subject: Bamboo solutions for organic fabric for clothing and towels [print this page] Bamboo solutions for organic fabric for clothing and towels
When you say "Bamboo", most people will think "Panda", who love the bamboo for breakfast, lunch and diner. Now you may or may not have heard much about this humble plant, but it is actually now being used as a fabric in an ever growing range of clothing, but also things like cushions and towels. Main reason is that bamboo has some wonderful properties that make it perfect for producing fabrics.
Bamboo fabric is incredibly soft, making it very comfortable in clothing or to use in towels.
Bamboo fabric is 3 times as absorbent than cotton fabric. Bamboo fabric towels will dry you more efficiently and will not get as damp as cotton towels.
It's great in clothing too, making it absorb sweat in a second, keeping you dry and keeping your cloths from sticking to your body.
Bamboo fabric is very strong and durable. It's great for people with sensitive skin. The fabric is round and soft, so it doesn't irritate the skin.
Also it requires little to none chemical treatment, which can cause irritation to the skin.
Bamboo fabric has a high breath ability, keeping you cool in hot weather, but also in cold weather it keeps you warm.
An acre of bamboo produces 10 times more produce than an acre of cotton. A yield 10 times greater than cotton, that makes good business sense.
Bamboo grows pretty much anywhere on every continent (except the North and South Poles) and from sea level to 12,000 feet.
Can Bamboo save the environment?
As many sustainable solutions, on it's own it won't save the planet, but let's just say it can be of enormous benefit in more ways than one.
First of all let's look at water usage, which is already in short supply in many parts of the world and is seen as the main challenge facing the planet in the very near future.
Bamboo grows naturally on it's own, without the help of people. It isn't fussed whether there is a drought or a flood, so it doesn't require constant watering. Better for the environment, but also lower cost for the producer.
Bamboo doesn't require insecticides or pesticides to grow well as it keeps the bugs away all by itself. Less chemicals pumped into the environment, another point to bamboo!
Bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable, so it will not fill up our landfills and seas like some synthetic and petrochemical based products do.
Bamboo has a great root system that prevents soil erosion in areas that have poor soil or have suffered de-forestation, so it can improve areas that have suffered before and help restore them. In fact in areas that have been deforested or over-grazed by cattle or sheep and may now suffer from landslides and extreme soil erosion, bamboo can step in and its amazing root system clings on to the soil and keeps it just where it is.
It grows quickly, really quickly (it can grow up to 2 inches an hour!) It can grow to it's maximum height within 3 months and reaches maturity in 2 5 years, which makes it easily sustainable.
Bamboo absorbs tonnes of Co2 and chucks out loads of oxygen; in fact bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than the same area of trees would.
So all in all, apart from keeping Pandas happy, it is a terrific plant.
At the moment Wikaniko have a great range of soft fluffy bamboo towels, which I would definitely recommend if you like soft, strong towels that get you dry without getting damp.
For bamboo clothing I'd recommend BambooClothing.co.uk. They also do towels, but Wikaniko have a wider range of towels and are slightly cheaper. But for clothing, def check these guys out.
Oh, and if you are worried about the panda's, don't be, there are 1,500 species of bamboo, and the one that the panda eats its not the same as the ones that are made into fabric!
