Bamboo - A Renewable Resource

Few raw materials have the potential for true sustainable production and consumption as bamboo. Botanically categorized as a grass and not a tree, bamboo is possibly the planet’s most sustainable resource. Bamboo is the fastest growing grass and can shoot up a yard or more a day, making it an endurable natural resource. Bamboo reaches maturity quickly and is ready for harvesting in about 2-4 years. Trees require many more years to mature. It is significant to note that many of the non-woven baby wipes products on the market today are made of 100% tree pulp, a combination of tree pulp and cotton, a combination of tree pulp and synthetic material, or 100% synthetic material.

Bamboo fibers are cellulose-based and are 100% biodegradable with soil, sunshine and air exposure, an obvious environmental benefit.

The bamboo species used for textile production is Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens, commonly known as Moso bamboo. It is primarily grown and processed in China. Moso bamboo is the largest of the temperate zone bamboo species and is grown on family-owned farms. According to Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), “The private management of bamboo under the ‘household responsibility system’ is now well established and the industry is working under a basically market economy system, with some checks and balances from the State.” Bamboo production has generated sufficient value for farmers driving poverty reduction. Our bamboo is harvested from non-polluted regions in Yunnan and Sicuan Provinces from family-owned farms.

There are no chemicals, insecticides, or fungicides used, and the crops do not need to be irrigated. Bamboo does not require significant amounts of water, in fact, rain water is sufficient. Bamboo grows without the need for petroleum-guzzling tractors and poisonous pesticides and fertilizers because of organically occurring antimicrobial properties (bamboo is seldom stricken with disease or crops disturbed by pests), properties which some claim continue to exist to lower levels after the plant is processed. Our bamboo is approximately 2 years old when it is harvested.

What is most amazing about bamboo is that it does not require replanting after harvesting because its vast root network continually sprouts new shoots at an incredible rate, pulling in sunlight and greenhouse gases and converting them to new green growth. Bamboo provides the critical element in the balance of oxygen/carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and generates 35 % more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. It is an atmospheric and soil purifier; a truly phyto-regenerating plant that has many healing benefits for the biosphere.
Bamboo processing has one disadvantage that we think is important to know. There are two ways to process bamboo into fiber, mechanically or chemically, depending on the end use of bamboo. Infrequently bamboo is mechanically processed. This is done by pressing the woody parts of the bamboo plant and then utilizing natural enzymes to break the bamboo walls into a malleable mass so that the natural fibers can be mechanically combed out and spun into yarn or pressed.

Bamboo non-woven fiber is usually processed using chemicals (roughly 90% of the time) to break down the bamboo, specifically with sodium hydroxide (lye) and chlorine in a closed loop process, therefore the chemicals are recycled and reused. This is common with many of the new eco-fabrics on the market, such as with soy. Despite this drawback, we believe that bamboo non woven fiber is still the champion in ecological advantage because of the regenerative nature of the plant and its positive role in the environment. Moreover, we believe that as the demands for bamboo fiber products increase, manufacturers will be encouraged to make available the more ecologically processed bamboo.

Our goal is to ultimately work with bamboo processing plants that adhere to the more environmentally-friendly process.

As one author on Eco-Merch.com succinctly wrote, “Whether Bamboo, Organic Cotton or Hemp, choosing these fabrics represents a better deal for the environment, the farmers, the textile workers and the end users, supporting companies who use and promote these fabrics is the most effective way for individuals and organizations to cause widespread positive industry changes.”

Finally, we want to mention that bamboo fibers are very soft. Some sources have described it as having a “cashmere-silk type” texture. When seen under magnification, bamboo fiber is formed with small gaps and holes, providing both increased absorption (bamboo is more absorbent than cotton both dry and wet), which we believe means an ideal physical environment for a good baby wipe cleansing solution that does not readily dry out.

Our raw material supplier is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Certified. The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 provides the textile and clothing industry with a globally uniform standard for the objective assessment of harmful substances. Raw materials, intermediate and end products at all stages of processing throughout the manufacturing chain, including accessories, are tested and certified.