Sustainable Elements of Bamboo Toilet Paper
What Aspects Make Bamboo Toilet Paper a Sustainable Solution?
There is certainly a lot of talk about sustainability in our society today. Sustainable crops, sustainable products, living a sustainable lifestyle, we’ve all heard the hype. Let’s just say the term is trending.
Consumers are looking for more sustainable solutions for all aspects of their lifestyles. More than ever before, people are considering how a product was made and looking more critically at its ingredients.
It makes sense. The impact of climate change and how it is affecting our planet seems to be increasingly driving consumer behavior. Individuals are starting to realize their own personal effect on the planet and becoming more cognizant of ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
This realization and move toward sustainability can’t come fast enough. It seems humans have been impacting climate change for quite some time.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded back in 2014 that it’s 95% probable that human activities have warmed the planet over the last 50 years. In their latest report, dated February of 2022, they once again reiterated that human activity is a dangerous and widespread issue regarding climate change.
The biggest culprit causing climate change on behalf of humans is our emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases consist of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
These gases, along with certain synthetic chemicals, trap Earth’s outgoing energy. They absorb light, which prevents it from escaping the earth’s atmosphere, which in turn causes temperatures to rise. Over time, this continual trapping of energy piles up and becomes harder and harder to remove.
Natural occurrences like heat from the sun, volcanic activity, and the carbon cycle affect the temperature of our planet, but human activity is widely believed to be the main cause of climate change in recent decades. It’s because so much of our activities, what we produce, and how we use energy produce greenhouse gasses.
Consider some of these common, everyday human consumptions that emit greenhouse gasses:
- Transportation: Fossil fuels are burned to power planes, trains, and the majority of our vehicles. Coal, oil, and natural gas all produce carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
- Electricity: Powering our homes also burns fossil fuel. This includes things like our lights, heating and cooling, and even our Internet usage.
- Meat: Increased livestock farming in order to feed the growing population has resulted in an increase in methane gas. Livestock like cows and sheep produce methane when they digest their food.
- Crops: Fruit and vegetable crops that receive a steady diet of fertilizer produce a steady stream of nitrous oxide. It’s a harmful byproduct of trying to increase a harvest and prevent crop failure.
- Deforestation: Perhaps one of the most tragic examples of increased greenhouse gas emissions is the human destruction of forests. We lose hundreds of thousands of trees every year for the production of consumer goods. Trees help regulate carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and as the trees diminish, CO2 increases.
The impact of these activities and how they’ve increased in recent decades has prompted a swing towards sustainable products. It’s exactly why sustainability is becoming so sought after.
What Makes a Product Sustainable?
The Oxford Dictionary defines sustainability as the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. It has evolved to connect with the environment as a word that describes avoiding the depletion of natural resources.
Essentially, sustainability relates to our ability to co-exist on our planet for an extended amount of time.
When a product is made sustainably, that means its manufacturing process doesn’t directly harm the environment. Sustainable products are the result of renewable resources that require a small amount of energy and are created with the goal of using eco-friendly production practices.
What Does Buying Sustainable Do?
Buying sustainable helps reduce all of those harmful greenhouse gasses we know are emitted into the atmosphere by human activity. A sustainable product’s carbon footprint is substantially less than goods produced traditionally.
Ideally, every part of its production lessens the impact on the planet. Sustainable items produce less waste, reduce energy consumption, and protect our valuable natural resources.
There are other perks of buying sustainable too! Besides the environment, there are other aspects that make sustainable solutions preferable.
Most likely, you’re buying a healthier product. Eco-friendly goes hand in hand with natural and chemical-free. You’re also giving props to those businesses that care about you and the environment by supporting them. Many times you’ll find that these products are higher quality and more unique.
Getting a superior product that’s better for you and the environment is something every consumer should want!
Important consumer considerations when working to buy sustainable:
- Is the product biodegradable?
- Are there synthetic ingredients?
- Does the production of any component require a nonrenewable resource?
The market for sustainable products has been increasingly growing. We have access to numerous products that are made with eco-conscious production practices and include sustainable raw materials.
Sustainable solutions are becoming available for every aspect of your life and every room in your home, even and especially your bathroom!
Let’s talk about where bamboo toilet paper fits in with the dynamic of a sustainable lifestyle and helping to mitigate climate change. To do that, we should look at the sustainable elements of bamboo toilet paper.
It’s All About The Plant Itself
When you buy 100% bamboo toilet paper, the only element in the toilet paper is, well, bamboo. So, what that means for sustainability is that we have to look directly at the bamboo plant itself. It is just one plant, but it has so many sustainable qualities!
Bamboo is often mistakenly considered a tree, but it’s not at all. Bamboo is actually classified as grass. This difference makes a bamboo crop much more sustainable. For example, think about mowing your lawn. Consider how quickly the grass replenishes. It requires regular cutting, right? Well, bamboo has similar growth behavior; it’s just on a much taller scale.
Some species of bamboo can literally grow feet in just one day. They reach maturity very quickly. This is significantly different from hardwood trees which are used in the production of traditional toilet paper. It takes years for trees to mature. Fast-growing ups the sustainability factor, but there’s more!
Harvesting bamboo doesn’t require the roots or soil to be disrupted. In fact, harvesting bamboo doesn’t even mean it needs to be replanted. Both of these qualities are meaningful to the environment. No soil disruption means that native soil ecosystems remain intact and because it regenerates from its original roots, it takes less water to ensure it will experience successful growth.
Speaking of water, bamboo requires much less water than hardwood trees to grow to full maturity. A bamboo crop uses 30% less water than its tree counterparts.
Bamboo also releases more oxygen into the atmosphere. Planting bamboo crops means over thirty percent more oxygen will be released as compared to a tree cluster of similar size. Bamboo is also an excellent absorber of carbon dioxide. Raising bamboo for toilet paper production can have a direct effect on climate change.
Bamboo is basically a sustainable super crop!
From Harvest to Your Home
The best eco-conscious companies ensure that not only the components that go into the product are sustainable, but also the packaging and delivery.
Many self-proclaimed eco brands include plastics in their product packaging or don’t ensure that they employ an entirely sustainable model. It’s important to know you’re getting a 100% bamboo product that also takes care to lessen waste, energy, and protect resources during its production and delivery.
Select Bamboo for a Sustainable Solution
If you’re looking to up the sustainability factor in your household, bamboo toilet paper is a smart move toward that goal. It’s a simple essential that doesn’t get much thought, but in terms of environmental impact, it matters a lot.
By purchasing bamboo toilet paper, you can start to make a difference or increase the impact you’re making by adding to the sustainable habits you’re already practicing!
You’ll be doing your part to lower greenhouse gas emissions, increase Co2 absorption, protect our natural resources, and also be enjoying a natural, chemical-free product. It’s safe, sustainable, and sensible for the health of your family.
At HeyBamboo we’re committed to providing you with easy, affordable options to make bamboo toilet paper a part of your eco-friendly home. The planet is important to us, and we want to bring the sustainable superpower of bamboo to everyone!
Join us! Check out our shop page for details on our product and information on how you can start a subscription so that you’ll always have bamboo toilet paper on hand.
Resources:
The Third Pole
Concern Worldwide USA
PrimaBerry
good on you
Climate Portal
EPA.gov
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