Bamboo textiles are yarn fabric and apparel(clothing) made out of bamboo fibres. In recent years a range of technologies have been developed allowing bamboo fibre to be used in a wide range of textile and fashion applications.
Modern bamboo clothing is clothing made from either 100% bamboo yarn or a blend of bamboo and cotton yarn or it can also be blended with other textile fibres such as hemp or even spandex.
Bamboo Fiber is a kind of cellulose fiber extracted from natural bamboo and is made from the pulp of bamboo plants.
It may be directly made from the fibres of the plant called as “Original/Bio/Natural bamboo fibre” or synthesized as a “regenerated viscose fibre” made from bamboo cellulose.
Ecological reasons for using bamboo for textiles and clothing :
1. Growth - There are over 1600 species of bamboo found in diverse climates from cold mountains to hot tropical regions. As it grows quickly & plentifully about 40 million hectares of the earth is covered with bamboo, mostly in Asia.
2. Harvesting - The new cane will reach its full height in just 8–10 weeks. Each cane reaches maturity in 3–5 years. Bamboo can be continually re-harvested with no damage to the surrounding environment.
3. Yield and land use- Bamboo grows very densely, its clumping nature enables a lot of it to be grown in a comparatively small area, easing pressure on land use. Yields of bamboo of up to 60 tonnes per hectare greatly exceed the yield of 20 tonnes for most trees and only 1-2 tonnes per hectare for cotton.
4. Greenhouse gases and global warming- Bamboo minimises CO2 and generates up to 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees. One hectare of bamboo sequesters 62 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year while one hectare of young forest only sequesters 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
5. Deforestation- Bamboo planting can slow deforestation, providing an alternative source of timber for the construction industry and cellulose fibre for the textile industry. Tree plantations have to be chopped down and terminated at harvest but bamboo keeps on growing.
6. Water use- Very little bamboo is irrigated and there is sound evidence that the water-use efficiency of bamboo is twice than that of other trees.
7. Soil erosion- The bamboo plants root system creates an effective watershed, stitching the soil together along fragile river banks, deforested areas, and in places prone to mudslides.
8. Biodegradable- Bamboo fibre is biodegradable in soil by micro organisms and sunlight .clothing made from bamboo can be composted and disposed of in an organic and environmentally friendly manner.
9. Pesticides and fertilizers –As mentioned earlier, there is no need for pesticides or fertilisers when growing bamboo.
