With a nickname like “timber of the 21st century,” bamboo is going places. British companies like EcoPlanet Bamboo are experimenting with a mix of capitalism and conservation in developing countries where native jungles have been razed and economies are struggling.

Able to meet a wide variety of consumer and environmental needs (such as absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide), bamboo can also be harvested annually after only four or five years of growth. And you can make some pretty soft shirts out of it too.