Bamboo Fabrics: Buyer Beware

I was glad to see this from the Federal Trade Commission:

Have You Been Bamboozled by Bamboo Fabrics?

Looking to be a more environmentally conscious shopper? You’ve probably heard about bamboo. Bamboo stands out for its ability to grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides, and it is used in a variety of products, from flooring to furniture. But when it comes to soft bamboo textiles, like shirts or sheets, there’s a catch: they’re actually rayon.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that the soft “bamboo” fabrics on the market today are rayon. They are made using toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air. Extracting bamboo fibers is expensive and time-consuming, and textiles made just from bamboo fiber don’t feel silky smooth.

There’s also no evidence that rayon made from bamboo retains the antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant, as some sellers and manufacturers claim. Even when bamboo is the “plant source” used to create rayon, no traits of the original plant are left in the finished product.

Companies that claim a product is “bamboo” should have reliable evidence, like scientific tests and analyses, to show that it’s made of actual bamboo fiber.

There is so much work to be done toward a sustainable textile and fashion industry. We can't afford greenwashed claims that discredit the industry. Bamboo is indeed a highly renewable resource, but that doesn't justify hyperbolic claims about fabric made from bamboo. Bamboo may be part of the solution in many fiber applications, but the industry should be sure they're making transparent and legitimate claims.

Comments

[Lainie]

I don't think the FTC is able to "pull one over on me." The FTC is merely saying what I and others have said: Some of the claims being made about bamboo are hyperbole. I also don't think your "full story" speaks for all bamboo fabric. And I'm curious to know -- who certifies the bamboo that you claim is organic? I've worked in the organic arena for 16 years, and as far as I know bamboo does not fall under a classification that allows for organic certification under USDA guidelines -- which it must, in order to be sold with an organic label in the United States.

There is no such thing as "naturally organic." Pesticides are sometimes used on bamboo crops. Caustic chemicals are used to process it. There is no credible body of evidence that it's any more antimicrobial or biodegradable than other fabrics once processed. The quality of bamboo fabric varied widely. I stand by my position: Buyer beware. If you like it, buy it, but don't buy it because you think it's the perfect pure fabric.It may be a nice fabric made from a renewable resource, but don't give it a bigger halo than it's earned.