Bamboo congress in November to propose environmentally oriented initiative to replace some plastics

The Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic Initiative will be released as a potential solution to plastic pollution at the Second Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress to be held in Beijing from Nov 7 to 8.

Yin Gangqiang, deputy director of the International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, told a news conference on Monday that to date, around 140 countries have implemented bans or restrictions on plastic use and so the center's initiative is both important and timely.

He quoted data from the United Nations Environment Programme that of the 9.2 billion metric tons of plastic products in the world, some 7 billion tons were now waste. Less than 10 percent of that waste has been recycled, causing environmental damage and harm to animal life.

The International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration will co-host the congress.

With the largest bamboo growing area and the longest history of growing bamboo, China is known by some as the "Kingdom of Bamboo", Yin said.

In 1997, the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, the first intergovernmental international organization headquartered in China, was established. Over the past 25 years, its number of member countries has grown from 9 to 49.