Carbon footprint and climate mitigation potential of bamboo products in China

Abstract

Evaluating the climate mitigation capacity of bamboo products is critical for sustainable material transitions. This study assesses the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential of bamboo products in China, examining their role as substitutes for carbon-intensive materials. Through an integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) and scenario analysis, we present the first comprehensive evaluation of bamboo products' national carbon footprint and their emission reduction through bamboo as a substitute (ERBS). Results show that 60 bamboo products analyzed from cradle to grave (excluding the use phase) exhibit carbon footprints ranging from −0.55 to 4.02 kg CO₂e/kg, with processing and substances input during bamboo product production identified as emission hotspots. Between 2007 and 2022, bamboo products' national carbon storage offset 10.16 % of their lifecycle emissions, resulting in net emissions of 73.71 Mt. CO₂e. As a sustainable substitute to conventional materials like plastic, concrete, and steel, bamboo products mitigated 280 Mt. CO₂e emissions, achieving climate benefits nearly 3.9 times greater than their operational emissions. In a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, ERBS is projected to reach 1.38–2.29 Gt CO₂e between 2023 and 2050. However, implementing energy system decarbonization with efficiency improvements will reduce ERBS by 18–45 %. This carbon footprint dataset and ERBS framework provide empirical support for bamboo as a viable alternative to carbon-intensive materials, informing policy development to enhance climate mitigation strategies and foster sustainable economic development in bamboo value chains.