While in China we noticed a slew of bamboo chopsticks. Several people saw this as wasteful...well maybe not. There are generally many sides to a sustainability issue. One size does not fit all situations. You really must view the life cycle of the product, process, or business to determine sustainable practices. In essence, you must frame your picture.
Let's take the chop sticks for example. If we are at a sit-down restaurant, the sticks could likely be washed and reused so a plastic, metal or ceramic material would be beneficial. If we are at a roadside food stand...most likely the end result of the chopsticks will be the roadside or possibly the trash. Here, a biodegradable product would be best. Bamboo makes a good choice because many species can regenerate quickly.
Before forming conclusions about the sustainability of a product or process, try to keep an eye on the big picture.
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