1. Construction: Bamboo can be used for making roofs, flooring, scaffolding, and walls. Many companies, like Bamboo House India in Hyderabad, can make an entire house with bamboo alone (with a small amount of steel).
2. Paper, cardboard: Some of the most popular bamboo products on the market today are toilet paper rolls and reusable kitchen towels.
3. Clothing: Similar to wood, cellulose from bamboo can be converted into pulp and then spun into textiles. In general, we should buy fewer clothes, but if you need to buy a new piece of clothing, go for organic cotton or bamboo garments made using sustainably sourced bamboo. If you’re unsure about bamboo clothing, maybe you can start with bath towels or hand towels. You will discover that there is no difference between cotton and bamboo fabric!
4. Musical instruments & other commodities: Bamboo flutes (or bansuris) have been mentioned in Sanskrit scriptures dating back thousands of years. Staying with the Indian theme, incense sticks (or agarbathis), and baskets (tokris) were traditionally made from bamboo as well. There are also bamboo hairbrushes and bamboo toothbrushes available these days. Re-usable cutlery sets or straws made from bamboo can help you avoid single-use plastic, particularly while traveling.

What’s holding back bamboo in India?

According to the National Economic Forum (NEF), a leading not-for-profit, and independent think tank and policy research institution in India, “India, despite having the world's largest bamboo cover and being the second-largest bamboo producer with nearly 14.6 million MT of harvest in 2019, still imported 88% of its bamboo raw materials in 2021.” Why is that? The Indian Forest Act of 1927 classified Bamboo as a ‘tree’, which meant that bamboo grown in and around forested areas was out of bounds for villagers and inhabitants of these forests. Like many other colonial-era laws, this law had only one purpose - to increase profits for the British Raj. Thankfully, the tide is turning. As reported by Down to Earth in 2018, “After amending Section 2(7) of Indian Forest Act, 1927, bamboo is no longer a tree and felled bamboo too is not timber. So any bamboo grown in private or homestead land by millions of farmers does not require a felling permission or transit permission from any state forest department”. Being part of the Poacea or grass family, bamboo should have never been classified as a tree in the first place. This new ruling has started changing the landscape of the bamboo supply chain in India. Moreover, the government is now levying a 25% duty on imported bamboo to promote domestic production. Bamboo House India , a small construction company in Hyderabad, specialises in creating low-budget bamboo houses with bamboo sourced from Assam and other northeastern Indian states. Bamboo India and Bamboo Greens are making various household items out of bamboo. Mianzi is making beautiful cabinets and storage units using bamboo sourced within India. Some argue that bamboo is an invasive species, because of the sheer speed at which it grows and spreads. However, unlike most other invasive plants, bamboo does not spread through its seeds but through its roots. So, it is relatively easy to install a barrier to prevent bamboo from taking over the land. If bamboo is sourced from existing naturally occurring plantations, we do not have to worry about this.

What’s holding back bamboo in India?

As always, the best approach is to reduce paper usage. Enrol in paperless billing statements with your bank wherever possible. Reading e-books is another great way to reduce your paper footprint. Replace your conventional kitchen towel and toilet paper with those made from 100% recycled paper and/or bamboo fiber. Buy from zero-waste stores and carry your own bags when you go shopping, to minimise cardboard boxes that have become omnipresent due to e-commerce. Next time you are in the market for furniture, look for bamboo options on Google. Right now, bamboo products are more expensive than conventional products, however, with increasing consumer awareness and ramping up production, the prices for these items are bound to come down over time. So, if you are still bamboozled about how to go about living sustainably, maybe consider bamboo for your next purchase.