Use of bamboo is integral to the sustainable development And climate mitigation plans

Six of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN are directly relevant for bamboo producing countries and their green economy plans. These countries are targeting poverty reduction, energy, housing, sustainable production, climate change, and land degradation. Innovative use of bamboo can help in achieving their national plan targets?and add value to the global sustainable development.

Bamboo has the potential of supporting sustainability in economic growth as bamboo grows very fast and can be grown easily in different climate conditions and altitudes?and thus, reduces the pressure?on trees producing timber?for products for wood. After harvesting bamboo regrows from its own root system, it doesn’t need to be planted again. This means that the soil and roots are not disturbed and no fertiliser is needed.

Bamboos posses a unique property in terms of carbon sequestration, a process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and absorbed in solid or liquid form. Several studies have reported the role of bamboo forests in global carbon cycle. The CO2- absorbing properties of bamboo plants have been observed in areas where bamboo forest has formed naturally. Bamboo forests play a leading role in global carbon cycles and carbon sink . Researches done have found that Bamboo can absorb up to 12 MT of CO2 per hectare per year, thus balancing the atmosphere in the earth and releasing 30% more oxygen than other plants . Accordingly, bamboo is considered as a?reducing agent for carbon dioxide and limits adverse effects of climate change.

Apart from traditional bamboo products like furniture or handicrafts, one of the most common examples of bamboo products is the bamboo fabric which is made out of rayon extracted from bamboo pulp. Despite use of some chemicals in the processing, bamboo fabrics are certainly more eco-friendly and sustainable compared to polyester and conventional cotton, as it is less costlier to produce than cotton, avoids the excess use of pesticides as in cotton production, and processing is not as chemically intensive as polyester. A number of companies have substituted wood and plastics with bamboo as the raw material and have found it sustainable and also useful in conserving environment resources