Bamboo - a sustainable alternative to wood and plastic

Bamboo as a versatile and sustainable alternative? The plant-based raw material is not only used in the production of our TreeSocks - it also has many other great benefits.

The daily requirement of bamboo for a giant panda is up to 40 kilograms. The plant, which belongs to the sweet grass family, not only serves as a source of food for the fluffy bears, but also as an alternative to wood. Furniture, decorations and accessories, consumer products such as toothbrushes and hairbrushes, as well as parquet flooring and other products are now made from the woody stalks of this impressive plant.

The best feature of bamboo? Its rapid growth! "Fast" is almost an understatement: the "Moso Bamboo" grows up to one meter per day! The popular sweet grass is found in tropical areas around the equator and differs in the height of its grasses, which range from a few centimetres to 40 meters. Bamboo, which is used in this country, is mainly harvested on plantations in China.

It's not just its super-fast growth that makes bamboo sustainable. Take a look at the following factors that make this tropical plant a sustainable material and therefore a suitable alternative to conventional wood.

 

• Resilience. As bamboo is very robust, pesticides or artificial irrigation methods can be largely dispensed with during cultivation - unlike with coffee or bananas, for example. This has less of an impact on workers and the environment.
• Flexibility. Bamboo wood is hard and dense on the one hand and light and flexible on the other. This makes the plant ideal for durable furniture and building materials.
• Growth. Due to its rapid growth, bamboo stores a lot of_CO2. Unlike deforestation, there is no risk of endangering bamboo stocks when it is harvested.

 

Not only wood, but also plastic, can be replaced by bamboo. The sweet grass is considered an alternative to plastic - the raw material for plastic.

 

If you are interested in products made from bamboo, then take a look at the following suggestions from stores in Switzerland.  

 

• allesbambus (allesbambus.ch). A studio store in Thun where you can find everything from tea to parquet flooring.
• Manufactum (manufactum.ch). Here you will find products such as toothbrushes, kitchen utensils such as salad servers or bowls, but also lunch boxes.
• Bamboo world (bambuswelt.ch). The store in Emmen mainly offers furniture made of bamboo.
• For all garden owners among you: most nurseries offer bamboo. You can find care tips here bambuswald.de/bamboo-care-and-tips

 

If you not only own a garden, but also countless socks with holes, then it's time for some new ones! With the TreeSocks NIKIN has made sure that your feet stay warm even in winter. They consist of 80% from Bamboo fibers and are manufactured in Riga (Latvia). Sustainable and warm. What more could you want? So, go for it ;-)