Eco-friendly substitute to wood, steel and iron

While there is a thriving cement, iron, steel and wood industry, there is no such industry or even a business model to commercialize and popularize bamboo and take it to the masses, writes M. Sai Gopal

After China, India is the second largest producer of bamboo in the world. Despite this, bamboo has never been in the running to become the most sought after material for furniture, interiors and structures. It has always been the less ‘eco-friendlier’ options with wood, iron, steel and cement dominating the market.

People looking for furniture or wanting to do up the interiors have preconceived notions and tilt towards wood as the first choice. There are myriad things one can do with a piece of bamboo, yet availability of information about its versatility is limited.

However, since past few years, bamboo has emerged as a strong alternative to traditional raw materials with a promise of being eco-friendly and a tag of being a more sustainable building material. Till recently, bamboo was synonymous with ladders and scaffolding. However, in the last few years, consumers and manufacturers have started taking a ‘fresh’ look at the various other uses of this plant.

“Some bamboo species can be harvested in one to five years while it takes anywhere from 10 to 50 years for softwood and hardwood. Harvests are possible every second year for up to 120 years. The bamboo yield is 25 times higher than timber hardwoods like oak tree, which takes at least 40 years to mature before harvesting,” explains Prashant Lingam of Bamboo House India.

Technically, bamboo is a grass. And yet, it is popularly known as ‘vegetable steel’ with a tensile strength of 28,000 per square inch. The tensile strength of steel is 23,000 per square inch. When bamboo is cut, new shoots come up and they mature in just five years. While other hardwood species take at least 50 years to grow back.

“There is a definite change in perception among general public towards bamboo in the last few years. They are more positive about it and are gradually realizing that bamboo is an eco-friendly substitute to wood, steel, iron and plastic,” says Aruna lingam, who along with Prashant Lingam have pioneered the many applications of bamboo in daily lives.

So what are the applications of bamboo in our daily lives? According to Mr. Prashant, bamboo can replace wood in nearly every application. “Paper, flooring, furniture, charcoal, building materials and much more can be made from bamboo. What's more, bamboo fibres are far stronger than wood fibres and much less likely to warp from changing atmospheric conditions,” says Mr. Prashant.

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(Excerpt of article by M. Sai Gopal of The Hindu. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)

Lamboo, Inc. is working towards developing the infrastructure to fully utilize this remarkable resource. Traditional building materials can be replaced in nearly any application using Lamboo (LVB) laminated veneer bamboo offering a truly sustainable replacement for both the commercial and industrial markets. From structural systems (recognized by ASTM), window & door, to complete interior remodeling Lamboo is not only a renewable resource but exhibits superior performance and durability over traditional forms of soft and hardwoods.

For questions regarding Lamboo, our products, or to schedule an interview please
visit our website at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us 866-966-2999

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Blog by: Dustin Dennison