(It looks a lot like sugarcane, the Panda’s love eating it, their flutes make melodious sounds, while lush tropical homes are also made from it — the bamboo plant has endless applications but when it comes to fabrics, the humble plant is only getting started.
As a plant, bamboo is nothing short of fascinating. In the most favourable conditions, it can shoot up to 36 inches within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 1.6 inches per hour. The plant is an eco-warrior that actually absorbs 5 times more carbon dioxide and produces 35% more oxygen than its equivalent size in trees while growing rapidly with barely any irrigation or pesticides. The fabric is made from the pulp of the bamboo grass and is usually blended with several other fabrics. However, not all bamboo fabrics are created equal.
Turning bamboo into a soft fabric like viscose rayon requires intensive chemical processing using sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide that are extremely hazardous to the environment. As a result, conventional viscose rayon made from bamboo is the most commonly available bamboo fabric that could have you duped by greenwashing. It would be wise to avoid conventional viscose bamboo and seek out mechanically processed bamboo as a greener alternative; one of which is bamboo lyocell, which is made using a closed-loop cycle that ensures nothing toxic leaks into the environment.
Bamboo clothes feel luxuriously soft upon touch and are known to be naturally hypoallergenic, moisture-absorbent and quick drying that is quickly making it an instant hit in the activewear industry.
At ZAVI, we use organic cotton-bamboo blends for some of our best-selling everyday pieces. Scroll down to shop some of our favourites…
Published by: Vibhuti Vazirani/ 2020-01-31