Green clothes: How green is my bamboo T-shirt?

Suddenly, bamboo products seem to have infiltrated every store around me. I see bamboo toothpicks at the grocery store, bamboo ladles at Sur la Table, bamboo T-shirts at Natural High Lifestyles. Clearly, bamboo's hit the U.S. market in a big way -- perhaps because bamboo products tend to be very affordable, winning the love of many would-be eco-consumers who complain eco-products are financially out of their reach.

But wax lyrical about bamboo clothes in front of some environmentalists -- especially those in the organic cotton or hemp clothing business -- and they might try to burst your bamboo bubble, arguing that bamboo isn't a green fabric. What gives?

Let's start at the beginning: What's so eco about bamboo clothing? Most of the enviro-benefits of bamboo clothes have to do with  bamboo farming. There is no USDA organic certification for bamboo, which is why you won't see any bamboo clothes with the familiar organic logo. However, unlike conventional cotton, bamboo grows quickly without requiring chemicals or pesticides. Even better, bamboo fabrics have antibacterial, anti-fungal, and deodorizing properties -- meaning you likely won't need to wash them as often. (Right: Bamboo / organic cotton T-shirt from CertainTees)

Processing that sustainably-grown bamboo into clothing, however, is not so green. Aside from the small amount of mechanically processed bamboo clothing (which feels like linen) on the market , most bamboo clothes are made through chemical processing. This processing makes the bamboo cloth feel like soft cotton -- but also requires some un-eco chemical use. As Lee points out at Organic Clothing, most bamboo fiber is "chemically manufactured by “cooking” the bamboo leaves and woody shoots in strong chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH – also known as caustic soda or lye) and carbon disulfide in a process also known as hydrolysis alkalization combined with multi-phase bleaching." Both of those chemicals are linked to health problems for the workers creating the stuff.

Still, proponents of bamboo maintain that the eco-benefits of bamboo fabrics far outweigh the downsides. After all, synthetic fabrics are generally made with non-renewable products AND require chemical processing, and conventional cotton is produced with a huge amount of pesticides. And of course, no fabric is perfect. Environmentalists generally embrace bamboo fabrics as a step in the right direction, while enviro-activists and entrepreneurs continue to push bamboo manufacturers to develop new technologies for greener bamboo processing. (Left: BambooBaby Panda from Bamboosa)

To address both environmental and health concerns about this chemical use, many factories that produce bamboo clothing get certifications regarding both their practices and their products. For example, many factories get the ISO 14001 certification, which shows the factory has put in place some environmental guidelines to green its practices (For an informative closer look at the benefits and limits of ISO 14001 certification, read "Costs, Benefits, and Motivations for ISO 14001 Adoption in China" [PDF]).

Many bamboo products also get the Oeko Tex Standard 100 certification (right), which shows that there are no harmful chemicals in the finished fiber (even if chemicals were used in the processing of that fiber).

In addition to the environmental issues, bamboo products also bring up labor issues, as most of the goods are produced in China. To address them, some Chinese factories have the ISO 8000 certification, which stipulates some basic social accountability standards. However, these standards have often been critiqued because they are guidelines set by the companies and corporations that have been known to abuse sweatshop labor (for the pro argument for ISO 8000, read eco-store Shirts of Bamboo's description; for the con argument, read "No Illusions: Against the Global Cosmetic SA8000" [doc]).

To make things even more difficult, the ISO certifications are generally meant for business-to-business use (for ex, the retailer might require that their supplying factory have ISO 8000 certification), not for consumer education. Thus, finding out if a company has ISO 8000 certification is nowhere as simple as looking for, say, a USDA organic label. For these and other reasons, many labor activists in particular are not satisfied with the ISO 8000, pushing instead for the stricter Fair Trade Federation membership standards or the Workers' Rights Consortium (especially popular on college campuses) membership standards.

So to sum up:

• Bamboo clothing is greener than conventional clothing, even though the processing of bamboo brings up some environmental and labor concerns.
• To ensure that your clothing is free of dangerous chemicals, try asking about Oeko-Tek 100 certification. This certification usually isn't on the product tag, but many bamboo retailers with this certification will mention it on their literature or websites.
• Whenever possible, buy from companies that clearly state their labor policies and back them up with certifications. Remember that the "Made in the U.S.A." label does not necessarily mean that the bamboo was processed into clothing fiber in the U.S.
• Give your consumer decisions SOME deliberate thought, but don't stress yourself out too much with finding perfectly green clothes, or any other perfectly green products -- They don't exist.

Some green bamboo shops I like:

• Organic Rush. This eco-friendly store in South Pasadena carries many  bamboo products, although most of its clothing is made of organic cotton. Visiting a local sore carries the side benefits of letting you see and feel stuff first-hand before handing over the cash, while helping to stimulate the local economy.
  
• Bamboosa. This Co-op America approved company prides itself in its sweatshop-free, U.S.-made clothing! The company's sewing plant located in South Carolina. Morris Saintsing of Bamboosa is also active in educating others about both the benefits and shortcomings of bamboo.
• CertainTees' cute T-shirts. This eco-conscious, fair-trade-friendly company also makes some really cute, well-fitting T-shirts. I own this cow-on-wheels design; the "relic" light bulb design's also a favorite.

Top Photo by Steve Webel via Flickr

Comments

[Lainie]

I've been extensively researching sustainable apparel for a market research report, and while everyone makes the claim that bamboo is "antifungal, antibacterial, deodorant," nobody backs this up with substantive information. What makes it more antibacterial than other natural fibers? There are also frequent claims that bamboo fabric is biodegradable, but as one writer pointed out (and I apologize that I can't find the original source) the biodegrading process usually happens via microbes and bacteria. How can an antibacterial product then also be biodegradable? The point is that manufacturers should be conservative and accurate in the claims they're making.

It's also worth mentioning that many crops grow well without chemicals -- that hasn't stopped agribusiness from using chemicals on those crops. Without organic certification, there's no guarantee that chemicals weren't used on the plants.

I am pro-sustainability and have worked for more than a dozen years writing and educating about organics, but in the fashion world, green seems to be a very loose and flexible concept. Many designers and manufacturers have stellar intentions, but some are just riding the wave; better standards will be necessary to earn consumer confidence, and to turn this hot-this-minute trend into real long-term change.

[Vectorpedia (Rick)]

Lets all go green.......tomorrow I am going to buy a bamboo T-shirt as a way to save our environment. One small step for mankind.

[Coral Rose]

Bamboo is not a fiber.

What is referred to as bamboo fiber in the market is actually viscose/rayon.

According to the FTC, All viscose or rayon fiber from Bamboo (as a source) that is imported into the US must carry a legal fiber content label declaration of viscose or rayon. All bamboo imported into the EU must use of the legal content declaration viscose; the EU does not permit the use of the word rayon.

As one of the fastest growing plants in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years. It spreads rapidly across large areas. Because of relatively quick growing time and the ability to be grown without fertilizers or pesticides, the fiber is currently being marketed as an ‘eco-green-sustainable fiber.’ There are also claims that viscose or rayon from bamboo is biodegradable and anti-microbial. There are potential risks associated with using bamboo as a polymer source for rayon since there is currently a lack of transparency in the supply chain. It is not always clear which type of bamboo is used for fiber, where it is grown, how it is cultivated, harvested etc. To date there are no known organic certification of bamboo.

The process to make viscose or rayon fiber from bamboo is the same process used to produce viscose/ rayon from any other plant source. The cellulose is extracted from the bamboo, and then the cellulose is mixed with chemicals to convert the plant pulp into textile quality fiber. This process can be very polluting unless it is carefully controlled, which can be influenced by the age and condition of the equipment as well as whether there is any by-product recycling or effluent treatment. ( Rose, eco-textiles 2006)

There is only one case of manufacturing a regenerated cellulose fiber-where the chemicals used in the process are completely recycled with a recovery rate of 99.5%, this is known as a closed loop system. The fiber made using this closed looped process is Lenzings TENCEL ® Lyocell. More accurately described Lyocell is a solvent spun fiber in which the cellulose is directly dissolved keeping the cellulose much closer to that found in nature. TENCEL® Lyocell, also carries the Oeko Tex 100 certification and FSC certification ( http://www.fsc.org/en/) Currently organic standards are not in place for certifying regenerated fibers using trees as a source e.g. Eucalyptus, or Beechwood. FSC certification for TENCEL® Lyocell is for the forest and for the pulp, they also have been awarded the European-Eco flower label. (www.Lenzing.com)

Coral Rose
coral@eco-textiles.com
www.e-EcoInnovations.com

[Online Clothing Browser]

well, green cothes can be good way to tell the world that you love this planet and care for it

[Arlene the Biker Queen]

hey all bamboo, tencel and lyocell fans check out my green fashion rock-n-roll makeover at: www.arlenethebikerqueen.com

[Steve Webel]

Thanks for using my bamboo photo (and including credit!)

[Michael Wood]

I live in the tropics (Venezuela), and would appreciate if anyone can tell me where I can buy bamboo shirts rather than T-shirts, thanks.

[Aliyah Marr]

Please see my article in the URL below for a really inspirational and informative story of a teenage entrepreneur who started an eco-company making bamboo clothing. He researches the manufacturers, and can verify that the process he uses is eco-friendly and sustainable.

http://alteverything.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/dress-like-a-legend-bamboo-clothes-from-legend-clothes-llc/

The company just launched its website:

http://www.legendclothes.com