EcoZeal

Bamboo the plant is a superstar of sustainability - but watch out when it comes to fiber production.

Bamboo is an incredible plant. It holds the vegetative world record for speed – some species can shoot up over 3 meters in a single 24-hour period! A bamboo stalk reaches full height in its first year – 20 meters or more for timber bamboo. What’s more, its fast growth and high carbon content mean that a field of bamboo can pull up to 30% more carbon out of the atmosphere than the same-sized stand of fast-growing trees – making it a powerful defense against the danger of global warming.

As long as it gets adequate spring rainfall, bamboo needs little or no irrigation, and because it is a perennial plant, a field of bamboo does not require the intensive cultivation of an annual crop like cotton. And it thrives on its own with few or no applications of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

On top of it all, the plant is incredibly versatile. You can use bamboo to make a stir-fry, to build your home (as scaffolding as well as timber), to fish for trout, or dress for work. Bamboo is used to make everything from underwear to furniture – you can even buy a bamboo bicycle!

Bamboo’s amazing productivity, carbon-fixing ability, easy growing requirements and versatility make it a sustainability superstar. But when it comes to bamboo fabric, beware!

Not Everything Leafy is Green

Bamboo textiles are manufactured using two very different processes. The first, more traditional method is a mechanical process. The fibers are crushed and separated, then spun into fabric much in the same way as hemp or linen. This method is time-consuming and results in a fabric that resembles linen in texture. It also tends to wrinkle like linen.

A faster way to make bamboo fabric is through a chemical process similar to the way rayon is made. The bamboo is crushed and reduced to cellulose by various chemicals. The cellulose solution is then forced through a screen with tiny holes into a hardening bath, resulting in fine fibers to be spun into cloth.

The problem with the chemical method is that it’s just that – chemical. Two of the commonly used chemicals in bamboo fiber production are carbon disulfide and sodium hydroxide. Both are strong chemicals associated with health and environmental risks.

A Better Way

Fortunately, there’s an alternative. Some bamboo processing facilities have begun to use a newer, more environmentally benign technique in their chemical processing. The lyocell process – the same process used to make Tencel fabric – replaces the harsh chemicals listed above with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (a relatively harmless chemical) and hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the fiber is produced in a closed-loop process. 99.5% of the chemicals used are recaptured and used again, so there is very little effect on the environment.

What Can You Do?

One could argue that the agricultural benefits outweigh the manufacturing harms when it comes to bamboo. But such an attitude is short-sighted and not easily justified.

A better approach is to be very selective when it comes to the bamboo clothing you buy. Look for independent third-party sustainability certifications, such as Oko-tek, Soil Association, SKAL and KRAG. If the manufacturer or vendor isn’t up-front about the garment being produced in a factory using a closed-loop system, it probably wasn’t.

Buy only bamboo that was manufactured mechanically or in a closed-loop process. And above all, communicate. Companies respond to demand. Ask your vendors and manufacturers for proof of sustainable manufacture. Bamboo fiber can be sustainable – and we can help it happen!