Natural Environment Blog

The great thing about bamboo clothing is that, not only is it soft and comfortable, but it also has some great environmental benefits.

The Comfort Factor

Bamboo clothing is said to be softer than cotton, with a texture more like that of silk or cashmere.

Bamboo clothing also absorbs moisture quickly. It actually draws moisture away from your skin, so it’s perfect for summer months or warmer climates, as well as for vigorous activities such as playing sports, bush walking, running, cycling etc. Pure bamboo clothes also dry in about half the time as cotton clothing.

Bamboo clothes are perfect to wear all year round - they’ll keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

The Environmental Benefits

The environmental benefits of bamboo clothing are also very impressive.

Growing Bamboo

Here are some environmental facts about growing bamboo plants:

• Bamboo plants can grow successfully without any fertilisers or pesticides.
• Bamboo grows extremely fast - it’s the fastest growing plant on the planet. Bamboo has been known to grow 3 - 4 feet per day!
• Bamboo doesn’t require a lot of water to grow.
• Bamboo is a very hardy plant - it can survive drought conditions and flood conditions.
• Bamboo plants release lots of oxygen into the air. A grove of bamboo release 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
• Bamboo is a very earth friendly plant. It can reduce soil erosion and desertization. It can actually improve soil quality in degraded and eroded areas.

Bamboo Fabric

Bamboo fabric is created from the bamboo pulp. It doesn’t need chlorine to bleach it and it can be dyed easily with minimal water requirements. Fabrics that don’t dye easily are often treated with harsh chemicals and much more water, so an organic fabric that dyes easy is generally better for the environment.

And of course, bamboo clothing is 100% biodegradable, so you know your old bamboo garments aren’t going to end up in landfill for hundreds of years along with the other non-biodegradable junk.

Bamboo clothing really is a comfortable and environmentally friendly choice!

Where can I buy Bamboo Clothing?

You might be able to find bamboo clothes at your local organic clothing store. Otherwise, there are plenty of place to order bamboo clothes online.

For example, Amazon.com has a variety of bamboo clothes and other bamboo fiber products.

You might also like to check the comments section below, for readers’ suggestions on bamboo clothing stores.

Tencel^® is the brand name for a biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp cellulose.

Tencel is created from the lyocell fiber, and is becoming increasingly popular as an eco-friendly alternative to fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and even cotton. In practice, many fabrics combine various fibers so it’s common to see Tencil combined with linen, rayon, lycra, micro denier polyester or cotton. So, some of these blends will result in a less-eco-friendly fabric.

Many people who buy Tencel products rave about it’s luxurious feel so this can only be a good thing for Tencel and other lyocell fabrics.

How Eco-Friendly is Tencel?

Manufacturing

Tencel / lyocell has quite an eco-friendly manufacturing process, with one or two possible exceptions.

The fiber is produced via process which uses a non-toxic solvent that is 99 percent recoverable and recyclable. Also, no toxic chemical products are produced during the process, which means there are no toxic fumes released into the atmosphere. Bleach is not required when manufacturing Tencil, which sets it apart from other fabrics such as cotton. So far, so good.
The biggest disadvantage of Tencil and other lyocell fabrics is that they don’t dye very easily. This may lead the manufacturer to use chemical processes, enzyme baths, or other treatments that aren’t eco-friendly.

Another disadvantage of Tencil / lyocell is that the fabrics have a tendency to fibrillate when wet. This may lead a manufacturer to treat it so that it doesn’t fibrillate. This treatment may not be so eco-friendly. If a manufacturer doesn’t treat the fabric, it will often be labeled as “dry clean only”.

Biodegradability / Recyclability

Tencil / lyocell is 100% biodegradable, and will decompose within 8 days under the right conditions. Products made from tencil and other lyocell fabrics can also be recycled.

Where can I buy Tencel Products?

Tencel products are becoming popular so you might find some in your local clothing store. You can also purchase Tencel products online. Here are some examples:

• Here are some tencel products at Amazon.com
• You can find some Tencel clothes at The Öko Box
• You can also find Tencel clothes ZonaClothes (order by mail or phone)

It was nice to read about Quiksilver’s new eco-friendly winter outwear clothing today.

On January 29, Quiksilver will launch a whole new line of eco-friendly winter wear. As mentioned in the article, winter wear has traditionally been the least eco-friendly, so it’s great to see a prominent clothing company like Quiksilver getting stuck into the challenge of providing eco-friendly winter wear.

Here are some eco-friendly fabrics that Quiksilver uses in their clothing:

• Biodegradable TPU Laminate
• Nanosphere Finish
• Organic Cotton
• Hemp
• Non-Toxic Dyes
• Recycled PETs-Recylced Polyester and Soda Bottles