Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the commonly accepted methodology to systematically assess the environmental
impact of a product or material over the full life cycle, thus from the extraction of
resources until the end phase of demolition or recycling (from cradle till grave). The LCA methodology is
Internationally standardized in the ISO14040 series, and measures the environmental impact in several categories,
including depletion, air quality (dust, smog), toxicity and global warming potential (GWP). The environmental
impact caused by a product can be caught under one number, for example expressed in eco-costs. Given the
increasing attention with respect to global warming, the GWP of products is often assessed separately in a socalled carbon footprint. In this assessment all the greenhouse gas emissions during the life cycle of a product are
measured in kg CO2 equivalent. To gain a better understanding of the environmental impact of its products, MOSO
has undertaken a long term strategic partnership with two leading research organizations in the field of LCA,
carbon footprint and bamboo: Delft University of Technology (www.tudelft.nl) and the International Network for
Bamboo and Rattan (www.inbar.int). This has resulted in several scientific publications* including an official Life
Cycle Assessment (including carbon footprint following the ISO 14040 and 14044 standard. The official LCA shows
that bamboo is an important CO2 ‘fixator’. This means that bamboo absorbs, during its growth and life until
harvest, a relative large amount of CO2 from the air / atmosphere (and releases as subsequent large amount of
O2 in return through the photosynthesis process). Since the area of permanent MOSO bamboo plantations is
growing steadily, an increasing amount of CO2 is permanently locked in the plantations plants. After the harvest
this CO2 will remain locked in the material and will only be released when the material is discarded or burnt in the
end of life phase, preferably in electrical power plants where it can substitute the use of carbon intensive fossil
fuels and can thus be perceived as additional carbon credit following LCA methodology. On the other hand, CO2 is
released by machines and transport means which are needed to produce the bamboo products and bring them to
the customer. For MOSO, it is very important to keep the emissions of greenhouse gases during this process as low
as possible, by efficient production and using saw dust as energy source. By comparing the CO2 fixation and fossil
fuel substitution in the end-of-life phase, with the emissions during production, transport and use, the CO2
balance of a product over the full life cycle can be determined. When the carbon credits through CO2 fixation and
fossil fuel substitution are larger than the emissions, the product is CO2 neutral. The LCA report concludes that all
assessed MOSO products (all solid bamboo flooring, decking, panels and veneer) are CO2 neutral or better over
the full life cycle. The report is available upon request. The growing speed of renewable materials in terms of
annual yield in cubic meters per hectare is not included in a carbon footprint and can therefore be perceived as an
additional environmental credential for renewable materials in general and in particular for the most rapidly
growing materials such as MOSO
bamboo.
For the LCA all 100% bamboo products of MOSO were assessed to be CO2 neutral, indicated in our product sheets
by the CO2 neutral icon. Note that our engineered products, consisting of a non-bamboo carrier or backing (e.g.
HDF for Topbamboo, latex for Unibamboo), were not yet assessed in the current LCA (work in progress).
IMPORTANT: MOSO is the only bamboo supplier worldwide to have executed a full LCA following ISO standards.
The LCA was performed for the specific case of the MOSO production chain following best practice and can
therefore not be perceived as being typical for the production chain of other industrial
bamboo material manufacturers. Therefore, if other manufacturers claim the same, one should always ask them to
back up their claim by asking for a full report following ISO 14040/44.
Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource and able to regenerate to full maturity in less than ten years. Bamboo is
the fastest growing plant on the planet that does not require additional fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation.
Petroleum products are non-renewable and are caustic to our environment during extraction, manufacturing and
as they off gas. Old growth woodlands are quickly being harvested and unfortunately mature hundreds of years
later. Other renewable resources include cork, wool, cotton, jute, hemp and soy.
Reduces Carbon Footprint
Bamboo forests reduce our carbon footprint by consuming harmful CO2 molecules in the air. Our everyday
activities such as driving, cooking and building operations release green house gasses that results in climate
change. Living plants help bring balance to our air by digesting these gasses.
Reduces Soil Erosion
Bamboo harvesting does not result in soil erosion due to the presence of rhizome root systems that remain living
throughout the harvest to renew once again as a young shoot. Soil erosion results in sedimentation of our creeks
and streams, which in turn destroys native habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Erosion also causes the nutrient
rich topsoil to be removed and require additional fertilizers when replanting.
Reduces Soil Erosion
Bamboo harvesting does not result in soil erosion due to the presence of rhizome root systems that remain living
throughout the harvest to renew once again as a young shoot. Soil erosion results in sedimentation of our creeks
and streams, which in turn destroys native habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Erosion also causes the nutrient
rich topsoil to be removed and require additional fertilizers when replanting.
Moso Bamboo
Moso bamboo, the giant timber bamboo used for construction, is famous for its strength and straightness. Moso
Bamboo is referred to as "vegetal steel," it is Lighter than steel, but five times stronger than concrete. The largest
building constructed of bamboo to date is over 55,000 sq/ft. Moso Bamboo has also been used to build bike
frames, being a light and strong material.
Habitat Protection
Moso Bamboo is not the variety of bamboo eaten by Panda bears. Bamboo shoots are cut above the soil level
which allows rapid new growth. In its native habitat, the bamboo forest captures more water from fog than it uses
and provides leaf compost at a rate where soil is actually built up.
Manufacturing Impact
Bamboo poles are mostly hollow and lightweight. The majority of harvesting, transportation and manufacturing is
done by hand. The lightweight material does not require heavy industrial equipment, which release more carbon
emissions and have a larger environmental impact
Bamboo and Carbon Footprint
What is Carbon Footprint?
Carbon Footprint is one’s own contribution in the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and is
usually measured in unit weight of carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases can be emitted through transport, land
clearance, and the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads,
buildings, and services.
Made up of the sum of two parts, a carbon footprint can be classified as the primary footprint and the secondary
footprint:
1.) The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fossil
fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation – in which we have direct control over it.
2.) The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the whole lifecycle of
products we use – those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. To put it very simply: the
more we buy, the more emissions will be caused on our behalf.
Bamboo and Carbon Footprint
Every time we use fossil fuels, carbon dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere. Increase carbon dioxide (CO2)
due to burning fossil fuels in homes, factories or power stations can lead to man-made climate change or global
warming.
In a normal carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is re-absorbed by plants and trees. However, for millions of years, the
earth surface is oversaturated with carbon dioxide that plants and trees in the present have little chance of
absorbing it up. And so to increase the possibility of carbon re-absorbtion, many people are directing their
attention to bamboo as an effective alternative to reduce carbon dioxide.
Bamboo has a crucial part in balancing the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One of the fastest plants
in our planet, some bamboo can grow (47) forty-seven inches in (24) twenty-four hours and can reach over (100)
hundred feet in height within (60) sixty days. This short growth cycle makes it a great replacement for our slow
growing forest that is being steadily cut back. Also, a grove of bamboo can release 35 per cent more oxygen than
an equivalent stand of trees and absorbs (4) four times as much carbon, reducing our carbon footprint and help
fight global warming.