Bamboo is an organic and naturally-occurring material that stands out for its rapid growth. In its first years of life, it develops a complex network of underground stems that serve as support and a structural base for the cane, which we at Parafina are proud to use as our first sustainable material.
These canes can be harvested almost indefinitely, with periods between harvests of 2 to 5 years. Their growth rate of around 1 metre per day means they can reach heights of between 15 and 25 metres. This rapid process reduces the chances of the local ecosystem being damaged when harvested.
A little-known characteristic of these plants is that throughout their life they produce more oxygen than some common trees, because they are part of the grass family. Together with their rapid growth and their contribution of oxygen, they become an indispensable material to combat global warming in the coming years, both by offering a resistant and biodegradable material and by regenerating the soils where they are planted.
Bamboo is a very diverse material. Depending on the type, we can find some that are very light but at the same time very rigid, other varieties can be heavier and more flexible, there are slower growing varieties in which we can find very little marked veins and other varieties that can grow with astonishing speed.
This material has many colours, which means it can provide variety to a series of products made from the same material. Its veins are very characteristic, as well as its great resistance to pressure, but not so much to traction. In construction, it is widely used as a pillar or main structure on which to support an enclosure or wall. In fashion, it is widely used in small pieces of jewellery or watches and especially in glasses, where this small flexibility allows for the development of very varied models, but with great resistance.
Another important feature to highlight is the reduced carbon footprint of this material. As it is a completely natural material, the CO2 emissions related to its cultivation are low. In fact, bamboo is one of the plants that absorbs the most carbon dioxide, one of the main contributors to climate change, so it performs a double function by reducing pollution wherever it is grown. For example, bamboo consumes carbon dioxide; a one-hectare plantation of this material produces 35% more oxygen than the same amount of common trees. We can't argue with those numbers. Bamboo also doesn't need much water, approximately 60% less than the average.
No chemicals or pesticides are needed to grow them. This is great for us because these harmful and toxic chemicals can kill fish, birds and other wildlife or even harm humans.
Bamboo has its own personality, it is unique just like the trunk of a tree in the forest, it has an infinite variety of details that make each product made with this material totally unique. It may be thought that bamboo is at risk of disappearing, this is because in more developed countries it is more difficult to see bamboo plantations and it is concentrated in countries where cultivation is the engine of the economy or with large areas of undeveloped land. But not everything was going to be favorable, bamboo has an important Achilles heel: it is fragile.
When our founders began the experience of starting the Parafina project, they looked for a material that reflected the values and ideas on which they wanted to base their company. In this case, bamboo, of which there are more than 1,000 different species, each with different characteristics that offer a wide variety of applications and different finishes, is a material used from construction to sunglasses, as well as biomass, thermal insulation, and plant fabrics.
The founders of Parafina were looking to create a project that went beyond creating a sustainable product. At Parafina we chose bamboo for its varied shapes, colours and countless applications. This material, which comes mainly from the fields of Asia, has a sustainable origin as well as its production, so its cultivation and exploitation are considered very beneficial in the creation of sustainable products both at source, generating employment and wealth in rural areas and at destination.