Bamboo has caught on as a “green” alternative to cotton over the past few years. But it turns out that most bamboo material and fabric is just part of the marketing machine that manufacturers seize on to sell product. It’s a shame as even I had high hopes for this alternative source.  After all, bamboo is a member of the grass family and grows incredibly fast. Often it’s grows out of control. So it seemed like a great discovery that it could be used instead of cotton or other synthetic fabrics like rayon to make clothing.  Well low and behold, we discover that bamboo in it’s finished form in fabric basically is rayon. What the heck!?

It turns out that bamboo requires so much processing including the use of toxic chemicals and tons of energy, that it’s actually worse than cotton and other traditional materials. The Wall Street Journal has an article explaining the whole deal.  Not only is bamboo worse for the environment as a fabric, for the most part, it doesn’t last as long either. So in the end, you’re paying higher prices for an inferior product that’s worse for the environment. So much for that bit of “green” marketing!

Do you have any bamboo products? What has been your experience with it?