Photo credit:
andres ol, SXC
There's a green sheen on the bamboo fabrics that are becoming ubiquitous in green displays at stores everywhere today—and we smell a greenwashing rat. A lovely fabric from an apparently readily renewable, sustainable source, bamboo has captivated green fashion mavens. Is it really as eco-friendly as it purports to be?
Bamboo itself is an incredibly renewable, eco-friendly crop that grows quickly, without the need for huge loads of pesticides. Myths and dirty little realities come tumbling forth, however, when you look behind the scenes at bamboo fabric's production.
- Chemically manufactured bamboo fiber is a regenerated cellulose fiber similar to rayon or modal. Because of the potential health risks and damage to the environment surrounding the manufacturing facilities, textile manufacturing processes for bamboo or other regenerated fibers using hydrolysis alkalization with multi-phase bleaching are not considered sustainable or environmentally supportable. (OrganicClothing.blogs.com)
- To address both environmental and health concerns about this chemical use ... many bamboo fabric factories get the ISO 14001 certification, which shows the factory has put in place some environmental guidelines to green its practices. (LATimes Blogs)
- Bamboo's popularly heralded natural antibacterial, anti-fungal and deodorizing properties are, in fact, a myth. (Even the LA Times Blogs have been sucked into these very pretty claims.) Bamboo's anti-bacterial claim was recently repudiated by research conducted by Colorado State University chemists. As it turns out, anti-bacterial qualities are not unique to bamboo fabric at all.
- Bamboo products also bring up labor issues, as most of the goods are produced in China where labor practices may be suspect. (LATimes Blogs)
All in all, bamboo fabric is a chemically manufactured product. Don't be bamboozled by overzealous green claims. More sustainable production methods are necessary before bamboo fabric can be considered truly green. Until that happens, fans of sustainable fabrics and clothing may prefer to stick with certified organic cotton.
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What about mechanically manufactured bamboo? Does it exist? Is it available in the US? How can consumers find out the real method used and if a product is chemically or mechanically produced?
Well, I tried to post here..some time ago, but I guess it didn't get approved?
I'll keep this much shorter. It is very simple to read a few articles and then create a post based on that. A true quality, well researched article...seems to be getting harder and harder to find.
This article is obviously of the former variety. I have written extensively on all of the aspects of bamboo fabric, including the recent bamboo/FTC issue.
If anyone is interested in reading well researched and well documented data...you can start on the homepage of the blog. You will see all of the bamboo articles on the right nav. This blog is purely dedicated to bamboo fabrics. Whether you agree or not, you will not find a more comprehensive bamboo fabrics resource.
http://blog.greenearthbamboo.com
Thank you,
Doug
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Yes, there are definitely pros and cons - unfortunately with every type of 'green' fabric. fyi - I know a lot of the bamboo clothing I've seen has organic cotton blended into it. Two companies I've seen do this are:
http://www.bamboosa.com and http://www.bamboostylesonline.com
Thanks for a great objective article!
Greg