In round 2 of sustainable transportation (click here for round 1), I’m shifting gears and focusing on automobile innovation. Back in 2011, designers Kenneth Cobonpue and Albrecht Birkner teamed up to design a concept car: the Phoenix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6rsHwr0jK8

I should clarify that this is not a real car. It was built to depict the sustainable future of automobiles that the designers imagined. As a result, I will focus on the issues that sustainable products can face as they try to compete in their fields.

Traditionally made from materials including aluminum, steel, and lead, Phoenix was build using, among other resources, bamboo. The renewable materials had a low environmental impact and a shorter lifetime producing minimal waste. Assuming the car could run on sustainable resources, a problem arrises from integration into modern society. I won’t pretend that I know much about the regulations that cars must pass before becoming road-worthy, but I understand it’s a lengthy process with testing and certificating galore. While bamboo’s strength is remarkable and there are more and more articles citing it as the next carbon fibre, safety issues of bamboo versus steel would be a primary concern of prospective users.

I admit that I am not sure how a marketing team could overcome concerns of safety. Would accumulating certifications be enough? Would a company need to show demo videos about safety as well? I’m not even certain that the product should be introduced to the North American market right away. In Asia and Europe, driving is monitored under different regulations, which could potentially make the entrance of a sustainable bamboo car more realistic. Or, it’s possible that none of this will work. Maybe bamboo is not a future resource in the automobile industry. My guess is that designers will ultimately look to other renewable resources such as hemp or flax that are equally focused on environmental initiatives.

Albrecht’s designs of the Phoenix car

Sustainable transportation has been an area of focus over the past twenty years; cars are becoming more fuel-efficient or run on alternative sources of energy all-together. However, I am going to focus on an industry that continues to make innovative and sustainable progress, despite already being leaps and bounds ahead of the automobile industry: bicycles.

Grass Frames is a Vancouver-based company that creates handmade bicycles from specially treated bamboo. The team, led by founder Al Roback, is passionate about creating a product that has an positive impact beyond just earning profits. Roback, who has been called an ‘eco-warrior’, works to reduce waste streams both during production and post consumption (his product is easily recyclable). Additionally, bamboo frames have advantages over traditional products with regards to vibration dampening, and have a uniqueness that helps to create visual appeal.

The amazing thing about Grass Frames is that, even with their success (they’ve been featured in articles around the lower mainland and have expanded throughout Western Canada), the company is still looking for ways to sustainably innovate. Using hemp fibres for joints and sourcing other materials locally are some of the ways Grass Frames continues to evolve, and the company has even begun growing its own bamboo, although that project will take time to come to fruition. Following in the footsteps of companies such as Patagonia (whose ‘5 R’ mantra they actually cite on their website), Grass Frames has created a successful business plan built on sustainable initiatives. I’m excited to follow the company in the future, and can’t wait for their future future breakthroughs.

To learn more about Grass Frames, watch this short interview with Roback:

Growing up in a DIY household, my early memories draw heavily on landscaping with my father. There were two large projects I remember us undertaking: the annual bamboo trim and the creating of the backyard fortress.

Over a decade later, I’m in a university course on Sustainable Marketing, learning how evolving environmental conditions are changing the way companies interact with their customer base. This emerging market is opening up opportunities for businesses to create sustainable competitive advantages, representing a long-term focus for organizations.

How does this relate to my childhood? Reflecting on the two projects, I wondered: could they have been combined? Instead of hiring a contractor to build the fort all summer, could we have grown the bamboo required for the job? I believe the answer is yes, so, over the next three months, I will discuss the different uses of bamboo and the companies who have been able to to create a competitive sustainable advantage with it.

Bamboo is type of grass that grows abundantly around the world, particularly in Asia. It takes less than one year to grow to full height and three years total to reach its maximum strength. At capacity, bamboo is pound for pound as strong as steel, with new sustainable treatments extending the lifecycle of finished products by increasing durability and resistance to bugs.

In the case of creating a fort, my question was answered by Ibuku. The company sources materials sustainably in Indonesia, working with local designers and craftsman to build unique and original structures. If treated properly, can support structures for over 25 years, with some structures lasting a lifetime. The sustainable advantage Ibuku has is through the partnership with local farmers who grow the bamboo, as well as from the cutting edge designs that the company brings to life. The beauty and efficiency of the end product is wondrous, and unique to working with bamboo.

Back to the topic backyard fortress, if the engineers say that a 300sqm house takes approximately 1200 bamboo poles, a smaller scale, 30sqm structure would take anywhere from 120-240 poles. Growing this bamboo would have put my old property overcapacity, but the project was feasible to complete through outsourcing for supply. This makes me believe that as lumber becomes more expensive, home projects will be undertaken with bamboo more frequently, this change led by organizations similar to Ibuku.