How bamboo clothing is made


There has been a lot of debate recently about the environmental impact of manufacturing bamboo clothing so below we will look at the benefits of bamboo, the growing process and the manufacturing process.
BENEFITS OF BAMBOO CLOTHING
Bamboo clothing is extremely popular for active wear and leisure wear clothing due to it's benefits:

Luxuriously Soft
Incredibly soft and lightweight and is great for people with sensitive skin

Temperature Regulating
Keeps you cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather

Moisture Resistant
Wicks sweat away from the body making it perfect for activewear

Odour Resistant
The fabric doesn't allow bacteria to grow so you'll be kept stink free!

UV Protection
Protects from 97.5% of harmful UV rays making it great for Summer
HOW IS BAMBOO GROWN?
Bamboo is a highly sustainable plant which is great for the environment

No Chemicals
Bamboo grows naturally without the use of pesticides or fertilizers

Sustainable
Regenerates naturally and is biodegradable. Bamboo only needs rain water to grow

Fast Growing
Bamboo grows faster than any hardwood trees (it reaches 75 feet in less than 60 days!)

Greater Yield
Bamboo yields the same volume as cotton from just 10% of the land area

Conditions
Grows on soil that is not suitable to grow other crops and is great for the soil as it is cut not uprooted
HOW IS BAMBOO CLOTHING MADE?
There has been a lot of debate about how environmentally friendly the bamboo manufacturing process is and there are some processes that are more eco friendly than others

After being harvested the bamboo leaves and soft inner pith are extracted using a steaming process and crushed into a pulp

Traditionally the bamboo pulp is then 'cooked' using solvents and chemicals to create a regenerated cellulose fibre

The bamboo fibre is combed and spun into yarn which is then weaved or knitted into clothing
Newer, more eco friendly producers use the Lyocell process to turn their pulp into fibre which uses non toxic solvents and a closed loop process that captures and recycles 99.9% of the chemicals used
When purchasing bamboo clothing we would recommend buying brands that have proper accreditations such as Oeko Tex. This is a worldwide consistent and independent certification system for all types of textiles which are tested for harmful substances. To obtain the Oeko Tex Standard 100 certification the textile has been tested and certified to be free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances/chemicals
All the bamboo products that we stock here at Nature Shop have the Oeko Tex Standard accreditation. We believe that while the manufacturing processes could definitely be improved, the benefits of bamboo clothing combined with the sustainability and growing power of the bamboo plant make bamboo a great fibre for our products
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