Bamboo is an increasingly popular alternative for all sorts of things. You have well-known alternatives like bamboo straws, bamboo toothbrushes and bamboo sunglasses. But bamboo is increasingly being creatively incorporated into products that were previously far from sustainable. Bamboo, on the other hand, is an incredibly sustainable solution because it grows at a gigantic speed. There are bamboo species that can grow up to a metre a day, so the stock recovers a lot faster than, say, when you cut down a tree. Also, cotton, for example, is used a lot more than there actually is available, making bamboo another interesting alternative for sustainable clothing. Bamboovement has made it their mission to collect all these fantastic sustainable initiatives in one webshop.

Which sustainable aspects are implemented?

The founder of Bamboovement is a fellow traveller who travelled the world in 2014. There, he encountered all the ill effects of plastic. From endless plastic washing up on beaches to a baby seagull almost suffocating from the amount of plastic in its stomach. After meeting someone in Indonesia who had built a beach hut from bamboo because it’s such a durable and sturdy material, they decided to work together on sustainable bamboo alternatives.

The ingredients of the products Bamboovement sells are therefore key to their sustainable mission. All products are completely natural and plastic-free. With a mission to “prevent there being more plastic than fish floating around in the oceans by 2050”. This also applies to the packaging, which is completely plastic-free. Substantial steps are also being taken to offset more than CO2 is emitted with shipping.

They also collaborate with other organisations. Because the people behind Bamboovement also realise that the fight for a sustainable planet is not one you can fight alone. We need to work together to really make a difference.

Bamboovement, therefore, collaborates with the organisation IAHV and specifically their project “Climate Action Now”. In doing so, they partner again with one of the biggest reforestation companies in the world, Eden Reforestation Project. They have already planted billions of trees in recent years and, with Bamboovement’s help, will continue to do so. Bamboovement plants trees for every order and newsletter subscription. When ordering gift packages, even 3 trees are planted per package.

Ethical aspects

ERP, the tree-planting organisation, has launched an initiative called “Employ-to-plant”. Unfortunately, the biggest polluting countries are often not the ones feeling the consequences. Those who feel the effects are the often already poor countries that also lack the resources to repair the damage. Trees preserve ecosystems and help prevent sandstorms and floods, among other things. So it’s mainly the local people around these deforestation projects who suffer.

With the employ-to-plant project, they engage local people in the tree-planting projects. They get a normal living wage for planting forests. So not only is nature restored and their habitat made safer, but living conditions are also improved. So everyone is better of.

This is one of Bamboovement’s motivations for working with ERP, as they also believe that cooperation with local people is crucial for a successful project.

Unfortunately, little is known about the production of the products, except that the project thus started with a local entrepreneur in Indonesia. So, it started out incredibly ethical, and I don’t actually assume that that has suddenly changed. But I don’t know if that collaboration is still there or if the products are now made somewhere else.

Are the products vegan?

Yes, all products are vegan. The bamboo used is a form that Pandas don’t eat. So they don’t suffer either.

General verdict about Bamboovement

I myself haven’t ordered from Bamboovement yet, but have been using some of the products they offer for years. If you read all my blogs, you know that I am a huge fan of reusable cotton pads. I’ve also been using bamboo cotton buds myself for years. I still find that reusable version a bit of a strange concept, but really wanted an alternative to those plastic sticks. So as soon as that alternative arrived, I never looked back.

I will definitely order the bamboo brush heads! We’ve had electric toothbrushes pretty quickly and I really can’t imagine how people still brush with regular toothbrushes. I used to take them on trips but my teeth just really don’t feel clean. Bamboo toothbrushes have been around for years, but brush heads lagged behind. I don’t think I saw the first version until early 2021, but then again those were only suitable for the durable toothbrush that you had to buy with it. As I I only had mine for 2 years, I also didn’t want to throw it out for a new one. These fit all the usual toothbrushes, so that’s perfect!

Other than that, the story really appeals to me and I think most travellers can relate to this. I too come across endless litter on my travels. Just yesterday on Zakynthos, people apparently thought it was okay to throw their rubbish off the mountain and even at 550 metres, I still found plastic cups. This was also definitely a reason for me to live more sustainably and share tips & tricks with my readers, because it can simply be done differently. So I am personally a fan! And also really believe in the company’s motivations and their commitment to keep doing the right thing.

In which countries does Bamboovement deliver?

Bamboovement ships within Europe