A New Spin on Synthetics: Bamboo Rayon

While bamboo is one of the most sustainable and versatile raw materials available, there has been debate over how sustainable bamboo textiles actually are. Bamboo is relatively easy to make into wood-like and paper-like products, but turning bamboo into cloth seems to be more difficult and controversial. Fabrics made from bamboo can be energy intensive to create, so they are not always as green as we’d ideally like them to be.

There are two common processes to produce cloth from bamboo: mechanical and chemical. The mechanical process physically (and sustainably) breaks down the bamboo to be spun into usable fibers. This method is very labor intensive, making the end product quite costly. Furthermore, cloth that is mechanically derived from bamboo ends up being rather stiff – like linen or hemp cloth, rather than the jersey, polyester, or soft cotton materials that we are now used to in the clothing industry. In order to create softer fabric from bamboo, a chemical process is used in which bamboo stalks are soaked in harsh chemicals in order to break them down. However, these chemicals have been linked to health risks and also pose an environmental threat. This chemical process essentially turns the bamboo into rayon. In fact, the FTC penalized four companies for marketing their products as “bamboo” when they were actually rayon derived from bamboo. The FTC thought that companies marketing their products as bamboo might mislead consumers into thinking that these items are completely sustainable, when, in all actuality, they are not.  

This presents a challenge to clothing manufactures: find a way to make bamboo rayon without using harsh chemicals. The race is on to find a new more eco & human friendly process. Companies like Patagonia have been researching bamboo spinning methods since 2003, but there is not yet an ideal chemical-free process. Instead, Patagonia uses a material called Tencel that is made from eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus breaks down more easily than bamboo, so fewer chemicals are needed. The downside is that eucalyptus isn’t as rapidly renewable as bamboo. Patagonia tries to compensate for this issue by only using eucalyptus that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Regardless, we still look forward to seeing technological developments that will help make bamboo rayon a more sustainable material.