Dress Green - Could Bamboo Be The New Cotton?
Bamboo is in the same family as grass, and is among the most sustainable resources on earth.
Bamboo is growing rapidly and in abundance, and it is becoming an increasingly popular material both in furniture, home ware and now also clothes.
The bamboo fabric is one of the softest fabrics on the markets, and then it has the bonus of having so many good qualities and positive effects.
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world.
It can grow up to 60 cm a day, sometimes more; a bamboo plant has once been measured to have grown as much as 121 centimetres in one day.
How much it grows is entirely dependent on the climate and the soil.
Bamboo plants mature quickly and are ready for harvesting after only four years.
It spreads easily as it plants itself and does not require replanting after harvesting.
Amazingly, the bamboo plant requires virtually no watering and functions fully with what water nature provides.
That is why bamboo is often seen growing in soil that is naturally rich in water.
An important factor is that bamboo is grown without using chemicals or pesticides, and it actually has an antibacterial effect, so it does not get attacked by pests.
It is also important to emphasise that bamboo actually helps remove CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and it generates much more oxygen than trees.
The bamboo plant also nourishes the soil because of its rich network of roots.
Furthermore, an important source of income for many people, mainly in Asia, where bamboo is used for furniture, construction, medicine, clothing and electronics.
The bamboo material is sustainable, durable and long-lasting.
When the bamboo fibre is made into textile, it develops into the most wonderfully soft fabric with a feeling and shine that is similar to silk.
Bamboo fabric is absorbent and very breathable, so it is very comfortable to wear, even after many hours and in warm weather.
On a warm day it actually has an almost cooling feeling.
Bamboo also has an anti-bacterial effect, which is maintained in textile manufacture.
Bamboo is much softer than cotton and requires no treatment such as cotton, which needs a lot of water and usually pesticides, unless grown organically.
Bamboo is the more sustainable choice of the two provided that it is manufactured correctly.
The manufacturing process is the only downside, as the sustainability of bamboo is depending on the manufacturing process.
There are two different ways of producing fabric from bamboo; the chemical way and the mechanical way.
All the sustainable and environmental benefits are lost during chemical manufacturing.
So it is very important to make sure to choose the mechanical one, which is the same process used for example for hemp and flax.
But both types of bamboo are fully biodegradable and maintain the antibacterial effect.
Bamboo is growing rapidly and in abundance, and it is becoming an increasingly popular material both in furniture, home ware and now also clothes.
The bamboo fabric is one of the softest fabrics on the markets, and then it has the bonus of having so many good qualities and positive effects.
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world.
It can grow up to 60 cm a day, sometimes more; a bamboo plant has once been measured to have grown as much as 121 centimetres in one day.
How much it grows is entirely dependent on the climate and the soil.
Bamboo plants mature quickly and are ready for harvesting after only four years.
It spreads easily as it plants itself and does not require replanting after harvesting.
Amazingly, the bamboo plant requires virtually no watering and functions fully with what water nature provides.
That is why bamboo is often seen growing in soil that is naturally rich in water.
An important factor is that bamboo is grown without using chemicals or pesticides, and it actually has an antibacterial effect, so it does not get attacked by pests.
It is also important to emphasise that bamboo actually helps remove CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and it generates much more oxygen than trees.
The bamboo plant also nourishes the soil because of its rich network of roots.
Furthermore, an important source of income for many people, mainly in Asia, where bamboo is used for furniture, construction, medicine, clothing and electronics.
The bamboo material is sustainable, durable and long-lasting.
When the bamboo fibre is made into textile, it develops into the most wonderfully soft fabric with a feeling and shine that is similar to silk.
Bamboo fabric is absorbent and very breathable, so it is very comfortable to wear, even after many hours and in warm weather.
On a warm day it actually has an almost cooling feeling.
Bamboo also has an anti-bacterial effect, which is maintained in textile manufacture.
Bamboo is much softer than cotton and requires no treatment such as cotton, which needs a lot of water and usually pesticides, unless grown organically.
Bamboo is the more sustainable choice of the two provided that it is manufactured correctly.
The manufacturing process is the only downside, as the sustainability of bamboo is depending on the manufacturing process.
There are two different ways of producing fabric from bamboo; the chemical way and the mechanical way.
All the sustainable and environmental benefits are lost during chemical manufacturing.
So it is very important to make sure to choose the mechanical one, which is the same process used for example for hemp and flax.
But both types of bamboo are fully biodegradable and maintain the antibacterial effect.