Inbar's report and analysis on bamboo's life cycle sustainability

time2020/12/18

Inbar released a report in 2015, gave a full scientific lifecycle assessment on bamboo products, from growth to harvest to production to consumption, and thereafter, here are some highlights.
Inbar's report and analysis on bamboo's life cycle sustainability
Bamboo is perceived as an eco-friendly product, for its natural properties and outlook, but is it really green, given the facts of production, shipment, and packaging?  

Inbar, short for International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, released a report in 2015, gave a full scientific lifecycle assessment on bamboo products, from growth to harvest to production to consumption and thereafter, the result revealed that most bamboo products are carbon – neutral.  Here we abstracted some highlights from the analysis, with a link to the full report at the bottom of this article.

Background

It makes sense to question, whether bamboo products are really green, especially for consumer markets outside of bamboo growth regions.  The report addressed a specific case of manufactured bamboo flooring, decking, cladding, panels and beams in china, and transported them to the Netherlands. 

The study was done in partnership between Netherlands-based MOSO International, Europe’s leading producer of industrial bamboo products, Delft University in The Netherlands, and INBAR – the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan.

Analysis Coverage

The lifecycle assessment measures the environmental impact in several categories, including resource depletion, air quality (dust, smog), toxicity and Global Warming Potential (GWP)

The result reveals bamboo as the best eco-friendly product

Full report link