Are bamboo USB flash drives the most environmentally flash drives around and if they were would your brand or promotion benefit from using them in your next campaign?
In terms of its environmental credentials bamboo is about as good as it gets. For starters it's a grass and not a tree and it grows at a phenomenal rate. Bamboo grows at around 60cm per day and its ready for harvesting in just 3 years. The real beauty is that when its been harvested you don't need to replant more. The root system on a bamboo plant continually throws out new shoots that sprout up in a desperate search for sunlight and whilst they do this they absorb greenhouse gases from the environment. Bamboo releases some 35 percent more oxygen into the air than a similar-sized stand of trees.
They don't need chemicals to encourage growth, they seem impervious to pests so no pesticides are need and they certainly don't need gas-guzzling tractors to prepare the ground before planting. Add to this the benefits the root systems offers against soil erosion and you start to get a feel for the "super plant" qualities of the bamboo.
When most people think grass they tend to think of the green stuff we find in our front and back gardens or the carefully manicured surfaces of Wimbledon but bamboo is more like wood without technically being a wood its as tough as any hardwood but its doesn't shrink or swell.
With all of these attributes it's no surprise that bamboo is being used in the manufacture of all sorts of everyday items ranging from chairs, to plates and bowls to kitchen worktops. You can now add to this list bamboo USB Flash drives which makes them the most eco-friendly flash drives you can buy.
The internal components of a bamboo USB flash drive are just the same as any conventional drive but the outer shell is typically carved out of bamboo. Two small magnets are fixed in the cap to ensure the cap stays in place but that's it, the rest is 100% bamboo.
So, if you are considering exhibiting at a show or an event where you need or want to show off your environmental credentials you might want to consider a bamboo USB memory stick if you pre-load all of your sales brochures and other collateral onto the USB stick you'll save on printing and further enhance your eco-credentials.