Q: I keep seeing bamboo promoted as a sustainable fabric. I don't know anything about how it's produced – am I paying over the odds for something that's not what it seems?
John
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| Image source: greenlifestylemagazine.net |
A: Many natural clothing companies sell bamboo items. As a crop it is incredibly fast-growing – in fact the fastest-growing woody plant in the world - and unlike cotton can produce extremely high yields without the use of pesticides. It is harvestable after 3-5 years and after cutting the shoots spring up again from the base of the plant so it doesn't need re-planting. This is where bamboo's sustainability claims come in, which are based on the original material being renewable, unlike oil-based man-made fibres such as nylon, acrylic and polyester.
Rayon
Rayon is made from the cellulose of plants, which is dissolved in a chemical solvent and then extruded though holes in a 'spinneret', creating fine threads that solidify and are processed then spun into yarn.7 Most bamboo fabric is really rayon, which according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “typically is made using environmentally toxic chemicals in a process – known as the viscose process - that emits hazardous pollutants into the air. While different plants, including bamboo, can be used as a source material to create rayon, there’s no trace of the original plant in the finished rayon product.”6
True bamboo uses what are known as bast fibres – the fibres from the plant itself, which have not been regenerated using a chemical process like rayon and viscose. Bast fibres can be extracted either mechanically or chemically. However, other plants such as hemp produce higher yields of fibres than bamboo.3 In the U.S the FTC has ruled that viscose and rayon made from bamboo can't be described as 'bamboo', but in the UK the practice is still allowed, so there's no way for consumers to tell the difference.
Certification
Oeko-tex, which restricts levels of certain chemicals, certifies bamboo fabrics. Neither Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) nor the Soil Association certify the fabric itself due to the fact that almost all of it is actually rayon. Although the bamboo crops themselves can be certified organic, in actuality very little is.3 The Soil Association is currently asking Trading Standards to review the accepted descriptions of bamboo products. Currently, a t-shirt made from bamboo rayon can be described as 'organic', even if it's just the bamboo crop itself which was certified. This seems incredibly misleading to consumers looking for a genuinely environmentally-friendly product.8
Tencel
Although not made from bamboo, Tencel, a trade name for lyocell, is made using the first virtually closed-loop system for a manufactured fibre process and is the only fibre to be awarded the EU eco-label. It's possible to use cellulose from bamboo or other plants, but again it isn't the best option. Outdoor gear company Patagonia say eucalyptus yields the best quality fibre with the least amount of waste, making it the most environmentally-friendly option and therefore the company doesn't use bamboo.3
Monocultures
The recent rise in popularity of bamboo is a cause for concern for some campaigners, who warn that the large-scale production of any one crop can have negative consequences. There have been reports of land-grabbing and the clearing of natural forest to make way for bamboo plantations.1 The lack of international laws governing bamboo plantations leaves their management to the individual companies involved.
Workers
And what about workers' rights? According to Source4Style, a sourcing portal for sustainable fabrics, “fair labour standards and practices while harvesting the plant are largely undisclosed or at least not entirely transparent. Much of the bamboo currently used is harvested by those living at or below subsistence level and mainly by women and children.”Bamboo is mostly grown in countries with poor track records on working conditions, such as China which is by far the largest producer of bamboo. However, its status as a cash crop also has potentially positive benefits. “Bamboo is the single most important forest product used by the rural communities in several countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It is also an important source of cash income for the rural poor. Bamboo is a labour-intensive, multi-purpose commodity. This in particular is why bamboo-based development can lead to the creation of new jobs and income generation, especially for women in rural communities.”4
References:
1 http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/103317/bamboo_can_it_live_up_to_the_green_gold_hype.html
2 http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/aug/13/bamboo.fabric
3 http://www.ecouterre.com/how-eco-friendly-is-bamboo-fabric-really/
4 http://source4style.com/S4/2011/04/textile-talk-oh-so-moso-series-1-1/
5 http://www.greenearthbamboo.com/Bamboo-Certifications_a/146.htm
6 http://business.ftc.gov/documents/alt172-how-avoid-bamboozling-your-customers
7 Eco-chic, Sandy Black
8. Conversation with Soil Association representative, 07/11/11
