Bamboo a potential plastic substitute

竹子是一种潜在的塑料替代品

To counter the widespread use and environmental damage caused by single-use plastics, a Chinese research institute has proposed developing new technologies by using a more eco-friendly substitute－bamboo.

（参考翻译）为了应对一次性塑料的广泛使用和对环境造成的破坏，我国的一家研究机构提议使用一种更环保的替代品——竹子来开发新技术。

The proposal, announced on Thursday by the International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, comes in the wake of the Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic Initiative introduced at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development held virtually in Beijing in June.

（参考翻译）该提案由国际竹藤中心于本周四（7月28日，“以竹代塑创新产品研发和应用”项目启动会上）宣布，紧随6月份在北京举行的全球发展高层对话会中提出的“以竹代塑”倡议。

Fei Benhua, director of the International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, said bamboo-straw manufacturing technology could be realized and used to replace plastic straws on a large scale, adding that using bamboo to make straws is just the beginning.

（参考翻译）国际竹藤中心主任、中国竹产业协会会长费本华表示，竹吸管制造技术可以实现并大规模替代塑料吸管，用竹子制作吸管只是一个开始。

"There is a huge space for the initiative to develop," he said, quoting government data that the world produces nearly 400 million metric tons of plastic every year for use in packaging, construction, catering and other purposes, and that China's delivery industry annually produces about 1.8 million tons of plastic waste.

（参考翻译）“这个倡议有很大的发展空间”他引用官方数据说，世界每年生产近4亿吨塑料用于包装、建筑、餐饮和其他用途，中国的快递业每年生产约180万吨塑料废物。

Jiang Zehui, co-chair and acting chair of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), said that moving forward with the initiative and developing more technologies and ways to use bamboo instead of single-use plastics will lay a solid foundation for the future.

（参考翻译）国际竹藤组织（INBAR）董事会联合主席江泽慧表示，推进该倡议，开发更多以竹子代替一次性塑料的技术和途径，将为未来奠定坚实的基础。

A sharp rise in single-use plastics, which are produced almost entirely from fossil fuels, has damaged the well-being of the planet, according to INBAR. After being discarded, they enter terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and as they break down they degrade into microplastics that contaminate food sources, creating a significant risk to human health.

（参考翻译）据INBAR称，几乎完全由化石燃料生产的一次性塑料的急剧增加损害了地球的福祉。被丢弃后，它们进入陆地和海洋生态系统，并在分解时降解成微塑料，污染食物来源，对人类健康构成重大风险。

Bamboo, on the other hand, which is fast-growing, resilient and sustainable, can be used as a substitute for single-use plastics. Bamboo can be used to produce cups, straws, paper and packaging, while being recyclable and environmentally friendly, the organization said.

（参考翻译）另一方面，竹子生长迅速、有弹性且可持续，可用作一次性塑料的替代品。 该组织表示，竹子可用于生产杯子、吸管、纸张和包装，同时可回收和环保。

The potential knock-on effects of using bamboo are also good for the environment.

（参考翻译）使用竹子的潜在连锁反应对环境也有好处。

Planting bamboo can restore degraded or deforested land, mitigate soil erosion and act as a food source for vulnerable or endangered animal species, such as the giant panda and mountain gorilla. Its ability to thrive in suboptimal soil types and rapidly mature, as well as it being a carbon sink, make it ideal for agroforestry.

（参考翻译）种植竹子可以恢复退化或毁林的土地，减轻水土流失，并作为大熊猫和山地大猩猩等脆弱或濒危动物物种的食物来源。 它在次优土壤类型中茁壮成长并迅速成熟的能力，以及作为碳汇的能力，使其成为农林业的理想选择。

Given that 50 million hectares of bamboo are distributed across Asia, Africa and the Americas, there is immense potential to scale up learned lessons and experiences across regions, according to INBAR.

（参考翻译）据 INBAR 称，由于5000万公顷的竹子分布在亚洲、非洲和美洲，因此有巨大的潜力在各地区推广经验教训。

（文章来源：China Daily）