A project supported by the Department for International Development (DfID) is resulting in Vietnamese bamboo flooring being sold in UK IKEA stores.
The Making Markets Work Better for the Poor project involves a collaboration with the likes of IKEA and French timber producer TBF to develop new business models with poor bamboo farmers in Thanh Hoa.
IKEA had already been working with TBF to develop bamboo production in the province, home to 85% of Vietnam’s Luong bamboo – which grows thicker and stronger than other kinds.
But the process was not making the best use of the material, nor netting the most value to growers, as entire bulky trunks (culms) were transported to TBF even though only 20% of the culm could be used at the TBF workshop.
The collaboration has led to the establishment of specialist bamboo pre-processing workshops, often run by local co-operative groups and close to growing areas. Culms are cut near source and the lamellas supplied to TBF, cutting transport costs by a third.
The material is eventually planed, finished and glued into sections to produce flooring, which is shipped all over the world – including IKEA in the UK.
