Why The Bamboo Project?

Our Problem

While living and travelling around SE Asia for almost two years we became concerned with the amount of plastic our travels created. Plastic bottles for drinking water, plastic packaging on in-flight meals, plastic packets at grocery stores and of course the 'seemingly harmless' single-use plastic straw.

On our travels we always tried to minimize our environmental impact by refusing single-use plastics wherever we could. However we became aware that no matter where we were, whether it be the beautiful Gili Islands or the mountains of Vietnam - plastic packets, bottles and straws where sure to be found in rivers, along roads or washed up on otherwise pristine beaches.

 Plastic Pollution on Beach
Table Mountain Cape Town On our return to South Africa we found the same problems with plastic consumption and pollution. We decided to stop complaining and to try make a difference ourselves. We believe that while consumers need to make better choices regarding purchasing of plastic goods, it is up to producers and companies to take a stand and offer sustainable products which aren't harmful to the environment.
While it's easy to feel hopeless about the continued pollution and degradation of beautiful areas at the hands of plastic and other trash, the saying 'every little bit helps' is never far from our minds. We as individuals may feel like we can't stem the tide of plastic pollution however as consumers and producers our everyday choices can do just that. If we can take a stand and say 'no' to plastic we can change the way produce is packed and consumed. The Bamboo Project Straws
Plants and Bamboo Straws  

Our Solution?

The Bamboo Project

Benefits of Bamboo:

  1. Bamboo is said to be the fastest growing plant on the planet. In the right conditions it can grow up to 1 meter in a single day and reaches maturity in only 3 to 5 years. 
  2. The Bamboo plant also releases 30% more oxygen and absorbs more carbon dioxide than other plants.
  3. Bamboo is lightweight, durable, extremely strong and of course biodegradable.
  4. Bamboo straws are therefore the perfect natural alternative to conventional single-use plastic straws. Each straw when cared for properly can be used over and over again.
When your straw is old and needs to be thrown away it can be cut up and composted, thus returning to the earth from whence it came. This is one of the most important differences when compared to plastic straws which take decades to break down and are more likely to end up in our oceans where they pollute and subsequently kill marine life. Recent studies also suggest that plastic in the oceans is breaking down into micro-particles which enter the food chain and are eventually consumed by us. Bamboo
Pristine Beach  

Our Vision:

The Bamboo Project aims to use this powerful plant to change the mindset around single-use plastic products, namely plastic straws. In our everyday lives we reuse; knives, forks, spoons, plates and cups. So why not reuse straws?

The Bamboo Project offers sustainable non-plastic alternatives to single-use plastic items currently used in South Africa and the world. We hope to change mindsets around plastic consumption and to eventually be in a position to donate a portion of our revenue to environmental protection agencies.

Be the change you want to see in the world and say 'no' to plastic straws.