Many people and businesses are becoming more conscious of their impact on the environment. New energy sources, recycling initiatives and manufacturing processes are all helping towards reducing our impact on the environment. However, some of the new ‘Eco-Friendly’ products that we are starting to see come to market may not be as environmentally friendly as the manufacturers would have you believe.
A product that we have seen increasing demand for is Bamboo Lanyards. Bamboo Lanyards are a relatively new product that claims to be more environmentally friendly than their polyester counterparts. Yes, bamboo lanyards are made from a natural sustainable plant source, however the chemical process that occurs to transform the bamboo into a useable fabric diminishes it’s eco-friendly status considerably. Another claim of the bamboo lanyard is that it is biodegradable. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has announced that the bamboo material takes too long to break down after disposal and therefore cannot be classed as biodegradable. Add to this the CO2 emissions required to produce and transport the bamboo lanyards from China to the UK and realistically, they cannot claim to be ‘Eco-friendly’.