Bamboozled by Bamboo?

Bamboo has been touted as the new wonder fabric, it is rapidly renewable, requires little or no pesticides, and is soft to the touch. Today consumers can find many “eco-friendly” products that are made from bamboo but can it really be all that sustainable?

Bamboo is a grass that grows up to two meters per week, and is cut and not uprooted when harvested allowing it to grow back quickly. It is extremely hardy and usually requires only rainfall to grow and thus many industries find it quite appealing as a source material. Unfortunately the majority of bamboo is derived from large plantations in China that are highly under-regulated. Many of the plantations were created through the clear cutting of forests, and although usually grown organically, bamboo is very invasive and can choke out native species and greatly affect local ecosystems. To be processed into fiber, a lot of energy is also consumed and toxic chemicals like caustic soda are needed to refine it into a wearable textile. The whole production process needs greater regulation and transparency to ensure its growth and production is more sustainable.

As with most products on the market there are usually trade offs in its production and use, and bamboo is no exception. Bamboo does have some great positive attributes however; It can be made into a variety of textiles that can be as soft as cashmere or as strong and durable as denim. Bamboo is also praised for its UV protection and its anti-microbial properties although further testing is needed to bolster these claims.

There is no doubt that bamboo is a highly versatile material. It can be used successfully not just for textiles but for a variety of other industries as well. For bamboo to truly be a sustainable material however, more attention must be put on its production and how it is harvested and processed. There is no doubt that bamboo can be a great sustainable material, but the hype surrounding it can be detrimental for the real facts to come out.

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Wal-Mart Unveils a New Sustainability Initiative

Wal-Mart is making headlines again, thankfully this time it’s a lot less controversial. On October 22nd in Beijing, Wal-Mart held a groundbreaking conference with around 1,000 different suppliers and manufactures outlining the future goals of the company. With many companies today realizing the need for more sustainable business models, Wal-Mart is following suit with an initiative to bring more sustainable and energy efficient practices to its already immensely successful business and supply chain.

“Sustainability is about building a better business. We think it is essential to our future success as a retailer — and to meeting the expectations of customers,” said Lee Scott, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “Maintaining the trust of our customers — today and in the future — is tied hand-in-hand with improving the quality of our supplier factories and their products.”

Wal-Mart’s main initiative focuses on meeting or exceeding social and environmental standards, promoting innovation and efficiency and building stronger partnerships with suppliers, governments and NGOs. Beginning in China in 2009, Wal-Mart will create a new supplier agreement that will require factories to certify compliance with local laws and regulations as well as rigorous social and environmental standards. Wal-Mart will also partner with its top manufacturers to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2012. Along with increasing environmental standards, Wal-Mart will also implement stricter product safety and quality measures that will greatly reduce returns of defective merchandise

Thanks to its great success, Wal-Mart is in a unique position to bring about effective change by working collaboratively with foreign suppliers and manufacturers. Although by no means the first company to strive to be more environmentally conscious, the fact that a large and powerful company like Wal-Mart is making a commitment to sustainability will no doubt have a positive impact and lead the way for other corporations to follow.

Wal-Mart Press Release

China Shooting for “The Green Olympics”?

Just in time for the Summer Olympics, China’s capital is moving forward to improve air quality and help preserve the Earth. This year’s Olympics have been branded as the “Green Olympics” and China has been putting forth new systems, regulations, and buildings to better themselves for the future. One new rule made by the government prohibits fried food to be sold in the farmers’ market by vendors. Cooking fried foods requires the use of coal stoves, which contributes to air pollution. Although this is a great start to reduce the use of coal coming from China, vendors are still cooking with their coal stoves and selling the product but doing so before authorities arrive at 8:00 a.m.

The Beijing government has also been promoting public transportation by improving the systems, introducing incentives, and adding regulations on local vehicles. Two subway lines have been added to Beijing’s original two, and seven more are in construction. Some of these seven will be open in time for the Olympics. Tourists will find it convenient to take the metro directly from the airport to downtown. New bus routes have been added to street transportation, with buses running at more times. Fares have also been significantly lowered, and the government hopes that locals will utilize public transportation rather than driving. In fact, depending on the number of their license plate, local vehicles are allowed on the street every other day. This is to reduce both air pollution and traffic in the city. Beijing also went as far as to inspect every car, giving vehicles that don’t pass the smog test a yellow sticker, preventing it from the streets until September 20. Vehicles coming from other cities will be turned away unless they acquire a “Green Olympic Pass.”

China as a whole is following suit. On June 1, the Chinese State Council prohibited all stores and markets from offering plastic bags for free. This regulation has reduced the use of plastic bags by a whopping 80 percent in department stores and supermarkets and 50 percent in farmers’ markets by the end of June. A department store in Beijing supported this change by offering an exchange program in the month of June, giving out reusable totes to customers that brought in 50 plastic bags. New event specific buildings have been built to support the Games, and one in particular, the Water Cube, is made of lightweight plastic on the exterior, which requires less structural support, and is a better insulator than glass. That saves an estimated 30 percent in energy costs. Other buildings use no-flush toilets, rooftop solar panels, and a rainwater collection system.