An informed consumer is a true friend of the environment.  But with the amount of information floating around both on the internet and through word-of-mouth, those wanting to make smart choices can easily be overwhelmed and misled. 

Thankfully, a new guide is on the market to help!  Calling itself the “ultimate eco-fiber reference guide for textiles professionals, design students, fashion and interior designers, product manufactures, and home sewers who want more environmentally responsible fabric options,” Guide to Green Fabrics by Kristene Smith is a comprehensive tour guide to eco-friendly fabrics.  I personally appreciate that this is truly a book for everyone whether you’re a member of a knitting circle or an aspiring fashion designer.  We can all make a difference with our fabric selection. 

As Smith states, “The textiles and apparel industry, with its massive economic engine, touches every life. From clothes and bedding to car interiors and medical supplies, textiles are indeed woven into our collective fabric of life.”  The production of textiles affects everyone from the farmers who grow the crop to the factory worker that readies the fabric to the consumer who buys it.  Smith acknowledges that many consumers lack an overall understanding of how textiles impact the environment so “textile manufacturers must take the lead in promoting these new innovations to attract like-minded consumers and their resources, and to educate customers on the benefits of going green.”

This very informative book is comprehensive and easy to navigate with a well-organized table of contents that separates chapters by fabric type from abaca to wild nettle.  (Even knowing that it’s alphabetical, I am still happy to see bamboo at the top of the page!)  And within the chapter, Smith talks about production, fabric traits and the environmental impacts and benefits of each fabric.

What earned bamboo a spot in this book as both an eco-friendly and consumer-friendly fabric?  Green Guide breaks it down into an easy bullet point list of characteristics:

• Abrasion resistant, non-irritating
• 300% more absorbent than cotton
• Does not require agricultural tending, tractors or planting devices
• Anti-bacterial
• Biodegradable (mechanical production only)
• Breathable, thermal regulating, cool
• Deodorizes, keeps you odor free and smelling fresh
• Excellent draping qualities, much like silk
• Takes well to dyes
• More elastic than cotton
• Enriches the soil
• Hypoallergenic
• Insulating, keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter
• Naturally lustrous, similar to silk
• Grows without need for pesticides or fertilizers
• Avoids pilling and shrinkage
• Resilient and durable
• Extremely soft, silky hand, feels like cashmere
• Naturally strong fiber
• Sustainable resource, grows plentifully
• Naturally UV resistant
• Excellent moisture wicking abilities

Beyond the bullet points, Smith takes time to explain each characteristic.  For example, the anti-bacterial property is attributed to the presence of a bio-agent called bamboo kun which is bound tightly to the bamboo’s cellulose molecular structure making bamboo fabric a wonderful choice for towels, bedding and organic baby clothing.

Smith also tackles a controversy, one that continues on between bamboo manufacturers and the FTC, and that is the one regarding the manufacturing of bamboo and the labeling of bamboo products.  Explaining the difference between chemical processing and the mechanical processing, Smith makes it easier for consumers to read labels and advises that they look for certain certifications such as Oeko-Tex to authenticate its eco-friendliness. 

Education is key as consumers and designers alike work to lessen their carbon footprint and the Guide to Green Fabrics is a must-have for all of us students of the environment. 

Guide to Green Fabrics: New Book Educates Consumers On Going Green is a post from: Green Earth News

Bamboo clothing, organic cotton, hemp fibre – all materials that pop into the head when discussing alternative fabrics.  They are not mainstream (yet) and offer alluring choices of comfort and in many cases, a more eco-friendly clothing option.  And while more designers are choosing to use these fabrics, for some, the materials are simply not alternative enough.

Joyjit Talukdar chose a healthy ingredient to create his label Ela.  People eat soybeans for their many nutritional benefits and lather on soy-based lotions to keep skin soft and smooth but most probably haven’t worn a soybean skirt.  To make the fabric, milk is extracted from the soy seeds and mixed with bamboo resulting in a rich fabric that feels silky against the skin.  Next up from the pantry, Talukdar is hoping to recreate the same concept with pineapple fibers mixed with silk.

For a less edible option how about a metal mesh jacket?  Designer Rimzim Dadu took metal wires and wove them into her garment line.  That makes it sound easy but some of the designs took over 70 hours to create.  Using a non-traditional material makes traditional weaving difficult and a special weaving apparatus had to be created.  Despite the heavy material, however, Dadu insists that her garments are soft, malleable and easily dry-cleaned!

Much like a carpenter builds and structures a house, clothing designers take the same approach to design their clothing but actually using carpentry to make clothing is a different story altogether.  Designers Alpana and Neeraj have done just that with their wooden armour dresses. Says Alpana, “We created a fabric on top of which we had this wooden effect.  Then we had to heat-mould the strips together to fit the body like a cast.”  Extensive dress-fittings aren’t necessary though – these clothes also come in ready-to-wear sizes.

Creating another new apparatus to create clothing, Pankaj and Nidhi created a grid handmade from threads.  It took an astounding 250 hours!  The inspiration?  They were bored of using the same styles so the opted to experiment with fabric tapes instead of sheets of fabric.  The grid became necessary as the tapes and fabrics kept tearing and the result is a unique pattern that puzzles onlookers.

While they may not be the most convenient fabrics to attain, they are certainly interesting to consider.  In the meantime, there are plenty of bamboo fabric options for your life and home ranging from bamboo towels to organic tees.  An alternative fabric option for fabrics that combines softness and sustainability and requires absolutely no carpentry skills to construct  - take this fabric from alternative to mainstream in your closet!

Extreme Alternatives For Your Closet: Metal, Wood And Soybean Clothing! is a post from: Green Earth News

Bamboo Twin Sheets

As individuals (and consumers), we can make the choice to have a greener home.  We can choose Energy Star appliances.  We can put in skylights to reduce our energy use in the home.  We can stock our linen closets with organic towels and organic sheets.  We can fill our closet with bamboo clothing.   And now, thanks to the Brentano Company, there are even more eco-friendly fabrics available for a wide range of interior applications such as drapery, panel and upholstery fabric. 

Founded in 1990 by Iris Wang and E-Kwan Chen, Brentano is committed to providing beauty + performance.  With their growing collection of eco-fabrics, they are also committed to making textiles meet rigorous standards of environmental consciousness while maintaining their beauty. 

To qualify for the Brentano Green label, two of the following three Green Criteria must be met:

Raw Material – The choice here is between using energy saving recycled materials or to manufacture biodegradable fibers.  If there is a naturally grown fiber available, it must be a rapidly renewable resource and have the ability to grow with minimal chemical use (sound familiar?). 

The Process – In preparing the raw material for use, there are a series of steps taken.  From yarn-dying and spinning to the weaving and finishing of fabric, there should be no harmful chemicals involved.  Additionally, the manufacturing facility must comply with environmental protection laws governing energy conservation, water treatment and chemical regulation.

Facility and Social Responsibility – Taking in the human factor, this criterion demands that manufacturers comply with fundamental human rights laws for improved working conditions.  Also, manufacturers must initiate programs to promote green policies which can include recycling programs, using air quality improvement devices and educating employees on green consciousness.

To meet the first criteria, the raw material, bamboo is a natural (no pun intended) choice!  And Brentano is taking advantage of it with the introduction of their new drapery woven from natural bamboo fiber.  Elegant Silhouette is available in two stylish shades and is woven from 100% natural bamboo fiber.  While bamboo fiber has found a niche in the apparel industry, household goods is a less common application which Brentano is working to change.

Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource and can be harvested within 4-5 years of growth with minimal impact on Mother Earth as it can be chopped at the root.  Bamboo can be grown with no artificial irrigation needed yet it is also a water conserving plant that can improve soil quality and stop soil erosion.  Growing bamboo also requires no pesticide or herbicides so even minimal chemical use is not necessary.

Meeting criteria two, the process used for preparing the bamboo fabric includes braising, crushing, decomposing and refining the material which allows the fiber to maintain the inherent properties of bamboo.  This means that the fabric is luxurious with excellent moisture absorbency as well as a high resistance to microorganisms and sunlight.  It also means that the fabric collection is a biodegradable choice.

Brentano’s other eco-fabric choices include eco-wool, organic cotton, recycled materials and even faux leather!  So for anyone who thought that going green would limit their choices in decorating, Brentano provides the answer with a wide array of eco-friendly fabrics in brilliant patterns.

Decorating Green: Bamboo Fabrics Available For Your Home! is a post from: Green Earth News

When most people visit a library (if people still do visit libraries), at best they get to feel coarse pages of books and possibly get a paper cut.  But in this world, there exists a library that is full of fabric swatches instead of books and it’s dedicated to keeping on top of the rapidly-changing world of materials & textiles.  Maintained by MaterialConneXion, this library strives to be a resource for all disciplines of design development and includes the only Cradle to Cradle materials library in the world.

Utilizing this collection of materials allows the company to apply their material expertise to:

• Act as a catalyst for new material and product ideas.
• Create new opportunities for product development and optimization.
• Offer environmentally responsible material solutions.
• Provide a competitive edge for companies through use of untapped technologies.
• Find solutions to specific material challenges.
• Identify material trends for particular industries.
• Provide a comprehensive overview of current innovative material solutions.

(The highlighted achievement currently on their website?  The transformation of a traditional shoebox into a Clever Little Bag for Puma.)

Recently, MaterialConneXion welcomed a bamboo-based material into their 4,500+ library collection!  MaIsse, a signature material for Jonano, is a unique organic bamboo corn based Sorona blended fabrication.  Aside from being used in their EcoLux Lingerie Collection, the innovative material provides a carbon dioxide reduction of 30%.  And compared to conventional nylon made from petroleum, the manufacturing process of MaIsse reduces greenhouse emissions by up to 63%. 

To gain entry into the MaterialConneXion’s library, MaIsse was assessed by a panel of creative experts with materials expertise and passed a rigorous screening process based on advancement, innovation and sustainability.  The fabric is now a part of the Natural Category in their online database and will be available in their four physical libraries so that members can touch and feel the fabric. 

Jonano itself is a company with a mission to merge boutique fashion design with environmental awareness, placing a great emphasis on ecological sustainability. 

Says company founder and designer, Bonnie Siefers:
“Our company motto is From Seed To Sewn. Since 2005, the Jonano production and design team have traveled extensively throughout the USA and North America, Europe, Central and South America, Africa and Asia searching out the best organic farms, mills, cooperatives and factories to create our collections. Our textile labs are constantly developing and discovering new cutting edge eco fabric blends and dye techniques,”

And it seems that even the FTC can get on board with this bamboo-based eco-fiber.  Recently, they recognized that Sorona and the generic Triexta apparel fibers made from the latest Dupont polymer innovation, offer a distinctive set of attributes.  “In addition to the performance advantages recognized by the FTC, Sorona® is made in part from renewably sourced ingredients. It is the most transformative polymer to be introduced into the fibers industry in the last 20 years.” said John P. Ranieri, vice president and general manager — DuPont™ BioMaterials Group. Jonäno has a licensing agreement to work with DuPont™ Sorona® and the generic Triexta apparel fibers.

So what does all of this mean for the consumer? 

Well, for the consumer who is looking to make their dollar count, the addition of yet another sustainable material into the mainstream marketplace will allow for more eco-friendly choices as well as give a wake-up call to retailers that such choices should always be sought after and offered to consumers worldwide. 

For more ways to make your purchase count, visit Green Earth Bamboo’s collection of bamboo clothes and their bamboo baby section!

Innovative Bamboo Material Added To MaterialConneXion Library! is a post from: Green Earth News

With the invention of the light bulb came the ability to fit more work into the daily routine.  And while we thank Mr. Franklin for the chance to read in our beds without catching the house on fire, there is an element of sleep deprivation that arrived with this invention. 

Our bodies are monitored by the Circadian Rhythm, an internal clock that resets itself every 24 hours.  This internal clock releases necessary chemicals in the body determined by whether one is awake or sleeping.  While scientists knew that direct light was one way of setting this Rhythm, they are now seeing the effects that indirect light has on it as well.  Scientists have shown that shining lights on rats causes them to wake earlier than if they had waited for natural light (i.e.- the sun) to appear.  The same holds true for humans.  When the body awakens too early, it is not fully restored and that brings with it negative consequences.

Getting a good night’s sleep does more than just prevent grouchiness.  While scientists have known for years that sleep is a mental recharger, they are just beginning to fully understand how important sleep is for our physical selves as well.  While our bodies are at rest, our minds are actually working hard to correct chemical imbalances that affect us both physically and mentally.

So here are yet more reasons to create relaxing bedrooms using bamboo bed sheets:

Sleep keeps us healthy – When bodies fall into the third stage of the REM cycle, there is still activity in the brain.  Even though this is the most restful part of the sleep pattern, the mind is hard at work performing daily maintenance and healing.  If the body does not get enough sleep, physical pain may be intensified and immune systems are weakened, leaving the body too weak to fend off viruses and infections. 

Sleep improves our memory – During sleep, the brain is recharging its energy stores and shifting the day’s information from the areas of the brain associated with short-term memory to the areas of the brain associated with long-term memory.  Without enough sleep, more often than not, those memories may slip away. 

Sleep keeps us skinny (or at least at a healthy weight) – In a study done at the University of Chicago, Dr. Eve Van Cauter found that, “after four hours of sleep for six consecutive nights, healthy young men had blood test results that nearly matched those of diabetics. Their ability to process blood sugar was reduced by 30 percent, they had a huge drop in their insulin response, and they had elevated levels of a stress hormone called cortisol, which can lead to hypertension and memory impairment”.   With obesity rates on the rise throughout industrialized nations, the dangerous combination of work overload and sleep deprivation may explain the rising rate of diabetes and obesity.

Sleep keeps us young – Or at least feeling younger.  The same study sighted above also found that the men in the study had elevated levels of a stress hormone called cortisol at the end of the six nights.  This increase can lead to hypertension and memory impairment.  Without enough rest, the body has to work harder to make these chemical corrections and the body ages rapidly as it is not able to restore itself.

Soft Bamboo Sheets

So even in a world where our to-do list consistently runs longer than our days, try to make time for a good night’s sleep.  Keep your bedroom dark by removing the television set and keep yourself comfortable with a luxurious bamboo sheet set for your bed.  Your mind and body will thank you!

Effects Of Sleep Deprivation: How To Keep Our Minds And Bodies Healthy! is a post from: Green Earth News

Who’s misleading who in this “environmentally friendly” game of cat and mouse?
While the Federal Trade Commission and other such agencies focus their efforts on exploiting companies for “alleged” misleading environmental claims, it might shock you to know that in the world of textiles…the consumer is, in fact, the energy consumption machine.

So get ready to grease up those wheels because it’s time to air out your dirty laundry – quite literally.

For years consumers have been lead to believe that the processing of textiles such as cotton, polyester, rayon, and even viscose from bamboo are the culprits in destroying our planet. Whereas pesticides, soil erosion and releasing chemicals into the atmosphere are enough to make you gasp, The American Fiber Manufacturers Association and Danish Environmental Protection Agency will prove the largest environmental impact is in fact YOU – the Consumer. Shocking, but true.

The Lifecycle of a Cotton T-shirt & Polyester Blouse from Cradle to Grave

From seedling to growing and harvesting, to ginning and processing, to distribution and transportation, to your closet, on your person and into the trash is what is referred to as the “lifecycle” in a nutshell. Now let’s get to the facts of where the true energy consumption stems from – creating the biggest environmental impact.

Research from the Netherlands shows that the average piece of clothing remains in a Dutch person’s wardrobe for 3 years 5 months, is on the body for 44 days during this time and is worn for between 2.4 and 3.1 days between washings.¹ Yet even though the typical garment is only washed and dried around 20 times in its life, most of its environmental impact comes from laundering and NOT from growing, processing and producing the fabric or disposing of it at the end of its life. For example, the washing and drying of a polyester blouse uses as much as six times as much energy as that needed to make it in the first place.² Just by washing the blouse half as often, the product’s overall energy consumption can be cut by almost 50 per cent.

Whether you’re concerned about the environment or not, it’s at least worth looking at your bottom dollar when it comes to energy consumption with electricity, gas, water usage and laundry detergent.

To break this down into US dollars per T-shirt for the environmental cost of each stage in the lifecycle of a cotton T-shirt, let’s take a look at how this translates:

Growing:                     0.67
Ginning:                      0.02
Processing:                  0.02
Distribution:                0.08
Transportation:            0.32
Consumer Care:          2.69

In 1993 Franklin Associates conducted an overall lifecycle performance of a polyester blouse for the American Fiber Manufacturers Association.² The study uses an established LCA methodology and its results show unequivocally that the major part of environmental impact in the lifecycle of a blouse arises from the consumer use phase. It concludes that as much as 82 per cent of energy use, 66 per cent of solid waste, over half of the emissions to air (for carbon dioxide) and large quantities of waterborne effluents (96 per cent if measured by Biological Oxygen Demand alone) are amassed during washing and drying. Cotton and polyester account for over 80 per cent of world fibre demand, both of which reflect that the highest impact phase is attributed to the choices consumers make after purchasing the garmets.  The main issues at hand include energy, water, and detergent use in washing, and energy use in drying and ironing. If a garment were washed on cold temperatures and dried on a line instead of in a tumble dryer, then the total lifecycle energy consumption could be reduced by a factor of four according to data for polyester² and a factor of two for cotton.³ If you were to wash your garments at a lower temperature it would reduce energy consumption by about 10 per cent for every 10°C reduction.⁴ Eliminating tumble drying (which accounts for 60 per cent of the use phase) and ironing, in combination with a lower washing temperature, has been calculated to lead to around 50 per cent reduction in total energy consumption of the product.³ More recently, consumers have more choices in fibres which can also impact the type of care needed.  Studies reveal that different fibre types are laundered on different temperatures when it comes to the wash cycle. Cotton items are most commonly washed on warm temperatures (50°C or 60°C), whereas synthetics are washed cooler (at 30°C or 40°C). Therefore, synthetic or natural fibres have a far less impact associated with the use phase of the lifecycle than cotton.

Although it is clear that the consumer use phase of garments has the largest environmental impact, the textile and fashion industries can assist in reducing the use phase.  Some designers have tested crazy methods of designing clothes that require no laundering, but with little success.  So far it is just not possible to create a piece of clothing that can dispel our bodily odors and food stains without the occasional wash cycle.  However, one such material that has made leaps and bounds over cotton and other materials, when it comes to several phases of the lifecycle, is viscose from bamboo. Not only is organic bamboo grown without pesticides and herbicides, it requires no water irrigation to grow and it removes CO2 from the atmosphere and produces over 30% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. But most importantly, viscose from bamboo plays a significant role in the consumer use phase due to its high level absorption properties and odoriferous qualities. Garments can be worn several times between washes, should be washed on cold temperatures and can be line dried. It’s materials like this that the fashion industry needs to focus on when keeping the end user and our environment in mind.

So the next time you go shopping, think about your environmental impact, your bottom dollar and most importantly…your “dirty laundry”.

References:
1. Uitdenbogerd, D. E. Brouwer, N. M. and Groot-Marcus, J. P. (1998), Domestic Energy Saving Potentials for Food and Textiles: An Empirical Study. Wageningen, NL: Wageningen Agricultural University.
2. Franklin Associates (1993), Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis of a Manufactured Apparel Product: Woman’s knit polyester blouse, Washington DC: American Fiber Manufacturers Association, pp3-4.
3. Allwood, J. M., Laursen, S. E., Malvido de Rodriguez, C. and Bocken, N. M. P. (2006), Well Dressed? Cambridge: University of Cambridge Institute of Manufacturing, p40.
4. ENDS Report (2001) M&S recommends cooler clothes wash to save energy, No. 319, p32.

Environmental Impact: Consumers’ “Dirty Laundry” is a post from: Green Earth News

Labor Day is yet another holiday founded on good intentions that has morphed into another reason for massive retail sales around the country.  In a way, the logic works.  You work hard; you deserve to shop!  Officially made a federal holiday in 1894 to honor the workers of America, Labor Day has transitioned into an unofficial mark of the end of summer and a retailers chance to discount and lure customers in on their precious Monday off.

Much of the shopping will be for clothing as consumers transition their wardrobes from summer to fall and pack away their bright whites until the next Memorial Day debut.  So with this shopping opportunity comes the consumer’s chance to help the environment by shopping as eco-friendly as possible. 

Bamboo clothes are a smart way to shop green this year!  Clothing made from bamboo viscose is not only incredibly soft and comfortable but the life cycle of the garment (if grown and processed properly) leaves little impact on Mother Earth.  In its natural state, the bamboo plant is able to grow without the use of herbicides, pesticides or even fertilizers.  With cotton farming, it sometimes can take the entire weight of a cotton t-shirt in fertilizers and pesticides to grow the cotton for it.  Keep this in mind before grabbing a handful of handy cotton t-shirts.  Bamboo T Shirts offer the same functional use for your multi-tasking wardrobe with less chemicals used which helps not only soil and groundwater but also your skin and everything it can absorb from clothing.

Bamboo is also an incredibly sustainable material.  It can be harvested every 3 -4 years and rather than being yanked from the earth, the bamboo is harvested by cutting at the root so it leaves the soil undisturbed.  Compare that with cotton (once again) that must be rotated to let the soil rest between plantings.  Because of this, cotton crops take up 74% of the world’s arable land.   When compared with another popular fabric choice, rayon, once again bamboo comes up greener.  Rayon is derived from the eucalyptus tree which makes it sound very eco-friendly but the harvesting of this wood-pulp product is leading to mass deforestation in East Asian countries.  (Not to mention the chemicals involved in creating rayon!).  Once again, when facing the clothing racks, consider bamboo pants or a bamboo loungewear over rayon options hanging there. 

Bamboo Onesies

Making the choice to buy green for yourself is the first step in making your purchase count.  Make sure to outfit your family in bamboo styles as well.  Babies especially will benefit from bamboo fabrics.  Whether they’re wearing organic baby onesies or are wrapped up in an organic baby blanket, little ones will be cozy in the super-softness and silky smoothness that come with using bamboo fabrics.  Take it one step further and opt for bamboo bed linens and bamboo bath towels for your house!

Buying bamboo not helps Mother Earth but it also makes you an advocate for the green lifestyle you are choosing to live.  Happy Shopping!

Labor Day And Bamboo: Make Your Money Work Hard For Mother Earth! is a post from: Green Earth News

In a world full of packed schedules and lives lived on the go, it’s easy to see why many would argue against buying organic clothing (including organic bamboo clothing) based on convenience.  And while permanent press came into our lives in the 1950s to help ease the burden of the overworked housewife, the cost of that convenience is a toxin-filled one.

First, let’s talk about what causes those pesky wrinkles using cotton fabrics as a prime example yet again.  The wrinkles in cotton clothing are caused by the relatively weak cross-linked hydrogen bonds that keep the cellulose polymers in place in cotton fabrics (as well as hemp and flax).  These hydrogen bonds are broken by moisture and when the fibers shift to realign themselves, a wrinkle is born.  But in the 1950s, researchers at the USDA Southern Regional Research Center developed a process to create our “wrinkle free” and “wrinkle-resistant” clothing by replacing the weak hydrogen bonds with stronger bonds that were water-resistant.  And the secret weapon in their war against housework….formaldehyde. 

That’s right.  The key to keeping your wardrobe smooth and wrinkle-free is a known carcinogenic that can cause a variety of health problems such as burning and watery eyes, respiratory complaints such as coughing and difficulty in breathing and allergic contact dermatitis in some consumers.  Even as manufacturers are more aware of the danger of using toxins in their processes, the main concern with this treatment was the smell it left on the clothing.  So in the 1990s, the process was improved to still include formaldehyde but make to reduce it so as not to irritate the delicate nose. 

There are two methods of creating permanent press clothing that are now being actively used.  The first consists of soaking conventional cotton fabric formaldehyde resins, rolling the toxic fabrics between huge rollers to squeeze out excess resins and then baking the fabric in large ovens at 300 degrees Fahrenheit to essentially cure the resins into the fabrics.  This baking method ensures that the toxic formaldehyde becomes permanent in the fabric and can’t be washed out.  Some clothing manufacturers take it one step further and treat the baked-in-formaldehyde clothing with liquid ammonia to reduce shrinkage. 

The other method in the war against wrinkles that is actively being used consists of exposing garments to formaldehyde gases which then permeate the fabric and are then baked into the clothing.  Commonly referred to as vapor phase technology, this process places fabrics in airtight chambers and moistens them with water or steam until the moisture is anywhere from 5% to 20% of the fabric weight.  Formaldehyde gas is then pumped into the chamber until the concentration of air in the chamber is approximately 40% to 60% formaldehyde gas.   To make the formaldehyde link and bond with the hydrogen atoms in the fabrics, sulfur dioxide gas is also pumped into the chamber making a nice little chemical sauna to create your wrinkle free fabrics.  A variation on this method involves soaking the fabrics with an aqueous solution of a weak acid salt such as ammonium chloride or phosphoric acid after the fabric has been exposed to the formaldehyde to facilitate more efficient cross-linking.  And while manufacturers may vary what chemicals are used as a catalyst or temperature in the gas chamber, it’s still easy to see that the process of creating easy care garments is anything but easy.  It involves high doses of chemicals and is technology intensive.

Never mind the fact that growing cotton itself is a chemical-laden process but to continue to saturate the fabric in chemicals is a high cost on both the environment and the consumer.  Organic clothing today is becoming more mainstream and the excuses not to purchase them are growing slim.   Bamboo fibers (if grown and processed responsibly) offer a great organic alternative for your wardrobe and household.  Whether you’re looking for a bamboo sheet set, organic duvet covers or organic women’s clothing,  there are stylish and affordable options for you.

And if you dread the iron as much as a 1950’s housewife, not to worry.  Bamboo fabrics are silky smooth, lightweight and with a few shakes, are as wrinkle-free as permanent press.

Wrinkle Free World: How Permanent Press Can Cause Permanent Damage is a post from: Green Earth News

It may not be a necessity that we often give thought to but everyone deserves a comfortable robe.  Admittedly, we’ve all thought about stealing that robe from the spa or seeing if that hotel robe would actually fit into our suitcase.  And now you can have your own slice of comfort to escape into with plush bamboo terry bathrobes from Green Earth Bamboo.

This robe combines two luxurious sustainable fabrics that go hand-in-hand to create a wonderfully soft and guilt-free robe for you to melt away in.

The base of these comfortable robes is made from 100% Tencel Lyocell while the pile is made from 100% viscose from bamboo.  TENCEL is the brand name owned by Lenzing Fibers of Austria, the fiber is generically called lyocell. Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fiber made from dissolving pulp.  Once the pulp is dissolved, it is pushed through a spinneret to form individual fibers.  Those fibers are then woven into lyocell fibers and then washed in chemicals that are later retrieved, purified and recycled.   There is very little by-product in the manufacturing process.

Lyocell is also manufactured in a closed loop process which requires no bleach, adding another eco-friendly component to the material.

Much like bamboo, lyocell is harvested in a sustainable fashion.  The wood pulp is taken from eucalyptus trees that are grown on farms that have earned the Forest Stewardship Council certification for their renewability and sustainability.  There are no old growth forests being wiped out to produce the fabric.  Another striking similarity between lyocell and bamboo is that both grow abundantly without the use of additional irrigation or harsh pesticides.

Lyocell fabric also shares many qualities with bamboo that make it ideal for use in clothing.  It is resistant to wrinkles, drapes easily and is a strong, durable fabric.  And because both materials are incredibly soft and absorbent, using them to produce quality robes is a perfect match.

As bamboo can be used for building and bridges, lyocell is tough enough to be used in conveyor belts and printers blankets.  But just as bamboo has a softer side, so does lyocell. It is not only popular for fabrics but its reach has extended to the manufacturing of baby wipes.

Bamboo Twin Sheets

Celebrate Mother’s Day and Mother Earth by gifting a plush bamboo terry robe for the special mom in your life!  Start her off with a cozy bamboo bath towel.  The robes are unisex designed with large pockets for added convenience.  Continue the comfort through your day or night by choosing bamboo loungewear or bamboo sheets for your home.

Bamboo Robes: Lyocell And Bamboo Go Hand In Hand For Comfort is a post from: Green Earth News

Before clothing reaches your closet, there is a lifespan to that material that began from the ground up.  The planting process itself has just as much an effect on the environment as the manufacturing process.  And beyond the latest styles, there is a larger trend evolving in the world of fashion.  Consumers are choosing more environmentally conscious fabrics at a growing rate and bringing about a new awareness to their wardrobe. 

Bamboo is a eco-conscious fabric choice that starts with its growing process.

What makes a crop environmentally friendly to grow?

Renewability of product:  Even before the processing, weaving and manufacturing, the planting itself makes an impact on Mother Earth.  Fibers that are grown should be able to be replenished in a relatively short amount of time.  Cotton, for example, is a very greedy crop to grow – it sucks most nutrients from the soil and growing enough cotton for one t-shirt uses 257 gallons of water. 

Bamboo, on the other hand, is an abundant and sustainable resource.  It can be harvested every 3-4 years without being pulled from the ground and it has such a strong root system that it actually helps prevent soil erosion rather than causing it.  And because it uses natural rainfall for its watering, it requires no irrigation system. 

Ecological Footprint – Just as we have a carbon footprint, crops leave a footprint of their own.  A growing concern is how much land it takes or destroys to bring one plant to full growth and support it.  Once again, let’s pick on cotton.  Because the crop must be rotated to let the soil replenish, it takes up 74% of the world’s arable land.  Another popular fabric choice is rayon which is derived from the eucalyptus trees.  But harvesting this wood-pulp product is leading to mass deforestation in East Asian countries. Bamboo requires much less acreage to grow the same amount of plants because it can be harvested at the stalk and will regenerate quickly.  An added bonus is that as it grows, it gives back to the environment by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the air.

Chemical Use - Farmers using conventional cotton practices uses a multitude of chemicals.  Before cotton is planted, the soil is prepared by applying fertilizers and herbicides.  Throughout the growing season, there are additional applications of insecticides, herbicides and growth regulators.  At the end of the growing season, a defoliant is applied to prepare the plant for harvest.  Essentially, it requires almost the entire weight of a cotton t-shirt in fertilizers and pesticides to grow the cotton for it. Of the most commonly used pesticides, seven of them are suspected or known to be carcinogens.  Not only does this translate into chemical-laden clothing, but imagine the run-off into groundwater from all of these chemicals. 

Bamboo, however, is naturally pest-resistant with its anti-bacterial properties so it requires no herbicides or pesticides to grow.  And it’s a hearty plant that requires no fertilizers to help its growth along.

In textile form, bamboo retains many of the properties it has as a plant. Bamboo is highly water absorbent, able to take up three times its weight in water. In bamboo fabric, this translates to an excellent wicking ability that will pull moisture away from the skin so that it can evaporate. Bamboo also has a quality which helps to reduce bacteria that thrive on clothing and cause unpleasant odors. It kills odor causing bacteria that live on human skin, making the wearer and his or her clothing more odor-resistant. In addition, bamboo fabric has insulating properties and will keep the wearer cooler in summer and warmer in winter. The versatility of bamboo fabric makes it an excellent choice for clothing designers exploring alternative textiles.  Additionlly, the fabric is able to take bright dye colors well and drapes smoothly.

Green Earth Bamboo offers a variety of bamboo clothing to let you take advantage of these amazing qualities.  From ladies tops to mens tee shirts, their clothing is fashionable, comfortable and friendly to the environment.  Give your little ones a chemical-free start in this world and choose organic baby wear and organic crib sheets.  And be sure to treat yourself to luxurious and healthy bamboo bed sheets and bamboo bath towels.

Soft Bamboo Sheets

For more on how bamboo helps the environment, visit Green Earth News section on Bamboo & The Environment.

Choosing Alternative Fabrics: Healthier From The Ground Up is a post from: Green Earth News