Prospect of bamboo as a renewable textile fiber, historical overview, labeling, controversies and regulation - Fashion and Textiles

Proponent claims that there are several benefits in the expansion of bamboo textile industry. Nieder (2009) remarked that bamboo’s sustainability and marketability starts with the plant itself. It is a natural fiber which means it is renewable. Bamboo plant can be harvested sustainably in 3–5 years cycle unlike a tree forest that takes over 60 years to recover from deforestation. It is one of the fastest growing plant species and can grow and adapt to a wide variety of climatic conditions. As the bamboo root systems stay intact after harvesting, it improves soil quality and helps to rebuild eroded soil (Devi et al. 2007; About Mechanically Processed Bamboo http://www.getgloved.com; Panda 2011). Bamboo is inherently antimicrobial due to a bio-agent called bamboo chinone that the Japanese named “kun,” which resists the growth of bacteria on the fiber, so it is hardly ever infected by pathogens or eaten by pests. Bamboo plant does not usually need the use of irrigation; pesticides and herbicides that often required to grow cotton and can grow in diverse climates; as a result, plantations can easily be maintained organic (Devi et al. 2007; Nieder 2009; Yueping et al. 2010; Kothari 2011; Rathod and Kolhatkar 2014).

Even though the above mentioned attributes make bamboo a sustainable and versatile raw material for various end-uses its farming must be properly managed so that the eco-system is not compromised (Waite 2009; Yiping and Henley 2010; Song et al. 2011). According to the assessment of Yiping and Henley (2010), intensive farming practices in China have had negative effects on bamboo biodiversity. Intensive management of bamboo species, increasing the density of bamboo culms per unit of land, effectively creates monoculture bamboo forests. This is accomplished by clearing other vegetative species, besides; performing topsoil tillage annually or twice a year and by applying various quantities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In the long-run it leads to a reduction in resilience to external threats such as pests, disease and adverse weather events and a reduced capacity to erosion control and nutrient cycle, etc., most importantly leading to lower productivity of bamboo forests (Yiping and Henley 2010; Song et al. 2011).

Products made from bamboo are often labeled as “green,” “biodegradable” and “100 % bamboo fiber”, etc. irrespective of their methods of manufacturing. Besides, many apparel manufacturers often claim that their products made from bamboo have antimicrobial and moisture-transport performance properties. Natural bamboo fabric is soft and possesses high absorbency and antimicrobial properties but the chemical process bamboo rayon destroys this antimicrobial effect (Rodie 2008). However, the topic regarding the antimicrobial properties of natural bamboo fabric has been discussed in details separately.

In this context, Dystar Ecology Solutions reported that so long as bamboo fiber is produced by the viscose process, it will not be more sustainable than conventional rayon method. Both natural bamboo fabrics and bamboo rayon are sold by traders as bamboo fabric in order to cash in on bamboo’s present green image. However, in mid-2009, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) an autonomous government organization, formed exclusively for protecting consumers from unjust business practices, expressed concerns about the bamboo labeling, forcing companies to list “rayon made from bamboo” when products are not natural bamboo. FTC consequently charged four companies for deceiving their consumers by selling bamboo rayon inappropriately labeled as 100 % natural bamboo products (Rodie 2011).

Regarding FTC’s apprehension about the labeling, claims and the environmentally unfriendly processing, China Bambro Textile Co., Ltd., a leading bamboo viscose manufacturing company issued a statement in their Facebook for their customers in 22nd Aug. 2009, about the brand “Tanboocel bamboo fiber” and the process they used, which states, “it would be incorrect and naive to generalize that all bamboo fiber is processed exactly the same.” The company further remarked that though there are some similarities, there are also dissimilarities between brands and processing methods. Tanboocel bamboo fiber is a regenerated cellulose fiber manufactured by an environmentally friendly high tech process using natural organic bamboo. The process is a combination of their patent nos. ZL03128496.5, 004100464515 and 2005-G-13848. Though the companies use conventional chemicals such as NaOH and CS2, they are recycled during the process of manufacturing. The bamboo is processed in an enclosed container where 100 % of the chemicals are trapped and held, not allowing to release into the atmosphere. 73 % of CS2’s are recycled, 26 % are recycled into H2SO4. Though the process is not completely green, the company makes every effort to make the process as eco-friendly as possible. Tanboocel bamboo fiber conforms to with Oeko-Tex® Standard 100. The company offers third party testing for all its customers to make certain that they are purchasing real bamboo rayon (Bamboo Fabric Store 2009).

By far, almost all available bamboo fabric in market is made using the viscose process. As per FTC guidelines this regenerated cellulose must be labeled as viscose or rayon but not as natural bamboo product. Janice Gerde (US Customs and Border Protection) reviewed research reports dating to early 1930s, using various instrumental approaches and observed that “once the cellulose is simply cellulose, the source cannot be differentiated.” While testing samples that are labeled as “bamboo” by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the reference spectrum matched that of viscose rayon, with no identifiable variations (Textile Digest 2009).

The FTC Green Guides recommended further amendment in October 2010 to deal with the current changes in the market scenario. In the context of “green,” “eco-friendly,” “renewable materials” and “degradable” products the current Guides states that marketers can make unqualified general environmental benefit claims if they can validate all express and implied claims, or else, they should qualify the claim. Regarding renewable material, a marketer should be eligible for the claims with precise information about the material, its source and raison d’être for its renewability. Additionally, marketers should qualify renewable material claims if the item is not made entirely with renewable materials (excluding minor, incidental components). A marketer should qualify a degradable claim unless it can authenticate that the “entire product will completely decompose within a reasonably short period of time after its disposal.” Marketers should not make unethical degradable claims for items destined for landfills, incinerators, or recycling facilities because decomposition will not occur within 1 year (Green Guides: http://www.eenews.net).