Is Bamboo an Eco-Friendly Alternative to Cotton?

In the fashion world, bamboo has become a favorite for yoga wear and dance clothes due to its very soft texture. Bamboo is also touted to be a sustainable alternative to cotton.

Bamboo, the plant, is very sustainable. The plant is, in fact, categorized as grass and can grow a yard a day. Bamboo also does not need to be replanted after harvesting because its vast root network continually sprouts new shoots. Not only does bamboo grow fast but it is a natural pesticide and therefore does not require any additional harmful toxins (and also does not need to be genetically modified) and is also naturally anti-bacterial.

The problem arises when we talk about bamboo clothing. While the clothing retains its anti-bacterial properties, the fact remains that the production of bamboo pulp into yarn is full of dangerous toxins. The process is created from two different processes:

1. Chemical - uses sodium hydroxide to “cook” the wood fiber and also carbon disulfide for the bleaching process. This process produces what is known as bamboo rayon.

2. Mechanical - machines crush up the woody parts of the bamboo plant where the natural enzymes are used to break the bamboo which is then spun into yarn.
Unfortunately the chemical processing is the most popular method of production as it is not as labor intensive or costly as the mechanical processing. Due to the growing popularity of bamboo clothing, there have been increased reports of clear-cutting sections of forest in order for large bamboo plant harvests. Not only that but the transportation of bamboo to and from manufacturing plants definitely contributes to the global pollution.

Bamboo for the most part can be considered fairly sustainable although not entirely organic. Despite the faults of bamboo clothing, it is still much more environmentally friendly than cotton and is a welcome addition the textile industry.

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Source: www.care2.com