Could Bamboo Replace Plastic Amid Naphtha Concerns?
Though higher costs remain a hurdle, petroleum supply risks are driving interest in bamboo products, which could also help address Japan's abandoned groves.
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As concerns grow over naphtha supplies due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the shift away from plastic is accelerating in Japan.
Bamboo is emerging as a promising alternative to petroleum-based materials. It grows much faster than timber, can be harvested sustainably, and has long been an integral part of Japanese life.
Hotels are also replacing plastic amenities such as toothbrushes and combs with bamboo versions. Rising demand is expected not only to reduce plastic use but also to help tackle Japan's growing problem of abandoned bamboo forests, which have spread rapidly because of the plant's vigorous growth.
Bamboo Tableware
At Astep, a company in Chiba Prefecture that manufactures everything from chopsticks to housing materials made from bamboo, demand for disposable bamboo tableware has surged.
Since military strikes on Iran began in late February, the company has received a steady stream of inquiries, primarily from major corporations looking to replace plastic takeout utensils with bamboo products. It is currently in talks with about 15 companies.
Disposable spoons and forks made from compressed bamboo retain the material's natural grain, giving them a premium appearance that makes them seem too good to throw away. They are sold on Amazon for just over ¥5 each in individually wrapped packs of 100 or more.
"We can lower prices further with bulk orders," said Astep President Tsuyoshi Nishiuchi. He said the company aims to reduce the price to the ¥3 range for nationwide supermarket and restaurant chains and is expanding production as quickly as possible, with a target of shipping 500 million pieces by the end of the year.
A Three-Story Bamboo Building
On July 7, Tanabata, when people write wishes on colorful paper strips called tanzaku and tie them to bamboo branches, visitors toured the company's headquarters and showroom, TAKE TORI HOUSE. Completed in March and promoted as "Japan's first three-story bamboo building," the facility showcases bamboo throughout, from woven wall panels and herringbone floors to doors, furniture, and decorative items.
"We display all of our products here," Nishiuchi said. He explained that the company's research into laminated bamboo led to the development of housing materials, noting that bamboo is both strong and more affordable than high-end hardwoods. Nishiuchi said he even lives in the building to test its performance, including the humidity-control properties of bamboo charcoal.
One exhibit is an educational puzzle shaped like a full-size soccer ball that instantly falls apart when rolled. It will go on sale through the crowdfunding platform Makuake on July 24 for ¥39,800 (about $240).
"We've developed more than 100 products, but we've created three times that many that have never reached the market," Nishiuchi said. "The way bamboo can be processed opens up endless possibilities, so new ideas keep coming."
The company also turns bamboo shavings into paper and charcoal and produces edible menma—bamboo shoots often eaten with ramen—from thinned bamboo, minimizing waste throughout the production process.
A Family Business Built on Bamboo
Astep began in 1963 as a manufacturer of oshibori (wet towels), founded by Nishiuchi's parents in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The company relocated to Funabashi when he was five years old. At the time, bamboo groves were common in the area, and maintaining them was part of everyday life.
Nishiuchi's fascination with bamboo began when his uncle, a sushi chef, gave him a pair of professional-grade bamboo chopsticks. That inspired the company's first bamboo product, Take Ichiban chopsticks, launched in 2002. In 2013, Astep obtained a patent for mold-resistant bamboo chopsticks produced without chemical treatments.
Today, the company processes about 1,300 four-year-old bamboo stalks a day imported from China's Fujian and Hunan provinces.
Could Japan's abandoned bamboo forests also become a source of raw materials?
Nishiuchi said Japan's bamboo groves are generally too small to support commercial-scale operations, but the company hopes to apply the expertise it has developed. He explained that restoring abandoned bamboo forests begins with clearing overgrowth, followed by harvesting bamboo shoots the next spring. After another three years of proper management, the bamboo is ready to be processed into products.
"If we can make it commercially viable rather than relying on nonprofit activities, bamboo's rapid growth can become a sustainable resource," he said.
Hotels Switch to Bamboo Alternatives
More than 6,000 hotels and other facilities across Japan now use bamboo amenities.
Shiba Park Hotel introduced bamboo amenities in 2020. Together with Park Hotel Tokyo, the two hotels now provide bamboo toothbrushes, combs, razors, trash bins, hangers, and other items in all 466 guest rooms. Even the room key cards are made from bamboo, with electronic chips embedded inside.
The decision came despite bamboo products costing 1.5 to 2 times as much as plastic amenities.
"Since the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, European travel agencies have increasingly asked what we're doing to address environmental issues," a hotel manager said. "We also want to meet our guests' growing environmental awareness."
Japan's abandoned bamboo forests have long been viewed as an environmental nuisance. But with proper management, what has been considered a problem could become a valuable resource.
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Akiko Shigematsu, The Sankei Shimbun
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