Bamboo is the un-official poster material of sustainable design. The article Bamboo, Part II: What’s so good about the stuff? from Core77 gives a quick rundown of the benefits of this versatile grass. However the most interesting part of the article is in the comments section.

It’s worth mentioning some of the negatives:
Bamboo varies hugely in quality. Younger bamboo is much softer, but much cheaper to produce (faster harvest cycle = more bamboo).
Bamboo is glued together with adhesives that are very often toxic. It’s a Chinese product and not seriously regulated. Some Bamboo (i.e. Woven Strand process which has more glue in it) was banned in Europe because of excessive VOC (volatile organic compounds) released into homes - including formaldehyde.
Also, in some places, bamboo has become so over harvested, the indigenous population which relied on bamboo for their homes, their food, their tools and so on are being starved.
It ain’t as pretty as it looks!

As for a lot of things in the new and exciting world of sustainable design you have to tread with a sense of caution, otherwise you may end up with something that isn’t as “green” as you first thought. When choosing a new piece of bamboo furniture, make sure you know how the bamboo is sourced and what it is glued together with, much like choosing FSC timber products. If you don’t, you may not be taking advantage of the great sustainable qualities of bamboo. Here at Pli we are fully aware that some bamboo is greener than others. We chose our supplier Moso back in 2004 because of its high quality standards, use of non-toxic glues, and commitment to responsibly sourced material.

See our Grass and Hoop range of tables and storage, for our take on modern bamboo furniture.