Bamboo Fabrics: Is it Really Sustainable?

September 5, 2021

Author: Shahabaz Km

During the beginning of the 21st century, consumers began to demand information on how and where the products were being made. Until that point, catalyzed by the industrial revolution, manufacturers didn’t follow the necessary guidelines to protect the environment in any way to reduce the impact they had on the earth while producing these items. Fabric manufacturing is one such industry. This push from the consumers has led brands to look for alternate sources for sustainable manufacturing. Bamboo fabrics are such an alternate product. In this article, we will try to understand whether Bamboo fabrics can be really considered sustainable fabric or not.

A brief history in Bamboo fabrics

Bamboo products have been a part of many East Asian countries for thousands of years. It is recorded that in China and India, people relied heavily on bamboo for making a wide range of products like household items, textiles, etc. People have been extracting the fibers since the early ages.

In India, West Bengal is famous for its Bamboo products. Hundreds of artisans still follow the traditional method of making products there. In China, people used to make papers using bamboo fibers. But they quickly came to understand that the soft fibers could also be used for making fabrics.

A significant event in history related to bamboo occurred in 1881 when a patent was issued for a unique yarn where bamboo and wool were combined. Then in the early 2000s, Beijing University developed the first Bamboo making process. The process involved the usage of modern solvents that removed glues and modern bleaching chemicals that gave the fibers a whiter look. Thus, bamboo fibers began to get popularity in the developed countries.

What is Bamboo Fabric?

Bamboo fabric, as the name indicates, is a fabric that is made from Bamboo fibers. It is considered to be one of the best sustainable fabrics available now. The reason is that bamboo fibers are highly breathable, protect the skin against UV light, and have anti-bacterial properties.

Besides, the bamboo grows exponentially without much energy. To put this into perspective, it grows up to 3.5 feet per day. This is 1000 times as fast as an oak tree. Since it is a type of grass, it is highly resilient to damage. It does not require any pesticides or chemicals for growth. Furthermore, it has an extensive rooting system that grows on average four to six shoots a year, naturally replenishing itself. It is also 100% bio-degradable.

Across Central America, South America, Africa, India, East Asia, Japan, and some parts of Australia, more than 1000s of species of bamboo are grown in the wild. It is approximately 49 million acres of the world’s surface. Today, China is the largest bamboo yarn/fabric producer in the world.

How Bamboo Fabric is made?

Bamboo can be turned into fabric in several ways. We will discuss the popular two methods.

Combing raw bamboo

The fibers present in the bamboo shoots are combed out and spun into yarn to form ‘Bamboo linen’. This is slightly a coarse thread that has a rough edge. This is not an ideal source for making soft bamboo fabrics. This process is a labor-intensive task making this item expensive in the market.

Cellulose Extraction

This method is the most common way of extracting yarns from bamboo shoots. The end result of this process is a silky smooth bamboo fabric that is commonly used for making sheets, underwear, and other commercial products. It is a highly intensive chemical process.

The bamboo is cut and dissolved using a chemical solution to produce a pulpy viscous material.
This pulpy material is passed through a spinneret and spun into fibers.
Fibers are further processed to make yarns and fabrics.

The final product is always a soft fabric that has qualities everyone loves in a fabric. It is also called ‘Bamboo Rayon’. Because the process is similar to that of rayon.