As explained in our article on Eco-Fashion Fabrics,

“A number of fibers are made from regenerated, renewable natural sources, namely plant cellulose or plant or animal proteins.  The regenerated fabrics are all biodegradable and require less pesticide than conventional cotton. . . .

The process for transforming plant cellulose into regenerated fabrics is currently chemically intensive.  However, manufacturers of Tencel®/lyocell and Modal® claim to use a relatively environmentally friendly “closed loop” system for processing wood pulp into fabric in which 99.5% of the chemical solvents are recycled and reused.  Bamboo gets eco-points insofar as it is created from rapidly renewable plants that do not require pesticide or fertilizer to grow and that take larger amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air than other plants because of a rapid growth rate.” 

Because it is created from a rapidly renewable resource and is soft and attractive, bamboo fabric has become a popular alternative in the eco-fashion industry.  However, it does pose some difficult issues for the ethical consumer who is faced with weighing the benefit of reductions in carbon emissions against possible harm caused by replacement of more diverse eco-systems and the likely use of toxic chemicals in processing.

One significant problem for the consumer is lack of information.  In order to make an informed decision about the ethical merits of bamboo fabric, we need to be able to answer the following questions.

1. How significant are carbon reductions from bamboo? 

This is difficult to answer.  At least one bamboo clothing retailer claims that, “Bamboo takes in nearly 5 times the amount of greenhouse gases and produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees,” but I have not yet been able to determine the original source of this information.  I also don’t know what “an equivalent stand of trees” means.  Is that rain forest or a grove of oak trees?  I assume that not all “stands of trees” are equivalent carbon reducers.  Moreover, assuming the “5 times” figure is correct, we still need to determine how much environmental benefit that amounts to in order to weigh it against environmental costs of chemical-intensive processing. 

2. Are bamboo fields replacing more diverse eco-systems? 

Bamboo fabric is currently processed in China.  According to Michael Lackman, author of OrganicClothing.blogs.com (a veritable gold mine of information about eco-friendly fibers if you are interested in digging deeper into this subject), the Chinese government has turned over much of their forest land to poorly regulated private enterprise, which means that the bamboo fabric industry may be contributing to the replacement of rich eco-systems with mono-cultural stands of bamboo, decreasing habitat capable of sustaining biodiversity.  There are initiatives underway in China to restore biodiversity through forest management.  The green consumer needs to know the extent and outcome of these efforts.

3.  Is the bamboo used in fabrics grown without use of pesticides or fertilizers? 

We know that bamboo can be grown organically and grows very quickly without chemical fertilizers, but if using chemicals creates even more rapid growth of plants and profits, they are likely being used by some commercial growers. 

There are USDA certified organic bamboo farms.   Naturally Bamboo is one site that offers certified organic bamboo products and provides proof of certification on their site.

4. Are harmful chemicals required to process bamboo? 

Caustic soda, toxic bleaching agents such as chlorine, carbon disulfide, and sulfuric acid are currently used in creating fabric from bamboo, producing an environmentally hazardous chemical cocktail that is often dumped into waterways or landfills.  This is why we do not currently carry bamboo clothing products on our site.  On the other hand, bamboo fabric could be processed through a closed loop system in which harmful chemicals are either repeatedly reused or treated so that they do not harm the environment.  Moreover, according to email correspondence with April Fembrite, president of Naturally Bamboo, bamboo fabric created through a chemical-free process is on the horizon:

“Better methods for processing the raw fiber are happening as we speak.  There is a factory in China that does process bamboo fiber with no chemicals at all - only water.  The problem is - they can't get anyone to buy their fiber.  Our US government will not recognize the difference between chemical processing methods and water-based methods and will not allow this company to label their fiber as ‘natural bamboo’.  Since the water-based method is more time-consuming and thus more expensive - the factory is not getting the benefit of selling the fiber as natural because of our USA labeling restrictions.  I feel that eventually this will get changed with time . . . just as it took a while to finally achieve organic certification.

Another European company that I have been in contact with has developed a natural enzyme process with no added chemicals to produce a biobamboo stem (bast) fiber.  This fiber is getting ready to hit the USA market; however I do not know yet where they stand with our labeling regulations.”

If such naturally processed bamboo hits the market, it may not retain the silky soft feel of chemically processed bamboo that is so attractive to consumers.