Bamboo
Bamboo is heralded for its ability to grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides. But the chemical process used to turn bamboo into soft wearable fabric is a different story.
Bamboo fibres are naturally tough. AgResearch Textile Testing Manager Lorraine Greer says the cellulose in bamboo has to be chemically dissolved and bleached. The result of this process is rayon: no traits of the original bamboo plant remain.
Bamboo can be mechanically processed, using a method similar to making flax into linen. But the fabric produced this way isn't the soft and silky stuff you find in clothes shops. It’s much coarser and a lot more expensive to manufacture.
About rayon
Rayon, also commonly known as viscose, is a fibre created from the cellulose found in plants and trees. A chemical process is used to dissolve the cellulose and turn it into rayon. Any plant or tree – not just bamboo – can be used as the source.
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