China pushes for bamboo to replace plastics

The government has introduced subsidies for certain bamboo products to reduce their prices and promote wider adoption. "These subsidies help bamboo products compete with plastic items, especially since many consumers are still unfamiliar with bamboo alternatives," she said.

"Consumer awareness is key," said Tang. "To further promote bamboo products in daily life, we need to shift traditional consumption habits."

In efforts to lower costs, Anji has developed low-altitude ropeways and drones to transport bamboo from the mountains.

"As automation boosts productivity and brings costs down, the increasing supply of bamboo should be met with rising demand so as to achieve market equilibrium," Tang said.

Anji is exploring bamboo's potential to replace not just wood and plastics but also steel, gas and even food. According to Tang, bamboo can serve as a renewable energy source based on its high caloric value, as a construction material because of its hardness, as a healthy food option and as a biomass material in cosmetics.

"To fully realize bamboo's ecological and social benefits, cross-sector collaboration is essential," he said.

Tang highlighted that using bamboo to replace plastic goes beyond just production. The entire life cycle of bamboo replacing plastics involves production, consumption and disposal.

Li Shangyi contributed to this story.