Ergonomic Issues Affecting the Sustainability of Bamboo Lifestyle Products

Ergonomics plays a major role in the product design’s physical, cognitive, and organizational structures of bamboo lifestyle products. The bamboo lifestyle products like various types of baskets and furniture traditionally produced and marketed by the artisans in the bamboo clusters face issues related to design, product development, production, and poor working conditions. Another major problem is the unorganized structure, less income generation with limited product varieties, acute shortage of raw materials, and underpaid artisans at the bamboo craft clusters. There is a need for immediate intervention in the sector to balance the ergonomic aspects of the bamboo lifestyle products in the value chain to ensure the sustainable business and livelihoods of the artisans in the bamboo clusters. The researchers identified traditional baskets and furniture clusters in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala for research. The survey and case study methods are adapted; data collected are analyzed using statistical tools, and the findings are reported. The paper is focused on discussing the issues of ergonomics and human factors in the bamboo lifestyle product sector and suggest the appropriate strategies for the betterment of the sector in terms of ergonomic design, product development, and workplace standards.