The clothing we choose to sell is always either ethically made or made with eco-friendly, ethically sourced materials. We strive to support the sustainable fashion industry by offering you the choice of real, ethical alternatives to fast fashion. In this post I’d like to talk more about bamboo being used to make clothes, and look at why it can be a much better option for you as well as the environment.
Sustainability
As mentioned in a previous post about Organic Cotton, the fashion industry is the world’s second most polluting industry, with the textile industry using more water than any other industry apart from agriculture. This comes down to the usage of cotton in most items of clothing we wear everyday.
Cotton is a versatile, soft and relatively cheap resource, which is why so many brands use it. Bamboo is so similar to cotton, in that it is also incredibly soft and an easy resource to use in terms of making clothes. It presents us with a much more eco-friendly and sustainable choice when compared to using cotton because bamboo grass grows at an incredibly fast rate, with some records of up to 1 metre per day. It grows without the use of harmful chemical pesticides and is easy to harvest.
The use of pesticides can be extremely damaging ecologically, harming wildlife and with runoff ending up in rivers and streams which effects water eco-systems. With bamboo growing naturally without these chemicals, it has much less of a damaging effect on the planet.
These pesticides can also leave chemical residues on the cotton, which ends up being made into our t-shirts, trousers, dresses etc. and this means traces of those chemicals can end up being absorbed by our skin. Of course these amounts are miniscule, but I’d rather not take the chance.
Obviously it’s important to note the downsides of using bamboo fabric. The process of creating viscose rayon from bamboo creates chemical waste, which of course is something we should all want to avoid. However there are closed-loop processes that recycle all of these chemicals, so it is possible for bamboo to be absolutely eco-friendly. Even though there is a downside, it’s really important to remember that there are so many negatives to using non-sustainable materials like regularly grown cotton, which not only puts a strain on the environment, but is also a cause of many deaths of Indian cotton farmers.
People
As I’ve already mentioned, bamboo fabric is incredibly soft, making it comfortable for all day wear. Thought (formerly Braintree Clothing) use bamboo as one of their main fabrics, especially in their socks, which are made from a signature blend of bamboo and organic cotton. Bamboo is a great material for socks and underwear as it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, reducing odours and keeping you feeling fresh.
It is also naturally thermo-regulating. That means when you get too hot, bamboo will help you cool down, and when you’re too cold it will warm you up!
Do you own any clothing made from bamboo? What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments below.