Bamboo is something of a relative newcomer to the world of fabrics. It’s only recently – in the last twenty years or so – that the notion of creating clothing from bamboo has taken off, with eco-conscious consumers from across the Western world seeking it out for its green credentials.
If you’ve never tried on a bamboo T-shirt before, you may find yourself surprised at its silk-like quality. Bamboo has a natural softness and sheen that has been turning the heads of fashion experts for years.
Whether it’s for fashion, or for comfortable fitting workwear and uniforms, bamboo garments have defined themselves among this new generation of sustainable clothing.
It’s hardly surprising that over the years, demand for bamboo T-shirts has grown when it appears to offer such a huge host of benefits. Firstly and most notably bamboo grows really quickly, with no need for replanting, which means no pesticides or fertilisers are necessary in their production. The T-shirts themselves are durable so will last a long time and they take very little effort to wash.
On top of all this, the fabric itself has a bacteriostatic agent called “bamboo kun” giving it antibacterial and antifungal properties – this makes it great for sports.
How is bamboo clothing made?
Bamboo fabric is considered a ‘regenerated fibre’. This means that it contains human-made fibres, artificially made using natural foundations such as proteins or cellulose, rather than being a completely natural fibre such as cotton.
Bamboo shoots are harvested at the end of the rainy season and turned into a pulp by using natural enzymes to break it down. The pulp is then soaked and put through a filter to extract the cellulose which is then turned into thread.
Depending on how the fibre is created or whether it’s blended with other fabrics, bamboo can be categorized into the following types:
Lyocell: A form of Rayon, Lyocell contains cellulose fibre that is made from dissolving pulp and dry jet-wet spinning. This gives the fabric great moisture-absorbing qualities.
Rayon: The raw bamboo material is treated with chemicals to form rayon which makes for a very soft and moisture-absorbing fabric.
Bamboo Linen: This fabric has a silk-like texture that is very soft but can crease quite easily.
Cotton Blend: The bamboo fibre is often blended with cotton to strengthen the material. It has anti-allergen properties and is a breathable fabric.
Is bamboo or organic cotton better for the environment?
Organic cotton might be better for the environment
Organic cotton may have the edge on bamboo. Bamboo is certainly a step up from conventional, synthetic materials, but several factors act in cotton’s favour.
The first is the fact that it comes off the cotton plant in a highly usable form meaning the process of picking and spinning cotton doesn’t require giant energy-consuming presses.
The second is that it doesn’t require the use of dangerous solvents, again preventing harmful chemicals from leaching into the environment.
Critics of cotton often point out that it requires a lot of water to grow – which it does. But growing it in places that receive the highest rainfall can alleviate this.
Organic cotton could help farmers too
Most cotton grown around the world comes from less-developed nations. The people living in these countries, therefore, have to deal with the environmental consequences of conventional cotton agriculture.
Organic cotton can help this by reducing damage in these countries and helping to limit people’s exposure to harmful chemicals.
Organic cotton has another benefit for farmers too: better pay. Western consumers are often willing to pay a premium for products labelled “Organic” passing on the extra money to the producers of the goods.
Finally, bamboo doesn’t bounce back as well as other threads like cotton, which can sometimes result in garments having a droopy appearance. Thus most bamboo clothing products have to be combined with other fibres like cotton anyway.
With this in mind, if you’re basing your decision on environmental factors alone, we’d recommend organic cotton. If you are looking for an alternative to synthetic fibres, and organic cotton doesn’t meet your needs, bamboo may be a good option.
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