So the question comes up about whether bamboo fabric is actually bamboo fabric in light of the FTC’s latest article about bamboo textiles touted by some companies. The issue around labeling, country of origin, and materials is a valid one, and one that requires further investigation. If bamboo fabric, or fabric containing bamboo is processed as rayon, then the manufacturer should label it as “rayon”, rather than as “bamboo fabric.”
Having bamboo as an alternative to cotton for absorbency in cloth diapers has been a great find in the past years. Hemp is another plant that lends itself to similar qualities of bamboo and both have shown to be more absorbent over use. But ensuring that our products are manufactured in a green way from start to finish is paramount to me. So I am on a fact-finding mission this week.
The bamboo/cotton blend fabric which i have started to use to make my own diapers is soft, and super absorbent. I will be continuing my conversation with the source of the fabric to determine the manufacturing process as well.
Textile World wrote a great article about Green Manufacturing, FTC regulations, and how bamboo in some instances has been mislabeled. Determining the source of the fabric, the processing, and the labeling as such will be most important.