How eco-friendly is bamboo clothing?
I usually tune in to Lush 99.5 when I’m working in the office. It bills itself as the “sexy, sensual, smooth” radio station.
So when you hear a radio spot proclaiming eco-consciousness and bamboo clothes to be the latest trend in fashion, you know that businesses have finally seen the light.
But just how eco-friendly is bamboo clothing?
Bamboo clothing is usually made a mix of bamboo fibres and other material, such as 55% bamboo and 45% polyester.
Before weaving into clothes, the bamboo fibres has been chemically processed into a form of rayon.
Rayon is a form of manufactured fibres made from cellulose (that’s basically wood pulp).
So bamboo fibres is rayon made from bamboo material. You would still need the chemicals in its production, but at least it reduces the need for wood pulp, and that’s always a good thing as bamboo reproduces much faster than trees.
This is also bamboo clothes feels and wears pretty much the same as other types of clothing.
Some also say that it makes a greener alternative to cotton, which typically uses way too much pesticides in its cultivation.
Overall I would say that bamboo clothing is moderately eco-friendly as a replacement fibre.
So go ahead and make a green statement with your fashion choice.
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How eco-friendly is bamboo clothing? « Eco-Friendly Bamboo Floors by Star Bamboo Singapore said,
July 18, 2007 at 12:22 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
Marc said,
July 19, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Not only does rayon reduce the need for wood pulp, it reduces the need for ironing too (or at least the effort involved).
=p
Hun Boon said,
July 19, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Really? That’s another bonus then. But I struggle with ironing no matter the material!
jaydee said,
September 14, 2007 at 4:53 am
Unfortunately, bamboo clothing is not as green as they make it out to be. by studying the fibre you can clearly see that there is not bamboo fibers present. Long story short, it is made from a derivate of bamboo, a chemical process that create what they call bamboo viscose. This product is equivalent to Rayon, as chemical, and ass poluting to produce. Stick to good ol, wool, linen, coton, hemp, and the likes of em.
Robert Green said,
December 16, 2007 at 5:35 am
Bamboo is probably the most ecological source of one of the best textile fabrics around. It produces strong, color fast, cooler clothing and doesn’t retain odors.
I highly recommend buying bamboo. It makes doing something for the environment look good!
Robert
Bamboo You
bamboo clothing said,
June 4, 2008 at 1:56 pm
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