September
Bamboo Clothing Beats Silk
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When you think of bamboo, you think of fast-growing trees that seem as if they can grow as high as the sky. And you think of baskets weaved from bamboo, or hanging chairs.
But fabric can be made from bamboo as well, and you’ll find that such fabric is as soft as silk. No one will be able to tell that your clothing, towels and sheets are made from bamboo. From a health standpoint, the fabric is antibacterial, naturally, and if produced organically is allergen free and has very little in the way of chemicals.
Not only does bamboo fabric look just like any other fabric, it also wicks away moisture from your skin, making it very comfortable to wear on those hot summer days. It’s better than cotton in other ways, as well. A bamboo forest yields 50 times as much fiber per acre as cotton.
And bamboo is a sustainable resource. The wood itself grows extremely rapidly – indeed people claim that you can actually see it grow. There’s also no need for pesticides and herbicides.
To make the fiber itself, the wood (or more appropriately, grass!) is pulped until it separates into thin component threads of fiber, which are then spun and dyed for weaving into cloth.
If you’re interested in acquiring bamboo clothing, be aware that some companies do use extensive bleaching processes – i.e. chemical processes. You don’t want material made from these processes. Companies that produce organic bamboo fabric leave the bamboo fiber unbleached.
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Yes but how clean is the industry that produces the fibers? High temperature, high pressure and strong alkaline base is required to produce these materials, a similar processes called the Kraft process is used to produce wood pulp sponges…really both products are amazing but NOT green. If you want truly green products and want to write about them try Michael’s Original. Organically grown, no artificial heat applied, no chemicals used rather, no pollution generated apart from transport… NON-GREENWASH products for doing the washing up and more.
http://www.michaelsluffas.co.uk
Here’s more detail on the benefits of bamboo fiber: http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/0904/bamboo_textiles.htm. It can be green or not.
Bamboo cloth is made from rayon, rayon is made from any cellulose trees, bamboo, etc…The process to make it is an industrial process using high energy input, toxic chemicals, etc. Looks good, feels good but is it good for the environment?
Bamboo, which we grow loads of on Michael’s Original farm is not a tree but a grass. It is a fantastic plant. In Asia the are bamboo forest, ” Crouching Tiger….”, the endangered Panda which we have forgotten from the 70’s eats ONLY bamboo. We have all noticed the big drive for bamboo this, bamboo that and I am begining to wonder if the ancient natural bamboo forests are being endangered by this drive of bamboo rayon, bamboo flooring. Was this not the case in the 1900’s onwards for tropical hardwood timber? Where are the forests now?…Check your bamboo rayon T-shirt is made from sustainably grown bamboo and not from the ancient forests. It takes 5+ years to establish a bamboo plantation….
Regardless, its good to see bamboo being utilized in ways that is sustainable.
Some of the bamboo clothing for kids is so soft and nice. There’s a brand called Kicky Pants that I bought for a friends babe and it was silky soft…she loved them!