9 Best Selling Bamboo Products (Eco Friendly Bamboo)

People have been planting and using bamboo products as early as the Shang Dynasty – That’s 7,000 years ago folks!

But even today, bamboo’s durability, lightweight structure and eco-friendly nature, make it a prized material among different cultures worldwide.

Bamboo can be found in various different products, such as in clothing, bedding and kitchenware, you’ll even find it in electronics!

The purpose of this article is not only to introduce you to different bamboo products, but also to inform you on the importance of this crop as a sustainable alternative to plastic and paper.

Let’s get started!

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9 Unique Bamboo Products

Bamboo products can replace many of the unsustainable items that we use in our everyday lives.

Not only will its use reduce overall plastic waste. In 2021, bamboo plays a key role in balancing carbon dioxide and oxygen in our atmosphere. Ultimately, this means it assists in our fight against climate change.

Bamboo Straws

Bamboo Toilet Paper

Bamboo Sunglasses

Bamboo Toothbrush

Zero Waste Lunch Box

Bamboo Sleep Mask

Bamboo Curtains

Bamboo Sheets

Reusable Make-Up Remover Pads Bamboo

What is Bamboo?

Bamboo is a sustainable wood and renewable resource.

Although they look like trees, bamboo is actually a perennial type of plant belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). 

There are multiple bamboo species found around the world, most prefer moist tropical to warm temperate climates.

They include some of the fastest-growing plants on the planet (thanks to a unique rhizome-dependent system), with reported growth rates of up to 910 mm (36 in) in a whopping 24 hours!

Today, bamboo is being used more and more in products such as furniture, replacing for cedar, mahogany, and other popular hardwood lumbers.

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How Strong is Bamboo?

Bamboo is 2-3 times stronger than wood. Maple wood is one of the densest and toughest hardwoods, yet bamboo is still stronger while being quite lighter.

In China, the abundance of bamboo makes it the perfect crop to be used as scaffolding in the construction of skyscrapers. See picture below:

Fortius bamboo is some of the strongest bamboo in the world. It’s 122% harder than Tasmanian Oak and outperforms pretty much every wood on the market.

Besides scaffolding, Fortius bamboo is used in a variety of products, such as walls, decking, flooring, plywood, fencing and more. 

The scale below represents how Fortius bamboo performed on the Janka hardness test (a test that measures the resistance of wood to denting to wear).

The test works by measuring how much pounds of force is required to push a 11.28 mm (.444 inch) steel ball into the wood to half of the ball’s diameter.

Turns out, it takes 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of force to achieve this with Fortius Bamboo. 

In South America, bamboo is referred to as vegetable steel.

There’s no surprise here as plaited bamboo is as strong or perhaps even stronger than steel cables.

Hemp rope loses around 20% of its overall strength when wet. Bamboo on the other hand increases by 20% in strength when wet.

It’s no wonder bamboo products are valued for their strength and durability!

To give you and idea of just how versatile bamboo is, we will look at the longest bamboo suspension bridge.

This bridge was built across the Min-chiang river in China and measured 850 feet. The bridge was supported by 10 woven bamboo cables, all 6 inches in diameter.

It’s crazy to imagine a bamboo bridge so long, able to support itself over thousands of years.

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Why is Bamboo Eco Friendly?

The reason bamboo products are so eco-friendly is thanks to many factors:

Bamboo is able to grow to full size within 3 – 4 months. Compared with average trees who can take up to 30 years!

Read also: Reforestation, Afforestation and Deforestation Explained

In the right conditions, bamboo can literally grow before your eyes, approximately 3 feet every 24 hours.

These fast growing properties make it an incredibly sustainable alternative to trees.

Alongside speed, nasty pesticides and chemicals are not needed in the harvesting process. This means the cultivation of bamboo is natural, and never harms the environment.

Read also: Why You Should Use Natural Cosmetics

Bamboo forests have enormous benefits for the environment as this magic plant stores tons of carbon.

Bamboo in fact stores 2x more carbon dioxide than trees do, which is why they are known to act as carbon sinks.

Not only that but it generates vast amounts of oxygen totaling up to 30% more than most plants and trees.

The bamboo plant has incredibly strong root structure which helps prevent landslides and restore and stabilize land. Countries that are prone to landslides would do well planting bamboo.

Finally, bamboo helps protect biodiversity and endangered species by creating many homes for a variety of different animals.  

Bamboo forests save and protect the species living in that forest, by providing both homes and food. Don’t forget the giant pandas who rely on bamboo alone!

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Five Benefits of Bamboo Products

There’s no resource on earth that has the same durability, reliability, and renewable properties as bamboo.

Bamboo products are eco-friendly and can be used as an alternative to many of the building materials most of us thought couldn’t be replaced.

Read also: How To Save Trees

Below, I listed 5 bamboo benefits:

1. Bamboo shoots are a rich source of amino acids, phosphorous, dietary fiber, magnesium, protein, iron, potassium, copper, selenium, vitamin B1, nicotinic acid, calcium, zinc, sodium, riboflavin, carotene and essential minerals.
   
   
2. Studies reveal that the shoots, seeds, leaves and roots of the bamboo plant can be used as a herbal medicine to treat rhinorrhagia.
   
   
3. The bamboo leaf can be used for creating herbal drugs that destroy parasitic worms. This is possible due to its strong anthelmintic compositions.
   
   
4. A study conducted in Thailand by Sritong et al., in 2012 shows that Tong and Gimsung bamboo species can be used for generating electricity. These bamboo species are able to serve as an alternative raw material for creating electricity for biomass power plants. Additionally, their study showed that these particular bamboo species offer higher energy output compared to other raw materials.
   
   
5. The sustainable footprint left by bamboo products may very well shape our future. As deforestation continues, bamboo production may very well offer us an alternative to clearcutting. Besides this, bamboo takes in more CO2 and produces more oxygen than your average hardwood tree. This is the type of crop we need now more than ever if we’re wanting to stave off the effects of rising sea levels and any other negative effects caused by climate change.

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Reasons Why Bamboo is the Best Alternative to Plastic

Plastic as a whole is non-biodegradable.

Instead, the material photodegrades, which means instead of bio-degrading, it only breaks down into smaller pieces (known as micro plastics).

It’s these smaller pieces of micro plastics that harm wildlife and the environment.

The good news is that there’s a wealth of plastic alternatives out there that are 100x more sustainable and eco-friendlier.

Most of these alternatives fail to provide the same level of durability that plastic provides, but they’re much less harmful to wildlife the environment and people.

Companies are using plastic alternatives such as stainless steel, glass, cardboard, paper, bioplastics, and bamboo to produce new forms of packaging, utensils, and cutlery.

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Start Your Plastic Free Life Today with greenUP!

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Bamboo in itself is a plant engineered by nature to grow with minimal energy consumption.

This makes it a practical and efficient solution to the problem of plastic use.

If bamboo products were to become a completely mainstream alternative to plastics, it would provide millions of jobs to different communities worldwide.

The reason for this is that bamboo requires more people to harvest. This would be particularly beneficial to many developing countries such as Asia, Africa, South America, etc. which is also where most bamboos grow.

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Three Bamboo Facts

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Final Thoughts

I hope our best selling bamboo products article helped guide you. We will systematically add to this list as time passes to include the latest products on the market.

Further Reading:

• Zero Waste Camping
• Off Grid Solar Panels
• Natural Cosmetics
• Best Minimalist Books