition and customer demands – so you can do your part by purchasing quality products at a slightly more premium price. :)

How are the waste materials disposed of? In our factory, we either use it to fuel the burners or sell it to companies who then recycle the waste bamboo material into other products.

Recycled or reclaimed materials are definitely greener than renewable materials like bamboo. But there is a limited amount of recycled materials available. So realistically speaking, I think bamboo is a more viable alternative.

I don’t think I’ve managed to address all the issues above. Feel free to contact me for further discussion. :)

Thank you for starting this topic, I myself grow bamboo but not in the sizes necessary for furniture production and like other furniture made in Asia am concerned about ‘furniture miles’. My business makes creates items solely from reclaimed materials, locally supplied and in abundance. The design process is somewhat challenging but makes for interesting items.

WWF link: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/our_solutions/endangered_species/giant_panda/index.cfm

From the perspective of lifecycle assessment (LCA), the key issues relating to the environmental impact of a consumer product (including bamboo furniture) are as follows: 1) energy use over the life of the product (for electronic products only), 2) the embodied energy of the materials, and 3) transportation impacts. There are many other issues to be considered (including toxicity, packaging, etc.), however, generally speaking these three are by far the issues of greatest importance and are heavily weighted in an LCA primarily because these are the issues of greatest significance for the problem of global warming.

Because of it’s rapid growth, bamboo has very low embodied energy and is therefore a better choice than wood (and far better than steel, glass and aluminum), however wood typically requires less processing and the trade-off in energy consumption would require further study. Transporting materials at a great distance is less desirable than using local products (all other issues being equal), and the environmental impact depends upon the method of transport. Shipping by boat and train are already among the least harmful, though a hybrid or wind driven vessel would improve this factor.

Issues such as were brought up above regarding clear-cutting existing bio-diverse forests to farm bamboo (or other trees for that matter) are critical to the impact assessment of a given material. These issues go beyond the scope of guesswork into the realm of complex scientific analysis that would likely cost thousands of dollars to accurately assess. To guess about such issues is of little true benefit. Buying FSC certified materials will help support manufacturers who are adhering to strict guidelines of forestry practice

Consider a different approach. Why not find a local material source (preferably a waste product) and use your creativity and design talent to make the most seductively beautiful and useful thing you can from that material. Pick something that you know will have small environmental impact because it is local and widely available in a waste stream. Make something useful with a broad appeal so that lots of people end up buying your product instead of less sustainable alternatives.

For example, my furniture company in Seattle (www.meyerwells.com) takes a bioregional approach to materials sourcing and manufacturing. We salvage local urban trees, mill them into usable stock and make modern furniture for architects and designers whose projects are largely within our own bioregion. Our products help support LEED credits. This is a unique niche that with a relatively modest investment could be replicated all over North America. Nearly 4 billion usable board feet of material are removed from urban areas each year and most are disposed of as firewood, woodchips or landfill. These urban trees are magnificent, and the material is unmatched in character by anything you can get from a large mill or a bamboo forest.