Day 102

Yarn: The Fibre Company's Canopy Fingering in River Dolphin

50 % Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Bamboo

In the spirit of studying and research, I thought I'd explore a topic I raised the other day: the eco-friendliness of supposedly green fibers. This is distilled from a research paper I completed earlier in the year. Some of my (vast, vast) audience may be incredibly boring, so please bear with me until the next post, but if you find it informative, let me know!

Is bamboo really a green fiber?

Once regulated to ornamental gardens, bamboo has seen a recent surge in the American textile products. A newcomer to the market, bamboo fiber was developed in Beijing University in 2002 (Orensten). With a natural abundance of bamboo and a vast textile production industry, it was an ideal innovation for the country, and China remains the only manufacturer of bamboo textile products (Everman). Currently in the United States, bamboo can be found in everything from tee shirts to sheeting and towels. In some aspects, it is the ideal sustainable fiber. “[It] grows as much as 18 inches in a day, maturing to a harvestable size in three to five years, compared with 50 to 100 years for most hardwood species” (Stark). It is naturally resistant to most diseases and pests, requiring minimal pesticides and fertilizers. It also requires very little water, particularly in contrast to cotton (Koprowski). Once planted, bamboo will maintain a root network that will continually produce new shoots, eliminating the need for replanting (Lackman). As a plant, bamboo is incredibly environmentally friendly and sustainable.

However, the thick fibrous grass is not naturally suited to textile use and requires extensive processing. Bamboo is a regenerated cellulose fiber, meaning it must be liquefied and reconfigured into fiber form, either through mechanical processing or chemical processing. Mechanical processing incurs minimal environmental damage. It involves masticating the plant into a pulp and using natural enzymes to further break it down. The natural fibers can then be combed out and spun into yarn. This process is lengthy, expensive and not widely used. Fabrics made from yarn that is processed in this manner is often referred to as bamboo linen, as it is similar to the linen processing (Lackman).

More common is the use of chemical processing, similar to that of rayon. The bamboo is made into a pulp in a chemical bath of sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide. The detrimental effects of both of these compounds are widely documented. Sodium hydroxide, which is also known as caustic soda or lye, is extremely corrosive and pollutes soil and groundwater, and exposure to carbon disulphide can result in neurological damage. Excessive exposure can be fatal (Stainsby). The liquefied bamboo is then extruded into fine fibers and set with an acid bath.

Bamboo also is the subject of widespread greenwashing. It is widely purported that bamboo has natural anti-microbial properties. According to the Japan Textile Association, who worked in conjunction with Bambro Tex®, the Chinese company that originated commercial bamboo textile production, it contains a unique bio-agent, dubbed ‘bamboo Kun’, which is naturally anti-bacterial. Many clothing manufactures and news outlets have perpetuated this theory. The American Fox news has reported, “…bamboo contains a natural element called “bamboo kun” which serves as a natural antibiotic, protecting the wearer from nasty germs as well as body odor, which is caused by bacteria living in our armpits” (Stark). However, in tests conducted by researchers at Colorado State University’s College of the Applied Human Sciences, bamboo fabric was not found to be antimicrobial. Subhash Appidi, who collaborated on the project, found it comparable to other cellulose based fibers: “All cellulose fibers allow more moisture to leak in and provide more food for bacteria to eat. That’s why bacteria grow more on natural fibers rather than synthetic fibers” (Marsh). While the process of producing bamboo may be green, the production is found to be lacking.

Works Cited

Everman, Victoria. "How Green Is Bamboo Fabric?" 4 Oct. 2007. 20 Apr. 2009

<http://victoria-e.com/2007/10/04/how-green-is-bamboo-fabric/>.

Koprowski, Gene J. "How Green Is Bamboo-Based Clothing?" Fox News 14 Feb. 2008. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330621,00.html>.

Marsh, Charmayne. "Ajoy Sarkar Investigates the Properties of Bamboo Fabrics." 11 Apr. 2008. College of the Applied Human Sciences. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.cahs.colostate.edu/news/item/?ID=550>.

"Natural Anti-bacteria of Bamboo Fiber." BambroTex. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.bambrotex.com/second/bc_nab.htm>.

Orensten, Evan. "Bam Clothing." Cool Hunting. 18 July 2006. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2006/07/bam_clothing.php>.

Stainsby, Sam. "Beware the Bamboo Greenwash." Junk Mail from the Universe. 15 May 2008. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://sam.stainsby.id.au/blog/?p=16>.

Stark, Judy. "Bamboo Growing Like Weeds In The Fabric Market." Bamboo Clothes. 21 Oct. 2006. St. Petersburg Times. 18 Apr. 2009 <http://www.bambooclothes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=bamboo_fabric>.

-Eloise