Fabric

Bamboo fabric has become a trending fabric in the fashion world owing to the more sustainable properties of bamboo. But just as with any material, how it is farmed and processed is a big factor in its sustainability credentials.

Firstly, bamboo can be farmed organically and in harmony with the ecosystem or through heavy use of pesticides and fertilisers and irresponsible land management. To avoid the latter, you’ll want to look for certified-organic bamboo (like with USDA) or FSC-certified.

In turning raw bamboo into fabric, companies will often take the short cut that maximises output, which unfortunately involves heavy use of harmful chemicals which are often released into the environment. These process also produce less biodegrable products. There are alternative methods that are able to reuse these chemicals along side more natural chemicals in a closed-loop production process, but they more time and cost intensive.