Is Bamboo Really The Wonder Fibre?

In a word, Yes. Although there is a catch.  But I digress. Again.

I worked on this entry yesterday and left it in draft form.  This morning I was inspired to rush home and finish it after seeing an impressive array of bamboo housewares during a quick visit to Superstore.

If you haven't experienced bamboo, it shant be long.  One of, if not the, fastest growing plants on earth (Wikopedia), bamboo is environmentally exciting because it grows quickly, safely and inexpensively without pesticides or fertilizers.  Bamboo is used in an astounding number of consumer goods from food, fishing rods and flooring to construction materials and even bicycles. Its pulp transforms into a lovely fabric that has been a bit of an organic cult favourite but is now going mainstream.  While it has always been popular for yoga garments, today bamboo is found in 'street' clothes, bed linens and towels.  Earlier this winter, at The Bay, I bought long underwear made of bamboo (with a little Lycra thrown in for stretch) by underwear giant, Jockey.  The long johns are luxuriously soft and very warm.

With so much to offer, its a small wonder that bamboo goods are appearing on store shelves almost as quickly as the plant grows. The flooring in particular is trendy.  It looks chic and can be even harder and thus more durable than even oak and maple hardwood.  The cutting boards, cutlery, bowls and containers I saw this morning were gorgeous - and very affordable. 

If Bamboo sounds a little too good to be true,  it isn't.  But there is a catch. 

Bamboo comes in paper thin sheets that are glued together to fashion the various products.  Hence  bamboo products are full of glue.  This is fine if the glue is non-toxic.  But in many cases the manufacturers have not taken that extra step and have used bamboo filled with conventional glue which is full of VOC's (volatile organic compounds) and formaldehyde, all of which offgas nasty fumes into our air.

The same holds true for stains and finishes applied to bamboo flooring and other items.

If you are looking for bamboo flooring, panelling etc., look for seals that say the product is certified by the US Green Building Council aka LEED certified.  For Canadian LEED initiatives visit LEED Canada.  Other key phrases are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and 'no added formaldehyde' or 'urea-formaldehyde free'.

These same properties and manufacturing methods are equally important to consider when choosing smaller bamboo products.  Case in point - the bamboo serving pieces gifted to me last Christmas by my sister-in-law, Diana. Please note that Diana suggested I tell this tale so I am not telling tales out of school  I was delighted to receive these handsome pieces from the new environmentally line, Earth Chef, sold by the Bay, Zellers and Home Outfitters.  Upon reading the information tags attached to them however, while bamboo was described as renewable, there was an absence of discussion about glue, formaldehyde etc.  With Diana's blessing I emailed Earth Chef from the link on their web site and asked, very clearly, if they had used non-toxic or conventional glue in the serving pieces I received.  That was Christmas Day and I have yet to receive a response.  We returned the serving pieces.

By all means, lets welcome bamboo as a positive and viable option but support manufacturers and retailers who are making the effort to ensure that all elements of their bamboo product are environmentally friendly.

   

 

Comments

[Marci]

Thanks for your comment, Doug. I'm delighted to know bamboo so effectively wicks moisture. My husband plays hockey and I will keep my eyes open for bamboo undergarments for him to wear while playing!

[Doug D.]

Hello there,
I only just found your blog, hence my commenting now on your post about bamboo fibre.
I just wanted to add...bamboo has some amazing characteristics, beyond the "softness" factor. It is 2-3 times more absorbent than cotton, has a very high antibacterial rate, wicks moisture better than many synthetic, man made athletic fabrics, is hypoallergenic and when compared to most fabrics on the market, it is a very eco-friendly choice, although we are working to get better manufacturing methods, as they do have a lot of room for improvement..to be honest. In my opinion, www.greenearthbamboo.com has the most comprehensive information section on bamboo fabrics, anywhere on the internet.