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It's used to make toothbrushes, crockery, clothes and even toilet paper, but is bamboo as green as it seems?

From toilet paper to toothbrushes, plates and bowls - and even textiles such as towels, bedlinen, socks and other clothing - bamboo seems to be gaining popularity as a material used to make many of the personal and household products we use every day.

On top of benefits such as durability, biodegradability, softness and anti-bacterial qualities, manufacturers boast of the material’s broader ‘eco-friendly’ credentials compared with plastic, wood and cotton.

Dubbed ‘green steel’ for its versatility and strength in building construction in its native South-East Asia, its use has spiralled over the last five years to enter every area of our lives and homes. Despite sparse detail about the UK market, a recent American study estimates the global market was worth $53.3 billion (£39.7 billion) in 2020 and set to soar by 5.7% to $82.9 billion (£61.8 billion) by 2028.

But how eco-friendly is bamboo and is it really as good for the planet as the brands that use it in their products — and their predictably positive marketing and labelling — claim?

Companies that make bamboo-based products point out that this fast-growing, tree-like grass is naturally renewable. Some types of bamboo can grow as much as 5cm in a single hour, and bamboo crops can be ready to harvest in just three years compared with 10-20 for trees. It requires little maintenance as it doesn’t need any pesticides or herbicides and relies on very little water to grow.

Importantly, it releases 35 per cent more oxygen and absorbs 35 per cent more carbon than the equivalent amount of trees, and grows well in areas afflicted by soil erosion.

In the UK The Cheeky Panda brand — which makes toilet paper, tissues, kitchen roll, nappies, wipes and drinking straws from bamboo — claims that much of the harvested wild bamboo it uses in its products (which it says is sourced from areas far away from pandas' habitats) would previously have been wasted. It also claims that "by using bamboo rather than trees, we also help protect rainforests".

The fashion industry, too, has embraced bamboo, claiming it is more sustainable than the water-intensive processes associated with growing cotton and, unlike silk, is cruelty-free and vegan.

Bamboo (whether wild or planted commercially) is predominantly grown in China, so its true sustainability depends on numerous factors in a lengthy and complex global supply chain. Environmental charities including WWF-UK point out that amid concerns about biodiversity, deforestation, destruction of animal habitats and products being shipped long distances, transparency is key to minimising its environmental and social impacts.

Paula Chin, materials specialist WWF-UK, said: “Bamboo is a very attractive renewable source for materials because it grows at much faster rates than trees. However, areas growing bamboo do not promote as much biodiversity as forests, especially in areas where land has been specifically cleared to grow it.

"In addition, environmental and human rights standards in bamboo growing regions may not be as robust as in the UK or Europe. For some reassurance, consumers can look out for bamboo-based products that are FSC certified, as this shows that the material comes from sustainably managed crops, and not from areas that have been specifically deforested to grow bamboo.”

The way bamboo is processed once it's harvested also affects its eco credentials. Bamboo fabrics are often praised for their softness, but the amount of processing required to achieve this involves the use of a high level of chemicals. Professor Phil Purnell, visiting professor of the materials science research centre at the Royal College of Art, warns: "Bamboo is not as eco-friendly as is made out. The fibres used to make some bamboo fabrics such as viscose don't come directly from bamboo stems. Instead, the bamboo is made into a pulp that is used instead of wood pulp viscose fibres. The fibre processing (and associated heavy use of chemicals) is exactly the same, and so any environmental gains are only made if the growing of the bamboo is more sustainable than how the wood is harvested for pulp in other products." In fact, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the world’s leading standard for textile processing, refuses to certify chemically processed bamboo-based viscose, saying that it 'cannot be considered as natural or even organic fibre'.

When it comes to other materials that could be used to manufacture toilet paper, for example, experts broadly agree that using recycled paper pulp is far more sustainable than using any virgin material. And ‘alternative’ fibres such as bamboo, provided they are responsibly sourced, are more sustainable than virgin wood pulp. Consumers are advised to look out for the FSC stamp of certification.

In textiles, look out for organic bamboo or bamboo linen, which means the fibres will have been mechanically rather than chemically extracted. Labelling is not always clear, but the next best option is ‘lyocell’ bamboo, which minimises chemical use.

Disappointingly, information is patchy and even experts are calling for more helpful guidance from the government and local authorities, which run household recycling schemes.

The Recycle Now website run by the Government’s waste advisory body Wrap, for example, makes no mention of bamboo anywhere. A Wrap spokeswoman said: “Paper mills have been designed and set up to deal with fibre derived from wood pulp and not bamboo and they are different. As it’s a fairly new thing we don’t know if putting bamboo products in the recycling actually means they get recycled but we suspect not.”

For the same reason, it advises against putting bamboo textiles into conventional textile recycling, because of the toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process. Your best bet is to take such clothing to charity shops which at least gives it a chance of being reused.

There is a little more information on more popular products such as bamboo toothbrushes, however. An estimated 192 million plastic toothbrushes are bought every year in the UK alone which typically end up in landfill, and bamboo ones are now a popular alternative, made and sold by mainstream brands such as Colgate.

Dr Rhoda Trimingham of Loughborough University’s Sustainable Design Research Group, advises that brushes and other ‘wooden’ products can be put into ‘municipal’ wood and timber composting facilities at most household waste recycling centres run by local authorities where they will break down the quickest. But the nylon or plastic bristles, and staples attaching them, should first be removed, she advises.

The Truthbrush brand — which has recently launched a bamboo electric toothbrush head in addition to its handheld brushes — says consumers can send brushes back “and we will recycle them through a closed loop scheme, or we advise to snap off the head or remove the bristles with pliers and then the bamboo handle can go in the garden waste bin. The handles can also be repurposed, for example as a paint stirrer or a plant cane.”

London Recycles also says handles can be home composted, or thrown into your garden waste recycling bin.

Dr Trimingham warns against using bamboo products for single use only. “Many retailers have replaced their disposable plastic cutlery with bamboo, but because it is regarded by consumers as single use there is still a strong likelihood that it will be thrown away,” she says. “So much for being eco-friendly. The most important rule is to reduce, reuse, recycle.”