About Bamboo Fabric - Is It Really Green?

What chemicals are used in the processing of your bamboo fiber and are they hazardous?

The main chemical used in the processing is sodium hydroxide also known as caustic soda. Caustic soda is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world. It is used in food production, soap making, manufacturing of bio diesel, production of paper, and is used on nearly all cotton fabrics, including organic cotton, during wet processing. Caustic soda is approved for use on textiles under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

While caustic soda is a strong chemical it poses no health hazard if used and disposed of properly.

Some other manufacturers of bamboo fiber clothing say their apparel is Oeko Tex 100 certified, which means that no harmful chemicals were used in the production of their product and that their product is certified to be chemical free. Are your products certified to the Oeko Tex 100 Standard?

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion regarding the Oeko Tex 100 Standard and what it means. The Oeko Tex 100 Standard is a certification of a product at a given point in the manufacturing process. The certification states that there are no chemicals present in the product, at that point in the processing, that would be harmful to human health, including that of babies. It does not certify that no chemicals were used in the processing nor does it make any evaluation of what processes were used or any evaluation of the facilities that participated. There are other Oeko Tex certifications, such as 1000 and 100+ that certify processes or facilities but Oeko Tex 100 does not.

To our knowledge, all of the bamboo fiber produced is Oeko Tex 100 certified. We know for sure that the fiber that we purchase has achieved that certification. Bamboosa currently has no further certifications past the point of the fiber. However, the facility where we do our wet processing (dyeing and finishing of fabrics) is working on GOTS certification. We can assure our customers there are no chemicals used in our wet processing (dyeing and finishing) that are not approved for use by GOTS.

We do know that there are some purveyors of bamboo apparel who state that their ‘apparel’ is certified, when what they actually mean is that the ‘fiber’ is certified. If companies selling bamboo fiber apparel have additional certifications past the fiber stage they would have the documentation for those certifications.

Because of the processing, should bamboo fiber still be considered "green"?

The production of bamboo fiber can and should be improved. R&D is underway to improve the process. Hopefully, a process similar to lyocel using organic solvents will someday be the standard for bamboo production. In the meantime, to discount all of the known positives of bamboo because it is not the darkest shade of green or 100% eco-friendly would be as bad of a decision as saying that organic cotton is not green or eco-friendly because of the amount of water used to grow it or because caustic soda is used in the processing.

Some facts to consider about the ‘greenness’ of bamboo would be:

• Bamboo is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers
• Bamboo requires no irrigation
• Bamboo rarely needs replanting
• Bamboo grows rapidly and can be harvested in 3-5 years
• Bamboo produces 35% more oxygen that an equivalent stand of trees
• Bamboo is a critical element in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
• Bamboo is an excellent soil erosion inhibitor

Additionally, bamboo fiber fabric is antimicrobial, thermal regulating, wicks moisture better than polyester performance fabrics, will not hold odor, is resistant to mold and mildew, and is absorbent and fast drying keeping you dryer and more comfortable than any cotton or polyester fabrics.


Is bamboo organically grown?

Yes, most of our bamboo fabric is certified Organic.