Bamboologic

Bamboo is green all year round and the plant is full of water, both in the stems and roots.

Because bamboo fields are actively managed and monitored, the risk of fire outbreaks is very low. Indeed, bamboo is known to be relatively resistant to forest fires. Bamboo is usually free of side branches for the first 6 to 10 metres, this means the canopy does not spread fire easily. In managed bamboo forests, dried-out canes and materials are removed and density is controlled to promote growth. The fields are divided into sectors separated by firebreaks. Water is available on the entire site.

If a fire were to break out, it will affect some harvest cycles in the affected field. Fortunately, we can fall back on our network of bamboo farms spread across Europe. This allows us to increase harvest volumes at the other farms in such cases to make up for the loss of product in the burnt field.

After a fire, a bamboo forest recovers much faster than a traditional forest. Bamboo shoots grow back to their full length within 1 season. A study in South America showed that after 2 repeated forest fires on a 5-year time scale, 74% of the traditional vegetation was gone. In contrast, 7 to 9 times as many bamboo canes had grown back. So far, there are no known fires in European bamboo fields.

A key principle is that bamboo is only planted as an agricultural crop and not in the wild. The focus of planting bamboo is on sub-optimal agricultural plots and providing farmers with a better alternative to these lands. Because bamboo is an evergreen forest with a closed canopy, it lowers soil temperature, retains water in the soil, counteracts erosion through its intensive root system and supports ecosystem formation. Diversification into nature-inclusive crops with regenerative capacities is badly needed in Europe where, according to the EU, more than 60% of soils are in an unhealthy state.

Bamboo fields can be perfectly managed with minimal negative impact on the environment. The bamboo plantation in Alcoutim runs on solar energy, has large rainwater ponds and the irrigation system is gravity-based, using minimal energy.

As the recently conducted biodiversity survey in our 5-year-old bamboo field shows, the rich ecosystem within the bamboo fields is rather negatively affected by the surrounding traditional agriculture.

With a growing demand for wood products in the EU, using bamboo as biomass will reduce pressure on native wood species and forests. Many European forests are affected by diseases. The industry is exploring the market for alternatives and welcomes local bamboo cultivation.

Because bamboo rarely bears seeds, the crop does not spread via seed dispersal. Its extensive roots can be easily managed by trenches around fields (see drone image of our 6-year-old Portuguese bamboo field below).

Bamboo is one of the most biodiverse agricultural crops. A bamboo forest provides shelter to many birds, insects and small land animals. The leaf fall throughout the year creates a very rich soil; a true paradise for insects, fungi and dozens of plant species. Bamboo has naturally antibacterial properties. No pesticides are used on bamboo fields. There is also no ploughing, so the top soil layer is not disturbed. When harvesting, no clearcutting is done. Only one-third of the available bamboo is harvested annually.

However, the lifespan of bamboo can be more than 100 years, financial models and the financial horizon are set at 20 years. With each extra year of harvesting revenues and revenues from carbon certificates for embodied carbon, the return on investment rises. Planting bamboo now is generating a sustainable income for generations to come.

The economic viability of planting bamboo is calculated on a 20-year period. The break-even point for the field is reached somewhere around year 10. The carbon removal efficiency and soil storage capacity of bamboo have been set at 12 years, according to available literature and studies. As a safety measure, we have set the "carbon removal period" at 20 years. Revenues from the sale of the acquired carbon removal certificates can be offered to the market shortly after planting thanks to off-take agreements. This provides revenues in the first few years, incentivizing the farmer for his carbon removal efforts. The regenerative effects of bamboo on the soil depend on the initial soil and ecosystem situation and are noticeable after only a few years. The value of improving agricultural land quality cannot be overstated. This is crucial for future food supply and fuelling a biobased industry.

Since Bamboologic is also a grower, the interests of Bamboologic and farmers apply to both. The farmers help us secure the volumes demanded by the market. In return, we offer farmers a cooperative solution for harvesting, market access and obtaining carbon removal certificates.

Our ambition is to establish a European bamboo chain with a fair price for each link in the chain. Only then can a sustainable green business model be established. Bamboo offers long-term security due to its versatility of markets. Bamboo forest produces different products: the culms, edible shoots, biomass and even the leaves are purchased. The composition of the yield of the different products produced by a bamboo forest makes it a very interesting crop economically. Due to the exceptional qualities of bamboo as a product and the variety of possible applications, one can expect stable yields over the long term.

Farmers thus have a versatile, high-quality fiber crop. They are not tied to one sector, such as the food sector, which gives greater commercial security. In terms of net income per crop year, bamboo is more rewarding than Miscanthus, hemp, flax and other fiber crops.

The decisive factors in product selection are: market demand, sustainability throughout the production process and a fair price.

The versatile bamboo is a rapidly renewable alternative with a low footprint to PVC, steel, (hard) wood, composites and cotton. This carbon-negative material is a champion at storing carbon in sustainable materials. It is zero-degradable and any part of the plant can be processed. When grown locally, it avoids polluting transports over long distances and contributes to security of supply . Any material where a fossil component is replaced by bamboo is a step forward in sustainability. In recent years, industry has been increasingly demanding locally and sustainably grown products.

We not only replace fossil materials with bamboo, but also focus on the sustainability of the production process. Together with partners from industry, research institutions and universities, we are actively investigating all aspects of the production process with a focus on sustainability. Examples include the development of a bio-glue based on the lignin extracted from bamboo. We also cooperated to the laboratory scale production of bamboo pulp for textile avoiding the polluting viscose method, resulting in the first batch of sustainably produced European bamboo pulp. To take it a step further, the production of the textile with the pulp is 100% located in Portugal, on only a few hundred kilometres from the bamboo fields. A last example are the recently launched sample batches of 100% bamboo insulation produced in Germany with our bamboo from Portugal and Belgium.

Typically 7 to 8 years after planting. Before that period some smaller volumes out of pruning can be marketed.

The region around Alcoutim in Portugal is a barren rural area to which Europe is paying special attention. Many young people have left the region for lack of jobs. Agricultural activities are limited to a few traditional crops that are mostly monocultures with no added value for climate or nature. Bamboo farms create direct jobs, but also catalyze the development of several businesses in the region that work with bamboo or act as suppliers to the farms. This in turn activates the entire local economic network of suppliers, services, hospitality and R&D. Moreover, locally, bamboo forests increase agricultural biodiversity, counter erosion and desertification, and improve water retention in the soil. In the Alcoutim area, we have been the largest economic facilitator for the past 3 years.