Wood Wood is a renewable resource. Farmed from sustainable forests, it is one of the most environmentally friendly materials. While the trees 1 grow, they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Every tree used for production is replaced. Pine is the most sustainable as it is a fast growing tree. Wood is durable and gives the product a natural look. Bamboo and bamboo fibre Bamboo is a type of wood that is especially eco-friendly since it is a natural resource that renews quickly. Bamboo regrows extremely fast, is naturally pest resistant (no pesticides needed), and 2 requires less water to grow than other plants. Bamboo fibre is a versatile material suitable for making both drinking cups and fabrics and is quickly biodegradable. Cork Cork is harvested only from the bark of the cork tree, meaning that the tree itself is not felled for the production of cork products. 3 The tree simply regrows its bark, making cork a material from a highly renewable resource. Cork is both recyclable and biodegradable, meaning there is no polluting waste. Wheat straw Wheat straw is made of the leftover stalks after the wheat grains are harvested. When treated as waste, the stalks are burned, which leads to air pollution. When reclaimed, the stalks are an environmentally 4 friendly material as they come from an extremely efficient, renewable resource in the food chain. Mixing wheat straw with plastic creates a sturdy material that requires far less plastic to make. Stone paper Stone paper is a new alternative to paper made from wood pulp. It is by definition not real paper, but a paper-like material made from 5 calcium carbonate and polyethylene, which makes it water and tear resistant as added bonuses. The production of stone paper uses no water, unlike the copious amounts of water used for making paper from wood pulp, which is why stone paper is a more ecological alternative. Recycled paper The production of paper requires a lot of water, which is considered a strain on the environment. Paper products should not go to waste but be recycled instead, which saves on energy and water 6 consumption, and reduces waste.
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