So the question begs; is bamboo flooring really green, considering the arguments against?
Our answer is that bamboo is a “green” material by definition, but that certain factors impact the greenness of the finished products.
So, in the case of Eco-Logic Bamboo, our answer is; Eco-Logic Bamboo Flooring & Boards are CERTIFIABLY green. We suggest you evaluate other bamboo suppliers based on their CERTIFIED & verified green credentials (there is a lot of marketing hype out there).
How can you say that you ask? Simple;
- Our factories source raw materials from FSC Pure sources.
- Are ISO 14001 certified.
- Our Eco-Logic Bamboo flooring Formaldehyde emissions are externally tested by SGS & rated as “ND- Not Detectable“.
- Eco-Logic Bamboo has been pre-approved as truly green by an external green rating agency which focuses on verifying claims on a products green credentials. The pre-approval was achieved by us having to provide certified documentation proving our claims.
Sounds impressive! (but what on earth does all that stuff mean anyway?)
Okay, we agree, it does sound impressive (and actually it really is, as not many can claim those credentials), but what do all those acronyms and long words actually mean? Let’s break them down …
FSC – stands for Forestry Stewardship Council. This is a non-profit organisation that have written up a bunch of standards that effectively protect our natural forests and the things reliant on them. If an organisation subscribes to their rules, they are subjected to an external certification process by an independent 3rd party to see if they meet the strict standards upheld by the FSC. This is pretty difficult – don’t believe us, go and Google “FSC bamboo” and see how many bamboo flooring & bamboo board suppliers actually supply FSC rated products. We have a more in depth post on FSC here.
ISO 14001 – International standards to which a factory can be externally certified as compliant, wherein they subscribe to green manufacturing processes. In other words, their manufacturing practices are certified to take the environmental impact into consideration. A good thing, as we don’t want the factory to be spewing out all kinds of environmentally damaging goop into rivers, earth and sky (whilst the retailers tell you the product is green).
Formaldehyde – this is a very common component of glues used in all kinds of goods. This product affects the Indoor Environment (air) Quality (known as IEQ by the boffins).
You know the “new” smell you get when you walk into a room that has just been carpeted? How about that “new” smell in that brand new kitchen you had installed (that is made from pressed boards with those exotic wood veneers)? THAT “new” smell is most likely Formaldehyde – a known carcinogen (cancer causing substance). Scary isn’t it?
Point 4 above tells you that other external organisations agree with our green claims – why? Because they have independently verified that we’re not talking nonsense or just spinning a marketing yarn (as many others do).
That said, let’s move onto the “demand side” (how it gets to your door) arguments against bamboo’s greenness, we address each issue separately as follows …
