Bamboo Sprouting Green Myths

"Advertising is the 'wonder' in Wonder Bread." - Jef I. Richards, Professor of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin

Bamboo fabric is becoming the Wonder Bread of sustainable textiles. This isn’t to say that bamboo doesn’t have many exceptional qualities. I’m just saying that the green hype is starting to lead to a loss of credibility. Let’s take a short walk through the bamboo green claims and see what’s real and what’s green spin.

Anti-bacterial & UV Protection. “Bamboo fiber has particular and natural functions of anti-bacteria, bacteriostasis and deodorization” due to a “a unique anti-bacteria and bacteriostasis bio-agent named bamboo kun." The mysterious anti-bacterial component has also been called “bamboo chinone”. This unique claim of bamboo fabric is bolstered by studies performed by the Japan Textile Inspection Association; National Textile Inspection Association in China (NTIA), and the Shanghai Microorganism Research Institute. The theory goes that somehow the bamboo kun is chemically bound closely to the bamboo cellulose fibers and this chemical binding survives the harsh chemicals used to free the bamboo cellulose from the lignin and other components found in bamboo when the bamboo cellulose is regenerated into bamboo fiber.

There are two problems to bamboo’s claim for being a uniquely anti-bacterial fabric. The first is that bamboo fabric’s anti-bacterial claim was recently repudiated by research conducted by Colorado State University chemists Subhash Appidi and Ajoy Sarkar, Ph.D., investigating UV-resistant and anti-bacterial fabrics. They reported at the 235^th national meeting of the American Chemical Society that “bamboo fabric did not live up to antimicrobial expectations.” Their research also indicated that bamboo fabric is low in UV-resistance and that most damaging ultraviolet rays pass through bamboo fabric to the skin. The research at the Colorado State University directly contradicts many claims and research performed in China and Japan. We need more independent and transparent research to ferret out why the differences.

The second problem is that claims for being an anti-bacterial fabric are not unique to bamboo fabric. Other regenerated cellulose fabrics also claim to have anti-bacterial properties. According to the Lenzing AG web site, “Bacterial growth was observed in various fibers, and TENCEL®, with its rapid absorption of moisture and high absorption capacity proved most effective in inhibiting growth” and “The result demonstrates that TENCEL® is the most naturally hygienic fiber. TENCEL® prevents the growth of bacteria naturally without the addition of chemical additives.”

Unique Bamboo Properties? Thermal-regulating, Anti-static, Biodegradable, Natural UV Protection, Super Soft. Regenerated cellulose fabrics share many common properties. “Green & biodegradable, breathable and cool, soft had feeling, luxurious shiny appearance” are properties commonly found in regenerated cellulose fabrics such as Tencel® / lyocell, Modal®, Viscose® … and bamboo. And this shouldn’t be any surprise as they all derive from cellulose that has been extracted from plants using similar chemical processing and then excreted through spinnerets to form fibers for textiles and clothing.

Research by Y. Xu, Z. Lu and R. Tang at the Testing and Analysis Center at Suzhou University in China used scanning electron microscopes (SEM), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), and thermoanalyzers (TA) to analyze the physical structure and properties of bamboo viscose, Tencel® and viscose fibers. Their results, which are reported in the Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, Vol. 89 (2007), found that all three fibers belong to the cellulose II category and that, while there are variations in the regenerated cellulose fibers that affect fiber properties, the similarities in structural properties are striking. Among their findings was that Tencel® consists of longer molecules and has a greater degree of crystallinity, while bamboo viscose fiber has a lower degree of crystallinity. Differences in fabrics from regenerated cellulose are a combination of factors – some differences in the cellulose cellular structure between the different sources, differences in the mechanical spinning processes when the fibers are formed and the specific chemicals used, and the finishing processes and the enzymes and chemicals used.

Grown on Environmentally Friendly Bamboo Plantations. Bamboo fabric is spun from bamboo pulp manufactured from bamboo grown on bamboo plantations primarily in China. Because bamboo has so many uses and derived products, growing bamboo has become a significant industry in China. The book Rehabilitation of Degraded Forests to Improve Livelihoods of Poor Farmers in South China by Liu Dachang published in 2003 by the Center International Forestry Research researches in depth the environmental and social damage that have been created by poor and over-harvested forests of all kinds, not just bamboo, in China. Chinese government forest policy reforms within the last twenty years have transferred ownership of most forests to private citizens and businesses. The result has been a lack of government regulations for controlling forest land use and many forests were clear-cut to plant money-making mono-cultures such as bamboo plantations.

The adverse environmental impact associated with bamboo plantations replacing natural forests was also documented in a paper by Dr. Jim Bowyer titled “Bamboo Flooring – Environmental Silver Bullet or Faux Savior?”. Because of the severity of the problems, there are now broad initiatives underway in China to rehabilitate degraded forest lands by restoring biodiversity and improving soil and forest conditions. Because bamboo has so many different economics uses such as food products, paper, furniture and housing materials, and textiles, the opportunity and temptation for exploitation of land and resources is great and it is difficult to determine where and under what conditions the bamboo was grown. This is especially a problem for bamboo textiles which are made from regenerated cellulose bamboo pulp because bamboo fiber manufacturers buy their bamboo pulp from suppliers. They don’t manufacture it themselves and there is little transparency in the supply chain.

Here is one example. On their web site, BambroTex proclaims “Bamboo Fibre is a kind of regenerated cellulose fiber, which is produced from raw materials of bamboo pulp by our sole patented technology. Firstly, bamboo pulp is refined from bamboo through a process of hydrolysis-alkalization and multi-phase bleaching. We then process Bamboo pulp into bamboo fiber.” At the same time, Tenbro is declaring “Shanghai Tenbro is the earliest and most specialized bamboo fiber manufacturer in China, and the only patent holder of both material and products of bamboo fiber accredited by State Intellectual Property Bureau.” Both the claims of BambroTex and Tenbro to being the sole patent holders of bamboo fiber are misleading. It seems that Jigao Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. of China is the actual holder of the patent for manufacturing bamboo fiber in China and the Jigao Chemical Fiber Company produces all the bamboo fiber which Shanghai Tenbro Bamboo Textile Company, China BambroTextile Company, Hebei Jigao Import & Export Company, Jilin Chemical Fiber Import & Export Company, Shanghai Worldbest Company and Minmetals Shanghai Pudong Trading Company export bamboo fiber globally according to the Jigao Chemical Fiber Company.

Things with bamboo fiber are seldom what they seem at first blush. The tens of thousands of tons of bamboo fiber produced by Jigao Chemical Fiber Company for export by its licensed agents such as the Shanghai Tenbro Bamboo Textile Company and the China Bambro Textile Company are manufactured from hundreds of thousands of tons of bamboo plants raised on many thousands of bamboo plantations across China under a wide variety of environmental farming conditions. How can any manufacturer claim that their bamboo fabric is only produced from bamboo grown on environmentally sustainable farms? How do they know where their bamboo was grown and under what conditions? Given the intense emphasis on profits and the lack of transparency in Chinese business and that one company manufacturers the bamboo fibers used in the majority of exported bamboo fabric, claims that only environmentally sustainable bamboo plants are used ring as hollow as a bamboo flute.

The processing of bamboo plants into textile fibers is relatively harmless because caustic soda is the “main chemical used.” Caustic soda, aka sodium hydroxide - NaOH, is one of the ingredients used to reduce bamboo plants to pulpy goo in a process known as hydrolysis alkalization. Caustic soda is a harsh alkaline chemical that must be handled carefully, especially at high levels and under the high temperature and pressure needed for hydrolysis alkalization. As the old saying goes “The poison is in the size of the dose.”

Another toxic chemical in the processing of bamboo rayon is carbon disulfide which has been linked to serious health problems. Breathing low levels of carbon disulfide can cause tiredness, headache and nerve damage. Carbon disulfide has been shown to cause neural disorders in workers at rayon manufacturers.

In Summary. Bamboo fabric has much to offer but much remains to be done before the growing of bamboo can have significant environmentally positive impacts. Here are some steps to produce a more sustainable bamboo fabric:

• The Chinese Government must strengthen their forest reform policies.
• Organic bamboo certifications must be enacted to insure that bamboo plantations are sustainably managed.
• Bamboo rayon fiber manufacturing must be transformed into a closed-loop process to reduce the escape of harsh and toxic chemicals into waste waters, the air and the textile workers environment.
• Commercialize natural bamboo bast fiber processing such as that promised by Litrax so that we can get away from chemically regenerated bamboo viscose rayon.
• And please, make sure that marketing claims match the facts and don’t mislead the consumer.

Enjoy.

-Michael

Comments

[Skye]

Michael, can we link to this in one of the upcoming editions of the Carnival of Green Crafts? Let me know!

Skye Kilaen
Crafting A Green World
www.craftingagreenworld.com

[Ian Beaumont]

Interesting article Michael. As organic/fairtrade clothing retailer "Purity" are often presented with the case of Bamboo as a green fabric. We have to make my judgements from researching articles like this on the web.

I agree there is a lot of mis-information, and it is amazing what the stories the bamboo supplies will tell you at trade shows.

One question in mind my mind remains though - is bamboo fabric "better" or "worse" than non organic cotton? Should "Purity" be turning its back on it.

We are a lot seeing a lot of "Soya" fabric appearing - with some equally outlandish claims. Is this a green "fabric"?

Ian Beaumont
Purity
www.puritystyle.com

[Sara]

Thanks for setting the record straight Michael! I have grown to despise almost all companies pushing bamboo fiber because 99% are misleading the consumer for profit. Whether this was deliberate or not in the past there is so much contradictory info available now that to continue doing so is criminal (at least in Canada :-).

Sara

[Harmony]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Michael, you are a constant source of thorough, and thoughtful information. May I link to this post from my web site? BIG gratitude - harmony

[Adrian Desbarats]

Excellent post.

However, I would argue that nothing is perfect. The important thing to keep in focus is that if we all work to find solutions that offer the greatest opportunity to become sustainable then that is a good start. As long as the foundation for succes is in place, we can then work to improve on the "hot spots". I believe bamboo and cellulose in general have the potential to be fully sustainable while our current textile solution, specifically conventional cotton does not.

The conventional textile industry has a very significant impact on human health, social health and the environment. Are bamboo viscose, organic cotton and hemp perfect solutions to all our textile related environmental issues? No. Are they better solutions versus conventional cotton and synthetics such as polyester? An emphatic yes. Do they offer the potential to be sustainable. Another emphatic yes. Should we discount them because there are imperfections in the current manufacturing or harvesting processes? An emphatic No.

Yes, its true that the production of bamboo viscose involves the use of chemicals that if left unmanaged can do harm to humans and the environment. But before we write off bamboo as a sustainable textile option, let's consider some facts:

- Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth with an average growth rate of 12 - 19 inches per day (Jinhe Fu, 2000). Bamboo is tremendously hardy and pest resistant. No fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation is required. Neither is replanting required. The shoots are simply cut to their base and the bamboo regrows from new shoots. As such, bamboo offers a tremendous source of sustainable cellulose for textile production.

- Let's compare this with cotton. Cotton is very sensitive to pest infestation and drought. Every one Kg of cotton lint production requires 10,000 - 17,000 liters of water. Cotton production accounts for 2.4% of total arable land yet accounts for 11% of global pesticide use and 25% of global insecticide use (Kooistra & Termorshaizen, 2006). Approximately 40,000 lives are lost each year due to pesticide / insecticide application (WHO, 2002). Approximately 100 million hectares of land (8% of global arable land) has been lost due to over-exploitation with the main cause being salinisation caused by improper irrigation practices employed in cotton production. And then there is the environmental impact. Each year, it is estimated that approximately 67 million birds are killed by pesticides (Lotus, 2004). And then there is the impact on our river, lake systems and ground water.

I can go on and on but I think we can all agree that conventional cotton production exacts a terrible toll on human and environmental health. Organic cotton is definitely a huge improvement as it removes synthetic pesticides, insecticides and synthetic fertilizers from the equation. However, water use is not considered in organic cotton certification so in a sense organic cotton production is not even truly sustainable as it stands right now. Is it better then conventional cotton production? Hell yes.....way better. Is it perfect? No, but its a darn good start.

And the same goes for bamboo. Unlike organic cotton which does employ organic pesticides, organic fertilizers and irrigation, bamboo culture uses nothing. As such, the environmental impact at the harvest level should be much less even then organic cotton.

For bamboo, the issue seems to be the chemical use at the production level. I would agree the chemicals used in the process are not good, however, I would argue that it is alot better and safer then losing 40,000 people per year through pesticide use! Additionally, because this chemical use occurs within central locations (ie. manufacturing plants) this offers much better potential to treat the water prior to leaving the plant and entering the environment. This type of treatment and control is simply not possible with the land application of fertilizers and pesticides on cotton farms.

Is bamboo fiber production perfect? No. But it has all the opportunity to be a very low impact and sustainable solution to meet our growing textile requirements.

I agree that there are deficiencies. As you point out, there needs to be greater transparency from the Chinese government regarding its harvesting policies and controls. And I agree there needs to be some kind of organic certification process for bamboo. However, you cannot fault the retailers. The bamboo textile industry is so new that certification processes simply have not caught up with it yet. Because bamboo rayon is considered man made, it cannot be certified by GOTS or any of the other organic certifiers.

As a retailer of eco-friendly clothing products, we are aware of the issues and are working diligently to improve them. However, I would still argue that bamboo textiles even with its real or percieved dificiencies is still far better then conventional cotton. And the nice thing is that it hs a solid foundation that we can build on to ensure that it does become truly sustainable.

So, I would say, please consider bamboo viscose as a truly eco-friendly option versus conventional cotton or polyester just pay close attention to who you buy it from and what measures they have in place to ensure the bamboo has been sourced as sustainably as possible.

At our company, we are very careful in choosing eco fashion products that meet our very stringent certification requirements. I invite you to take a look at our environmental policy at http://www.fashionandearth.com/environmental-policy.html

We are trying very hard to be part of the solution to the textile industry, not part of the problem.

[inurmagazine]

WOW. I was going to try to sneak something about my magazine in here, a free ad, but this synopsis of the bamboo industry was a little bit too respectable to undermine with cheesy online marketing nonsense. Good job Michael. We ran a photo-spread in our first issue that featured various sustainable clothing designers, bamboo products included. Not that I would have done anything differently, but there are certainly smoke and mirrors in the Green Campaign--as I am sure many of us suspected would seep into the green product industry sooner or later--WELCOME! haha. Great blog.

www.inurmagazine.com I had to do it. Good luck.

[Nicolas]

Very nice and thorough article Michael! As much as I am for eco-fashion and green causes, I am starting to shudder to think that the boom of the green industry might lead to more hurt to the planet than help; the example of bamboo in China is a perfect example. The harvesting of the bamboo is becoming a very industrialized business that is demanding more and more amounts of bamboo leading to constant re-use of soil. Is the zeal for green products hurting more than helping?

[Fiona Stirling]

This is a great article and has cleared up a lot of questions I had about bamboo fabric. I no longer use it in my eco friendly diaper range as I prefer hemp for environmental reasons. I would be interested to know how eco friendly soy is though as I have trialled some and it's great fibre.

Fiona Stirling
Upsy Daisy Nappies

[Tony McAlpine]

Great unbaised view on bamboo products, although I agree with Adrian above that there is certainly a place for bamboo products within the eco-friendly banner, but a lot needs to be done to improve the highlighted failings. My website in the UK wwww.organicforyourkids.co.uk has been stocking bamboo products for about six months now and the feedback in relation to them is fantastic. Would you mind if I linked to your blog as another source of impartial advice?

[Account Deleted]

I agree.. It is more fashionable to use organic clothing and more safe to our health. But most of organic products are more expensive than the ones we commercially buy. Would it be supposedly cheaper if it is organic because the materials are easy to produce and abundant?

[mlackman]

Hi, Bookmark
Organic and sustainable products are often more expensive than conventionally grown and manufactured clothing. There are 4 primary price-drivers:
1. Cost of growing/producing raw materials. Organic cotton is more expensive to grow than conventional chemically-grown cotton. Less of a cost-to-grown for some sustainable (and more naturally sustainable products) such as hemp and bamboo. This cost spread will decrease due to economies of scale as the size of organic crops increases dues to increased demand.
2. Cost to manufacture fibers and fabrics. Roughly the same for organics and sustainables as for conventionals so this isn't a significant factor in the cost spread between organics/sustainables and conventional fabrics.
3. Cost to manufacture clothing. Here we see the largest contributor to organic and sustainable clothing being more expensive. A significant proportion of conventional clothing is made in low wage environments (such as China, India, Jordan, Central America) under sweatshop and unethical conditions. Organic and sustainable clothing is manufactured by Fair Trade companies paying a fair wage.
4. Profit margins and economies of scale. Large corporations like Wal-Marts and the huge chain clothing manufacturers can afford smaller profit margins than the relatively tiny organic and sustainable clothing manufacturers and retailers. The large corporate players also generally control the supply chain from field to store which allows them to greatly reduce costs.
When you shop, remember these factors that contribute to clothing costs and then shop wisely and ethically.
All the best.
-Michael

[Account Deleted]

This is really very informative site about the bamboo!

[organicclothinglover]

wow - this was really informative! first, i never really even knew that bamboo was such a major industry. thanks for the info, it was really informative. they offere a few bamboo products on this blog: http://blog.guffly.com/
but how do you know that the bamboo used is eco-friendly? man, thats though. thanks again!

[sohan]

hi,
organic cloth is good for health .I think so. Its a good blog. I appreciate it.
Sohan
http://www.urbanerwear.com

[sohan]

Bamboo fabric is very nice. I like it most. Its need to increase production more for us.
Mary Aloe
http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/mary_aloe.htm
http://www.film.com/celebrities/mary-l-aloe/14541787
http://www.articlesbase.com/movies-articles/mary-aloe-proud-mary-entertainment-1002869.html

[sohan]

Dear Michael,
I am really wondered when i have seen this website and also bamboo cloth. This is the first time I learn that cloth is making by bamboo. Thanks for this site.
Mary Aloe
http://www.ideamarketers.com/?Mary_Aloe&articleid=593033
http://connect.in.com/profile/Mary_Aloe/189485
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/REEL-Ladies/2009/03/31/REEL-Ladies
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200907/1246862030.html

[Account Deleted]

chemical residues in the fabric can lead to allergic reactions, asthma and cancers. Often enough these are also the cause of skin problem, irritation in eyes, throat and nose. The organic clothes are those that are made using natural fibers, which have been grown organically, i.e. without using any chemicals. All the colors that are used for dyeing are obtained from natural vegetable dyes. ashley - Carrot Banana Peach.

[Mark J. Heiman]

Michael,
Thanks very much for your interesting and informative postings. I am the owner of a start-up company with it's mission and values based on strong CSR principles and a large reinvestment of our profits going to sustainable development initiatives. I have been in the textile and apparel industry for many years and I must say that starting a business based on the above values is certainly quite a journey. I have run several trials by purchasing fiber from the Chinese "patent holder" and doing the spinning through end product in SE Asia and Central America. I love the end product, the feel and performance and the claims that have been made.This is where my journey has taken a detour.In July, prior to developing copy for our e-commerce site, I requested the fiber supplier to send me copies of all certifications and test results for each and every claim that they and every other bamboo fiber supplier makes.As mentioned in your article, the ISO certifications are an outline and I have asked for the status and ongoing improvement plans and progress. Organic certifications had expired (information can be found on the OCIA site)and lots of hemming and hawwing on the anti-microbial tests, UVC claims, moisture transport etc., etc. It is our policy that we will only make claims based on factual and scientific evidence from globally accepted 3rd party organizations, i.e. ASTM, AATCC test methods performed by certified testing bodies. As you know, there are many claims that have been made for bamboo and many that are not supported in the manner described above. There are also a multitude of Chinese companies that claim the patent rights to the bamboo viscose process. I explained the importance of having the supporting documentation not only for us, but also for the sustainability of their business.When the FTC made their rulings last month, I sent this information to China, more or less saying "I told you so", and asking what they will do to honestly and responsibly represent their product. We are now in the process of pushing very hard to convince them of the importantance of being authentic, transparent, and brutally honest. At the same time, we are doing our own independent testing through a 3rd party as described above and will make our claims based on the actual results and post the test results on our website (and even make it so they can be read and verified!) This is the continuing journey. I have read Adrien's comments and I agree with much he has said. The bottom line is that we must question everything, quantify and qualify everything, and be transparent in all that we do...if we are not personally responsible in our behavior and don't require that same behavior from others, it will be difficult at best to achive what I personally want to achieve, that of Repairing the World. Keep up the good work Michael!

[Greg Provance]

Adrian, I love the response you wrote to this article.
I wonder if you would mind sharing any textile manufacturers that you know are following these types of guidelines...
Cheers....

[Matt Cornwell]

We have some great clothiWe use a combination of bamboo and organic cotton to give the shirts a look and feel that you want. Come visit us for more information.ng at www.riviet.com we use a

[Lleitmotif]

I bought a box of bamboo anti-bacteria underwear and they do feel 'better' than normal ones. Find and shop at best online t-shirt store lleitmotif in Asia for http://www.lleitmotif.net/shop/womens/ womens cute cheap clothes offers.

[Rebecca Hurst]

Great post! I am glad everyone is trying to be more green. But people who claim to be green that are not, is another story. I haven't actually seen any bamboo shirts myself, but I have seen some pretty weird things made out of bamboo. I wonder if they would have eyelash extension supplies in bamboo.

[Chard de L'isle]

A lot of misinformed oversimplification and vague claims going on. In a release in May 2011 Deakin University confirmed effective antibacterial quality of bamboo fabric and had isolated the UV filtering component. Being antibacterial may not be unique but the claim is about bamboo's bioagent. The attempt in this blog to discredit the claim is self-evidently incorrect.
Plantations: All plantations are mono-cultures and bamboo is preferable to hemp or cotton in its environmental impact and superior carbon sequestration.

Claims on the dangers of the chemical process are based on factory conditions with poor ventilation using carbon disulphide in Italy during the 1930's -1940's. I have not heard of more recent "links to serious health problems" in modern processing plants. NaOH is toxic in large doses, but in the closed loop system employed does not represent a danger. Any released into nature is broken down quickly and is harmless, and you probably get a higher dose of NaOH on those pretzels you eat.
Of course we must scrutinize claims, but keep some balance please!
Are cotton producers fueling the anti-bamboo commentary?