We Are Open sign laser engraved on FSC-certified Moso bamboo

Is Bamboo Sustainable? The Honest Answer

Mostly, yes, with conditions. Bamboo is a grass that regrows from its roots after harvest and matures in three to five years, far faster than oak, birch or most timber trees. But a bamboo board is strips glued together, it often travels from China, and Moso bamboo can spread into neighbouring forest. How it is grown, made and certified decides the answer.

We engrave FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523) alongside FSC-certified oak veneered MDF in our workshop in North Wales, so we have a stake in the answer. Here is the evidence, including the parts that don't flatter bamboo.

Why bamboo renews so quickly

Bamboo is a grass, not a tree. The bamboo in our board is Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), China's main commercial bamboo: by a 2008 estimate it covered more than 6 million hectares, about three-quarters of China's bamboo forest.

  • It grows fast. New Moso shoots can grow about a metre in a day at their fastest, and finish their height growth within about two months of emerging in spring.
  • It regrows without replanting. Bamboo matures within three to five years and can be harvested without replanting, because new shoots come up from the existing root system.
  • It takes up carbon quickly. A 2008 presentation by Zhou Guomo of Zhejiang Forestry University put carbon accumulation in intensively managed Moso stands at about 12.7 tonnes per hectare a year, and in extensively managed stands at about 8.1 tonnes. Above ground, it put Moso's carbon accumulation at about 1.46 times that of fast-growing fir.

Treat carbon figures like these with care. The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) noted in 2019 that there was no standard method yet for measuring the carbon stored in bamboo forests.

The catches

A bamboo board is glued

Round bamboo stems are hollow, so the flat board used for signs, keyrings and name badges is laminated: the stems are cut into strips, which are glued and pressed into a sheet. INBAR names the common adhesives in engineered bamboo as melamine-urea-formaldehyde, phenol-formaldehyde and emulsion-polymer-isocyanate. Glue makes up about 2% of laminated bamboo by dry weight, and up to 10% in boards made for outdoor use.

Two things follow. Laminated bamboo is not compostable, and it is not automatically formaldehyde-free; that depends on the glue each manufacturer uses. If you need the emission class of our bamboo board for a project specification, ask before ordering.

Round and square bamboo coasters showing the parallel strips that laminated bamboo board is made from

It travels a long way

Our bamboo board is made by Fujian Sunton Houseware Products Co., Ltd. in Fujian, China, and shipped to the UK. INBAR's analysis concludes that engineered bamboo products can be carbon-negative over their full life, even when used in Western Europe, but only under two conditions: the carbon stored in growing bamboo forests is counted, and the product is burned for energy at the end of its life in place of fossil fuel. An earlier life cycle assessment by the same lead author reached a similar conclusion, but it modelled one company's best-practice production chain, MOSO International's.

So "carbon-negative" is a conditional result for a well-made product, not a property of every bamboo item.

Moso bamboo can spread into neighbouring forest

Moso bamboo spreads. A 2022 study in China compared a secondary mixed forest with neighbouring stands the bamboo had moved into. In the bamboo forest, the number of species in the tree layer fell from 11 to 5, although total above-ground biomass did not change significantly. It was a small study, with three plots per forest type, but it shows why the way bamboo forests are managed matters, not just how fast bamboo grows.

"Bamboo" textiles are a different product

The word bamboo on a label doesn't tell you much on its own. In April 2022, the US Federal Trade Commission sought civil penalties of US$2.5 million from Kohl's and US$3 million from Walmart over textiles marketed as bamboo that were actually rayon made from bamboo. Turning bamboo into rayon uses toxic chemicals, and the FTC said the products' environmental claims were misleading. A bamboo board and a bamboo T-shirt start from the same plant but end up as very different materials.

It has to last

A product is only as sustainable as its working life. Bamboo is strong along its fibres but can split along them if knocked sideways or drilled, especially at 3mm thick. That is why we made a 5mm premium bamboo range, and why our bamboo, oak and plywood comparison explains where each material lasts best.

5mm bamboo hotel door hanger engraved Do Not Disturb

Does FSC certification help?

Yes, on two points: whether the forest is responsibly managed, and whether the material can be traced back to it. FSC certifies bamboo forest management as well as timber: the Anji County Bamboo Industry Association in Zhejiang gained FSC forest management certification in March 2010. FSC chain-of-custody certification then tracks certified material through each company that handles it, so a certified product can be traced back to a certified forest.

Our bamboo is FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523). The certificate is held by our supplier, Fujian Sunton Houseware Products Co., Ltd.; Cherry Grove Craft is not itself an FSC certificate holder. Our guide to FSC chain of custody shows how to look up a certificate yourself.

Bamboo, oak veneered MDF and birch plywood compared

Bamboo (laminated board) Oak veneered MDF Birch plywood
Renewal Matures in three to five years and regrows without replanting Oak takes decades to mature Birch takes decades to mature
How it is bonded Strips glued and pressed Oak veneer on an MDF core bonded with synthetic resin Thin veneers glued with the grain crossed
Ours is FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523) FSC-certified oak veneered MDF Not certified
Damp Water-resistant, not waterproof Cannot tolerate damp Keep dry

For the full picture on the other materials, see is MDF sustainable? and MDF vs plywood vs solid wood.

What to do with bamboo at the end of its life

Untreated bamboo poles biodegrade. Glued bamboo board doesn't compost, because the adhesives used today aren't bio-based, so keep it out of the garden waste bin. INBAR's report names burning in bioenergy plants that capture the fumes as the best end-of-life route for glued engineered bamboo. Before that point, the most sustainable thing to do with a bamboo sign or keyring is to keep using it.

How to judge a bamboo claim

  1. What form is it? Solid or laminated bamboo board is a different material from bamboo viscose or rayon.
  2. Is there a certificate number? A claim you can look up beats a claim you have to take on trust.
  3. Who holds the certificate? The brand selling to you, or a supplier further back in the chain?
  4. What glue holds it together? Ask for the adhesive type or emission class if it matters for where the product will go.
  5. Will it last? Thickness and fixings decide whether a bamboo product has a long life or splits early.

Our bamboo range

Our bamboo range covers signs, name badges, keyrings, door hangers, coasters and baubles, mostly in 3mm with some door hangers and keyrings also in 5mm, all in FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523). It costs more than our FSC-certified oak veneered MDF because the bamboo sheet costs more to buy; where our materials come from explains the difference. Bamboo is the better choice for bathrooms, spas and steamy kitchens; oak veneered MDF gives the most even engraving.

Engraved name badges in FSC-certified Moso bamboo, in several sizes

Everything is engraved to order in our workshop in North Wales. Bulk discounts apply automatically at checkout, per product: 10% off 20+, 15% off 50+, 20% off 100+, 25% off 250+, 30% off 500+ and 35% off 1,000+.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Frequently asked questions

Is bamboo more sustainable than wood?
It renews faster: Moso bamboo matures in three to five years and regrows without replanting, while oak and birch take decades. But bamboo board is glued and often made in China and shipped, so a certified, long-lasting bamboo product is the sustainable choice, not bamboo by default.

Is bamboo biodegradable?
Untreated bamboo poles are. Laminated bamboo board isn't compostable, because the adhesives that hold its strips together aren't bio-based.

Is bamboo carbon negative?
It can be over its full life, according to INBAR, but only if the carbon stored in growing bamboo forests is counted and the product is burned for energy at the end of its life. It's a conditional result, not a guarantee for every bamboo product.

Is bamboo a tree?
No. Bamboo is a grass. Moso bamboo sends up new shoots from its root system each spring, so harvested stems are replaced without replanting.

Is your bamboo FSC-certified?
Yes. Our bamboo is FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523), made by Fujian Sunton Houseware Products Co., Ltd. in Fujian, China. The certificate is held by our supplier; Cherry Grove Craft isn't itself an FSC certificate holder.

Also see: is acrylic sustainable?, is slate sustainable?, are bamboo name badges water-resistant?, our materials and sustainability page and the FSC-certified wooden gifts and business products range.

Sources

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