What is Bamboo Fabric ?

 

Research shows that synthetic fibres make up about 64% of global fibre production. Alternatives to synthetic materials or ‘natural materials’ are organic cotton, hemp, linen, bamboo, etc. But why has bamboo become so popular lately?

 

Why is bamboo fabric so fabulous?

When you are comparing fabric and products made from various textiles, what you need to look for is texture, quality, colourfastness, how breathable it is, how it feels and fits, cooling properties, and the textile’s durability. 

 

Bamboo fabric comes from bamboo, a member of the grass family. It is grown all over the world, in China, Australia, North and South America, Southern Africa, Korea and South East Asian countries. The fabric is colourfast, has a silky texture, is of a high quality and durability. It is breathable, has cooling properties, is anti-bacterial and repels mites and water. It is important to note that bamboo sheets are not actually made from raw bamboo. Instead, they are made of rayon, lyocell, or viscose fabric derived from bamboo fibres. So, when shopping for bamboo sheets, you'll often see labels like "rayon from bamboo" or "viscose from bamboo" to comply with labelling regulations.

 

Bamboo sheets are best known for their natural temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking properties. They also have a silky-smooth feel and lightweight construction, making them perfect for hot sleepers. Bamboo fabric can be blended with silk, cotton or linen but we focus on offering bamboo bedding that is derived from pure bamboo fibres.

 

Why has bamboo become so popular as a sustainable fabric?

Bamboo is known to be the fastest growing plant in the world, capable of growing up to 4 feet per day. A new shoot reaches its full hight in less than a year. Bamboo can be harvested in 3-5 years compared to the 20-30 years of most softwood trees.

 

Because the bamboo plant is naturally organic, it grows without pesticides or fertilizers.  As the plant grows it drops its leaves and uses those as nutrients. It also requires very little water, making it a more sustainable choice than other natural textiles like cotton or silk. Compared to cotton, bamboo requires only half of the land to grow and because the network of underground roots remain in the ground during harvesting, bamboo plants prevent soil erosion.  Bamboo is drought- tolerant and can grow on many types of terrain and climate zones, including mountains, tropical climates and in the desert.  

 

And then amazingly, bamboo can absorb five times more CO2 than hardwood trees. The amount of CO2 is absorbed is a rate of 17 tons per hectare a year. Furthermore, because it is an evergreen, a grove of bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than any other tree.

 

After the bamboo stems are harvested, they are cut into strips and turned into a pulp from which the fibres are produced. This fibre is then spun into yarn, the thread which is woven into bamboo fabric. This textile is fully biodegradable, cool to the touch, and it has a nice silky, soft shine. We prefer to use lyocell production methods where the necessary chemicals required are used in a closed-loop process.