bemoreeco

Kate Carter at the Guardian tackles a question about the environmental credentials of Bamboo. She calls upon numerous sources to investigate whether Bamboo is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as we thought. The answers are interesting, here’s a snippet:

Many of the companies using bamboo fibres say they are producing bamboo organically, using processing that does not involve harmful bleaches. There doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of proof, though. The Soil Association doesn’t currently give certification to any bamboo clothing. A spokeswoman, Sarah Compson, explained: “The production of bamboo would fall under our perennial crop standards so in theory we could certify the crop – but the problem is the processing. The process needed to break down the bamboo to make the fibres is very similar to that used to make viscose and we’ve yet to see a method that would come anywhere close to complying with our production standards. People always say bamboo is great because it grows so quickly – but so does cotton.”

On the plus side of Bamboo, Kate notes the following:

• Bamboo is naturally pest-resistant
• It grows incredibly fast, from seed to crop in just 4 years
• Bamboo has a massive root network for natural growth
• Bamboo can be grown without any fertilisers or chemicals
• Bamboo is far more sustainable than cotton or other fabrics

The problem is that it isn’t always this simple, the negatives of Bamboo according to Kate are:

• Farmers growing it as a mono-crop, reduces biodiversity and increases pests
• Farmers are using chemicals to accelerate growth in China
• There is a massive problem in the production process. It is expensive, and most likely to use chemicals which harm the environment

We can probably conclude for now that whilst Bamboo is a lot better material to use than it’s alternatives, we should still be skeptical of some of the more extreme claims of clothing manufacturers.