Is Bamboo Clothing Environmentally Friendly?

We all know how gorgeous and soft bamboo clothing is.  We all know it is fabulous at wicking away sweat and helping maintain just the right body temperature.  We all know bamboo has amazing properties and benefits.  But did you also know that it is possibly the most environmentally friendly fabric you can have?

10 Ecological Reasons For Using Bamboo Fabric

1. Replenishment – Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world, some species can grow over a metre per day!
2. Sustainable – Bamboo is a grass so harvesting is just like mowing the lawn, albeit a very tall lawn! The roots are not disturbed, only the top (cane) of the plant is removed and the plant immediately starts to grow new shoots – this is actually beneficial to the health of the plant.
3. Land Use – Bamboo is a very hardy plant that can grow in small, hilly areas that are unsuitable for most other plants. The plants also grow very closely together maximising the usable area which could otherwise be left bare and could lead to soil erosion.
4. Water Use – Bamboo mostly does not require any watering; it only requires the natural rainfall and can survive periods of drought, flooding and other extreme weather conditions with no damage. Compare this with cotton which is the most irrigated crop worldwide and needs a staggering 20,000 litres of water to produce just 1kg of cotton!
5. Soil Erosion – Because Bamboo is a grass and only the top part of the plant is harvested, the roots remain in place meaning the soil remains in place – just like your lawn at home. The extensive roots of the bamboo knit the soil together preventing erosion and reducing rain run-off. This prevents loss of the precious soil and reduces the risk of landslides.
6. Deforestation – Bamboo crop can be regularly harvested and the plantation will remain intact, new shoots begin re-growing immediately. Compare this with timber or cotton where the entire plantation is removed down to bare soil during the harvesting. This also means, that unlike timber or cotton there is no re-planting required.
7. Pesticides – Bamboo is naturally antibacterial and antifungal which means that growing it requires absolutely NO PESTICIDES.
8. Fertilisers – Due to the phenomenal growth rate of bamboo no fertilisers are required.
9. Carbon Dioxide – Bamboo absorbs CO2 and generates oxygen. In fact, bamboo generates up to 35% more oxygen than the equivalent area of trees. As bamboo matures faster than trees it also absorbs up to 4 times more CO2.
10. Versus Cotton – Approximately 3% of the farmable land worldwide is planted with cotton but cotton farming accounts for the use of 11% of the global pesticides and a staggering 24% of the world’s insecticides sales.

And don’t worry about the Pandas! The bamboo that is used for textiles is different to the species favoured as food.

Incoming search terms:

• bamboo clothing
• is bamboo clothing eco friendly
• bamboo clothes for dancing
• bamboo clothing environmentally friendly

Last updated by Dance Mum at April 30, 2012.