Is Bamboo An Environmentally Friendly Alternative To Wood For Making Paper?
Bamboo is being touted as a renewable source all over the world these days. In fact, bamboo has been used in Asia for centuries for making several items, including paper. Today, with forest reducing at an alarming rate, bamboo is being viewed as an alternative to wood pulp to make paper. It is believed that bamboo pulp has the same consistency as wood pulp and paper mills will not have to spend that much money in revamping their existing production facilities to accommodate bamboo. However, will this really mean an environmentally friendly alternative to what we have now? That is the question being raised. The problem lies in the fact that forests are still being cut down to make way for bamboo plantations. This does not make sense. Also, natural bamboo forests are being expanded artificially to increase the production of bamboo to make paper. Most of the bamboo being cultivated today is used to make paper is China and India. However, because of increase in demand in the US and Europe,
