I've had the bamboo fiber pulled over my eyes. Following a settlement with a clothing maker, the Federal Trade Commission announced that fabrics made from processed bamboo can't be pedaled as green--they're as synthetic as the rayon shirt hiding in your closet.
Under the FTC's settlement terms, retailer Bamboosa agreed not to make any environmental claims about its bamboo textiles being biodegradable, antimicrobial, and wholly made from bamboo fiber unless they could be backed up with reliable evidence. (Bamboosa's site still had green claims when I checked, though.)
Are there actually any green bamboo fabrics? An FTC advisory to consumers says not if they feel soft: "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."
What about all those wonderful antibacterial, breathable properties bamboo fabric was said to have? Greenwashing. "Even when bamboo is the 'plant source' used to create rayon, no traits of the original plant are left in the finished product," the FTC reported. I'll won't repeat the "we've been bamboozled" cliché. But it gives me a good idea for a t-shirt.
Photo: Handspun bamboo thread that has been carbonized for color. Credit: Heather Kennedy.
Tags: Green Tech, Materials
comments ( )