EcoStain

The construction industry is an ecological disaster. Embodied carbon from construction accounts for 11% of global CO2 emissions and 28% including lifecycle building operations. Cement contribute 7% and steel up to 8% global emission.Wood requires huge land areas and is harvested globally at unsustainable rates, with 18.7 million acres of new deforestation each year. Large-scale reforestation to sequester carbon is slow, has been hampered by expensive and inaccurate verification, and is difficult to monetize in an inefficient and opaque offset market. Despite sustainable forest practice, we are loosing trees at alarming rate an estimated 15 billion tree per annum, half of which are used by construction Industry. The building industry recognises that bamboo is a sustainable alternative to wood, but until now, there hasn’t been a reliable supply of timber-grade bamboo lumber to meet demand.  On  2021, more than 100 global leaders pledge to reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. The time for bamboo lumber is now. Planting timber-grade bamboo restores degraded lands, replenishes aquifers, absorbs 10x more carbon, and continues to provide fiber for lumber for up to 100 years.

EcoStain take full advantage 127,000 ha of bamboo in Tanzania to develop a climate-positive bamboo alternative to wood, concrete and steel using high-tech engineered bamboo lumber. As this shift occurs, every new building will support climate-positive CO2 drawdown and provide regenerative local bamboo economies in regions that need it the most. Compared to many soft wood trees which can take up to 30 years to reach maturity, bamboo is a fully mature source for commercial products in just three to five years. Bamboo clumps once matured (3-5 years of planting) offers itself for annual selective harvesting (harvesting of mature bamboo poles), providing sustenance benefits, income livelihood opportunities through value-addition. But for bamboo to become a viable alternative to wood it must be thick enough (timber-grade), the quality of the products must be consistent, and the supply must be reliable. EcoStain plan plants and cultivates and collect the bamboo species required to develop the products that the construction industry needs. 

EcoStain has already identified customers of the products

1. Households;- Most of households in Tanzania especially in slum areas are facing challenge of building cost effective house with on going trend of population growth, our forest will not be able to save using trees that take decades to grow.

2. Construction companies- Are looking for the alternative to wood that can 100% replace wood in construction industry, the need for sustainable and alternative to wood is at global scale and we need to move faster to save community and climatic disaster caused by deforestation for timber.

Beneficiaries 

Bamboo Farmers ;- Through out-growers system will have access to bamboo market hence increase their income and livelihood ( Bamboo carbon economy)

Households-; Will have access to low cost alternative woods for eco-friendly houses globally. 

We believe that one of the largest revolutions in building materials in the coming years will be the widespread adoption of high-tech engineered bamboo lumber. As this shift occurs, every new building will support a climate-positive CO2 drawdown and provide regenerative local bamboo economies in regions that need it the most.

With over a decade of residential bamboo construction and materials research, EcoStain boasts the most diverse staff in the bamboo business. Our team has extensive knowledge with the bamboo supply chain and technology, as well as industrial manufacturing and a lifetime commitment to the environment, making us a one-of-a-kind combination that few other building material firms can match. We're in it for the long run to permanently alter the environmental impact of global building.

The prototype stage was selected because EcoStain has progressed beyond the ideation phase and has begun building and testing its bamboo lumber solutions. We have developed initial prototypes of our engineered bamboo lumber products and conducted tests to assess their performance, durability, and feasibility for use in construction applications. These prototypes have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they meet industry standards and regulatory requirements. Additionally, we have conducted trials to assess the feasibility of bamboo cultivation and harvesting methods, as well as the scalability of our production processes. While we are still in the early stages of development, we have successfully produced and tested prototype bamboo lumber products that show promise as sustainable alternatives to wood, concrete, and steel in construction projects.

At this stage, we have served a limited number of customers and beneficiaries through pilot projects and demonstration initiatives. These customers include local construction companies, architects, and developers who have expressed interest in exploring sustainable building materials. Additionally, we have engaged with communities and landowners to establish bamboo plantations and promote sustainable bamboo cultivation practices. While our reach is currently limited, these early partnerships and initiatives provide valuable insights and feedback that will inform our product development and market entry strategies as we continue to refine our prototype and scale our operations.

By joining a Solver, EcoStain will have direct access to industry practitioners for alternative building materials, company-farmer interaction for scaled impact, and networking, mentorship, coaching, and connections to various Solver networks and Solver teams will enable EcoStain to be able to give consumers with distinct value in addition to cost-effectiveness.

Bamboo has a unique geometric growth curve that makes it l0x faster than tree-based CO2 drawdown. Unlike trees, which die after cutting, bamboo requires harvesting 1/3 of the clump each year to stay at its maximum growth rate. Thus carbon drawdown is perfectly synergistic with scaling bamboo engineered lumber compared to other materials that are more focused on eliminating emissions from manufacturing. and anything that can be built by wood can be built by bamboo. In addition to that  EcoStain plan to establish bamboo outgrow scheme that will provide alternative economic activities to women and youth in project area.

The theory of change (ToC) for EcoStain revolves around a series of inter-related assumptions that guide our approach to addressing the ecological disaster caused by the construction industry and promoting sustainable bamboo management.

Firstly, we assume that current bamboo cover on farms and forest land can be enhanced through sustainable management practices. This involves providing training and capacity-building to farmers in sustainable bamboo cultivation techniques. By improving bamboo cover, we aim to maximize climate change mitigation and resilience benefits, as bamboo has the ability to sequester carbon and contribute to ecosystem resilience.

Secondly, we believe that the intensification of bamboo growing will not only enhance climate change mitigation benefits but also contribute to the resilience, income, and livelihoods of farmers. Through our training programs and support services, we empower farmers to adopt best practices in bamboo cultivation, leading to increased productivity and economic opportunities. By diversifying their income sources and improving their livelihoods, farmers are better equipped to withstand environmental shocks and economic uncertainties.

Thirdly, we recognize the market potential for bamboo as an alternative timber substitute. EcoStain plays a crucial role in providing a market outlet for bamboo products, thereby creating demand and incentivizing farmers to invest in bamboo cultivation. By establishing a reliable market channel, we ensure that farmers have a steady source of income from bamboo sales, encouraging further investment in bamboo management and production.

Fourthly, we acknowledge the importance of smallholder farmers, particularly women, in achieving higher returns from bamboo cultivation. Through our inclusive approach, we prioritize the participation of women and youth in our value chain, providing them with access to training, resources, and market opportunities. By actively engaging marginalized groups, we aim to empower them economically and socially, thereby contributing to poverty alleviation and gender equality.

Finally, we believe that by strengthening community participation in the EcoStain value chain, we can increase income and livelihood opportunities for communities. By involving communities in decision-making processes and sharing the benefits of bamboo cultivation and trade equitably, we foster a sense of ownership and empowerment. This not only improves the economic well-being of communities but also enhances social cohesion and resilience.

Overall, the theory of change for EcoStain is grounded in the belief that sustainable bamboo management can generate multiple benefits, including climate change mitigation, economic development, and social inclusion. By addressing the interconnected challenges of environmental degradation and poverty, we strive to create a more resilient and sustainable future for both people and the planet.

1. No Poverty: Our innovation tackles poverty by creating revenue across a wide range of actors, namely: community members who earn wages for nursery and planting activities, farmers who will earn income from the sale of bamboo materials, transporters who will be paid to transport material to the facilities and finally factory employees who earn wages for the transformation of culms into bamboo slats for the construction industry.

2. Zero Hunger: The first stems from the fact that bamboo shoots are extremely nutritious and are culturally accepted as part of the tribal diet. Therefore, the more we plant, the more opportunities there are for bamboo shoot consumption. A second collateral benefit of a bamboo economy also holds the potential for hunger eradication – bamboo leaves, when dried and ground, can be added to feedstock for cows and goats and, due to the high content of nutrients in the leaves, result in higher milk output per animal.

3. Gender Equality: Gender inequality is a problem in Tanzania. The company is aware of our opportunity and responsibility to have positive impact on gender equality through the emergence of a gender-equal bamboo economy. Specifically, we have mapped out several roles along the bamboo value chain that we expect will, over time, contribute to a rebalancing of gender equality within the bamboo economy.

4. Decent Work and Economic Growth: we are convinced that the use of bamboo in the construction industry is still in its infancy and that, just as the world has discovered bamboo for flooring and cabinetry, so will it gradually convert lumber products into sustainable bamboo “lumber” products. The size of the construction industry’s potential demand is in hundreds of billions of dollars. Once bamboo is planted on a scale that can convincingly support large scale buyer demand, the potential to create decent work and create economic growth is virtually unlimited. 

5. Sustainable cities and communities: Underlying everything we do is our company’s core belief that bamboo has a major role to play in the emergence of sustainable cities and communities. We bring to this topic decades of expertise in bamboo construction, in decades a radical vision for bamboo to replace a large range of construction applications from single houses to small structures like schools and health clinics, to multi-story multi-family buildings.  There is no limit to how far bamboo can go to deliver sustainable cities technically and we are only paced by cultural acceptance of bamboo as a sustainable alternative to high carbon footprint building materials. 

6. Climate Action: Our project climate impact is simply massive. Scientific studies conducted by the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines confirm that one hectare of planted giant bamboo equates to over 500 tons of CO2 emission reduction.

EcoStain focus to produce a sustainable, low-embodied carbon engineered bamboo lumber that is stronger, more durable, and more fire-resistant than wood. The technology that EcoStain developing is  Laminated Bamboo Lumber (LBL) and fabricating technology that will replace wood, concrete and steel in a construction industry. The company will have various products include but not limited to laminated veneer lumber, laminated strand lumber, plywood, boards and bamboo flooring.

2- Full time staff 1- part time and 1. Advisor

2 Years

Three professionals make up the EcoStain implementation team, including Neema Walter, a female co-founder. EcoStain is committed to attaining gender parity in its management team in the future, as well as the hiring of women for contract work and overall employment equity for men and women in all roles. 

To help the project go from gender sensitive to gender-responsive, with the ultimate goal of becoming gender transformative, the organization will hire an external gender expert to perform a gender analysis study and incorporate the findings throughout the early stages of implementation.

Bamboo is highly gender sensitive, providing livelihoods, and income for both men and women mainly due to its light weight, suitability to be grown on homesteads, and relative ease of splitting and processing. Currently, women are engaged especially in bamboo nursery, bamboo energy, bamboo mat, craft and basketry production; and majority (over 80 per cent) of workforce in existing bamboo industries are women.

Our business model will be B2B where bamboo-based wood will be sold to Tanzania based-construction companies during our pilot scale and later with our full operation we will sale to number of other customers including  constructing companies in other countries.

In the beginning, we will engage development partners for grant funding to launch our product and cover our operations. At the end of the high-fidelity prototype phase, we will already be operational and will use our proceeds from sales to fund the project. In the long term, we will consider taking investors on board in order to expand the company internationally.