http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200710/20071015/article_334477.htm

Weed furniture firm moves to Egypt---Shanghai Daily

By Chen Qian 2007-10-15 

THE only company in Shanghai to make furniture from water hyacinth weed plans to move to Cairo in Egypt for better raw materials and lower cost.
Manager Hu Jianda of Shanghai Hyacinth Environment-Friendly Furniture Co said he plans to build an environmentally friendly high-tech park in Egypt.
"Although there is plenty of water hyacinth in Shanghai, the plant is not strong and the fibers aren't long enough to be made into furniture," Hu said. Water hyacinth, a weed, grows faster at warmer temperatures, so he believes Cairo will be ideal.
Costs are also cheaper in Egypt, Hu said. His raw material is free there and the power tariff is only 0.24 yuan (3.2 US cents) per kilowatt hour, compared to 0.6 to one yuan per kilowatt hour in China. It costs Hu about 100 yuan to 120 yuan to make a chair with a backrest here.
Egypt, which also has a water hyacinth problem, is currently developing a water hyacinth furniture industry. Furniture made of hyacinth is free from poison such as formaldehyde, which pollutes the indoor environment and is a big concern for buyers of wood and plywood furniture.
Water hyacinth has long been a headache for Shanghai's public sanitation bureau. The plant clogs waterways, damages the environment, and kills fish by consuming all the oxygen in the water.
After the recent typhoon, sanitary officials collected an average of 2,000 tons of the plant every day, mostly in Songjiang, Fengxian and Jinshan districts.
Currently the only way to deal with hyacinth is to collect and bury the plants every autumn.