Carbon Study Abstract

Date: 2015, 58 Pages

This report presents the results of a Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint analysis of a selection of industrial bamboo products that are manufactured by the company MOSO® International. The analysis was done to determine the impact that their production and disposal have on the environment. Bamboo Flooring, decking, panels, and beams have been evaluated. A comprehensive explanation is offered of how carbon sequestration can be calculated, following LCA methodology. This LCA is specific to Moso® Bamboo product evaluations described in this report and are not applicable to other manufacturers’ products. The assessment described here is done for the production (cradle-to-gate) plus the waste (end-of-life) stages of the bamboo products but does not include the user stage when the product is in use by consumers after purchase.

Bamboo products are increasingly found in western markets, with recorded international trade of some $2 billion in 2012, the majority of which is imported to European and North American consumer countries. As bamboo products are increasingly perceived as “green” and environmentally friendly, it is important to have an effective way to evaluate and verify these claims—to reassure producers and consumers and help producers find ways to make their production system even “greener”. The LCA is a widely used and recognized method for achieving this.

This study shows that if production parameters are optimized, these industrial bamboo products can have a negative carbon footprint over their full life-cycle, from cradle to gate. This means that the credits gained through carbon sequestration and from burning to produce electricity in a power plant at the end of each product’s life outweigh the emissions caused by the production and transport processes.

At end-of-life, it is assumed that 90% of the bamboo products are incinerated in an electrical power plant, and 10% will end up in landfills, a realistic scenario for Western Europe. The LCA was done following International standards ISO 14040 and 14044. In addition, the capture and storage (sequestration) of CO2 is taken into account.