Sustainable Resources
“From wood and plastic-based products to real estate development and energy production – we pride ourselves upon developing solutions that focus upon the deployment of sustainable resources.”
BAMBOO
Bamboo is a very fast growing, renewable and easy-to-grow resource. It is an extremely versatile material with countless uses including construction, indoor and outdoor furniture, clothes, food and even fuel. It is a sustainable wonder crop and can replace so many products that are traditionally made from wood-based materials that are derived from commercial forestry plantations, where we are chopping down trees that can take between 30 to 60 years for them to become commercially viable. To replace this old practice with a product that is just as good and is in many cases much better, with a resource that reaches commercial viability within 3 to 5 years simply makes sense.
Some facts about the sustainability of bamboo are:
It is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilisers
It requires no irrigation
It rarely needs replanting
It grows rapidly and can be harvested in 3-5 years
It produces 35% more oxygen that an equivalent stand of trees
It sequesters carbon dioxide and is carbon neutral
It is a critical element in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
It is an excellent soil erosion inhibitor
It grows in a wide range of environments
It’s production into fibres has lower environmental impact than other forms of fibre, especially synthetic ones.
Here at Charter Life, we are passionate about adopting bamboo as a resource that can drive the sustainability of our living spaces, to improve our indoor health as well as providing a alternative to many of the daily products we use that are not sustainable and are harmful to the health of our environment. For more on modern designs which are environmentally conscious too, visit www.soft-play-equipment.co.uk/soft-play-benefits.
HEMP
Because of it’s natural appearance, hemp is possibly one of the world’s most misunderstood natural resources, and this misunderstanding has been extremely detrimental to the development of sustainable lifestyles. To put it simply, hemp is an absolute wonder crop. It is difficult to name a product that you cannot make from hemp. From toothpaste to clothing, from plastic bags to anything paper or cardboard-based, to producing furniture and even building entire houses, the scope for sustainable development that can be driven by the use of hemp is endless.
PAPER
*In the United States paper mills are the third largest energy consumer and the third largest industrial polluter. We pump over 220 million pounds of toxic pollution into the world’s air and water each year.
*The pulp and paper industry dumps close to 120 billion tons of CO2 and 3 million tons of chlorine into our waterways which is a major source of carcinogenic dioxins. These poisons are known to be the most toxic materials ever produced. In turn, these cause cancer, liver failure, miscarriages, birth defects and genetic damage. Every woman now has traces of these chemicals and transfer them through breast milk.
*Hemp based paper is superior in cost and environmental efficiency. It requires no bleaching, which is harmful to our environment. It is Also reusable up to four times longer than tree-based paper.
COTTON
* In the United States alone, paper companies consume over one billion trees each year and convert it to pulp to make paper. It takes that many trees to provide an average of 735 pounds of paper for each and every person. That number is expected to rise approximately 60% by the year 2050. The United States uses up about 32 % of the world’s paper. In the US, only about 5 % of our once vast virgin forest remain.
*The hemp fiber is 10 times stronger than cotton and requires no pesticide and a third if not less of the water required to grow cotton.
*Hemp is a cheaper is cheaper to manufacture than cotton.
*Hemp fiber is requires no pesticide to grow efficiently.
*It takes one-third, if not less, of the water required to grow cotton. Cotton can take over 5000 gallons water to produce 2.2 pounds of cotton whereas it takes less than 700 gallons to produce 2.2 pounds of hemp.
*Hemp, unlike it substitutes, can be grown in diverse locations
*Hemp produces 200–250% more fiber than cotton cultivated in the same land stretch. And because hemp is a self-sustaining plant, there’s no need for pesticides making it a completely environment-friendly option for clothing.
CONSTRUCTION
*As one of the strongest fibres on the planet, hemp has been cultivated for more than 10,000 years. The long fibres of hemp mean items made of hemp for construction will be stronger and lighter than wood products. Not only does it hold nails better, particle board made of hemp can be twice as strong as wood. Moreover, just 1 acre of hemp produces cellulose fibre pulp equal to 4 acres of trees, so hemp could easily and efficiently replace most items made of wood.
Building materials include:
*Hempcrete
*Timber frame
*Doors
*Skirting
*Coving
*Acoustic partitions
*Cladding
*Flooring
*Outside decking
*Insulation
*Stucco and mortar
*Window frames
