This post is created by The Better India and sponsored by Wingify Earth.

Parameswaran Krishna Iyer is a passionate advocate of bamboo in India, and his mission started when he helped to supply bamboo lamps for a conference in 1998.

He realised there was no source for bamboo products and made it his mission to explore the business possibilities of bamboo. He struggled to secure funding, but eventually, he found investors in his stock market colleagues, and Bamboopecker was born.

“I rented a small space for the office, set up a small unit made of bamboo and registered the name Bamboopecker,” says the 42-year-old.

The company was initially flooded with orders for furniture and decor items before moving into construction projects, including resorts, pavilions, and farmhouses. Today, Bamboopecker builds its own factory in Bengaluru, using bamboo, mud, and other traditional building materials, which are also used for demonstrations.

Bamboo, Parameswaran says, is the most underutilised natural building material in India, and it has the same tensile strength as mild steel. “This is why it’s called vegetable steel. The key lies in harvesting the poles at the right time and employing the correct treatment methods. It also depends on planting the right species at the right places to optimise their growth. Once treated, bamboo will stay intact for 20 years or more,” he says.

Bamboopecker aims to reduce the labour costs of bamboo artefacts and construction through mechanisation and increase production so that its products are affordable for everyone.

Handmade products like dining chairs, foldable deck chairs, benches, stools, and rocking chairs range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 25,000, while construction costs range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh, depending on labour and materials. Parameswaran’s ultimate goal is to create rural employment by setting up manufacturing units in different parts of India. Contact: https://bamboopecker.com/

#WingifyEarth encourages such proactive actions to safeguard the environment and keep it clean.

#WingifyEarth in partnership with 'The Better India'