I find myself in a bit of a green quandary. For years, I’ve thought of bamboo as a fairly eco-friendly fiber. I have it on my floors, in my towels, in my sheets, and in my clothing. It feels incredible. I’d been told it had natural antibacterial properties. As of late, I’ve read less and less glowing reviews. The FTC has told four bamboo manufacturers to stop making these claims, and label their bamboo fiber textiles as “rayon made from bamboo”. The process of making rayon is the same whether you start with birch trees or bamboo, and the process removes the distinctive properties that the fiber had before manufacturing. Now, that said, creating rayon from bamboo instead of trees is more sustainable than from other sources because of the quick-growing nature of bamboo, and the amount of oxygen it creates while growing. Bamboo also requires no pesticides or herbicides. The rayon making process uses some toxic and caustic chemicals. Pollutants are released into the air and water stream; a lot of energy and water is also used. There is another fiber similar to rayon called Tencel. Tencel is a closed-loop system that recycles the chemicals used in the manufacturing process. As I write this, I have some conflict over what is the greenest thing to do. Some of the opinions and information I’ve read cited how awful caustic soda is. Caustic soda has been around for a long time and is used in hundreds of products. I also understand it is relatively easy to neutralize.
I think, at this point, organic cotton, and hemp are the greenest fabrics. Even more green, are second-hand and recycled content fabric. Instead of spending money on paper towel replacement clothes, simply go to the second-hand store or thrift/garage/yard sale for used items that could serve as rags. No, they won’t be as pretty as the new items, but they will be eco-friendly and inexpensive. Currently, I think the jury is out on most bamboo textiles. I believe if the processing of bamboo can be cleaned up, and greened up, it will be an excellent eco-choice.
Info on bamboo and more:
FTC – Have You Been Bamboozled by Bamboo Fabrics
