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 Fabrics made of bamboo, such as "Bamboo Velour" and "Bamboo Fleece" are often used in making cloth pads. This is because the fabric is very soft and very absorbent. A fleece fabric made with bamboo is more absorbent than a fleece of the same weight made from cotton or even hemp. As a velour, it is a silky soft fabric which can be hand dyed to not only look fantastic but feel great too. It is mainly for the absorbency and softness that bamboo fabrics are used in pad making. Bamboo fabrics are also often considered to be a more environmentally friendly choice of fabric. However there is some argument over whether bamboo fabrics are really as eco-friendly as they appear to be. Bamboo is a fast-growing member of the grass family. As a crop, bamboo is very eco-friendly. It is fast growing and needs no pesticides. It even sprouts new shoots so does not need replanting. This itself makes the bamboo plant a very sustainable and environmentally friendly crop. The problem is when it is transformed into a fabric. Because of the way most bamboo fabrics are created, and the fact that some clothing manufacturers are making misleading claims over the composition and eco-friendliness of the fabrics, new rules have been brought in that require fabrics to be labelled as "rayon made from bamboo", rather than "Bamboo fabrics". While this is done to protect the consumer, some feel that this can actually cause more confusion. The reason for this new terminology of "rayon made from bamboo", is that most fabric made from bamboo is done so using a process where the leaves and soft inner part of the bamboo stalk are soaked in a chemical solution and then eventually formed into a thread which is manufactured into the fabric. This process is similar to the process used to make rayon. Unlike the processing that a cotton or hemp plant undergoes to be manufactured into a hemp or cotton fabric. Because of the use of chemicals during the processing, some argue that bamboo fabrics are not environmentally friendly at all - and infact more environmentally damaging than conventional cottons. Some manufacturing uses a "closed loop" system, where the chemicals used are kept and reused, reducing their environmental impact, but not all bamboo fabrics are produced this way, and there really is no way for a consumer or even the manufacturer or the product to tell how a particular fabric was made. Another way to think of it could be a "reconstituted" fabric. It is made from bamboo, but not without undergoing some processing first. Much like a chicken nugget is usually not an actual piece of chicken, but rather chicken that has been minced up and formed into a nugget. However they aren't called a "nugget made from chicken" are they? Even though a quick look at the ingredients may show a "chicken nugget" to be only around 60% chicken, we use the term "chicken nugget"... not "nugget made from chicken, starch, flavours, breadcrumbs" and so on. This is also much like the way "bamboo velour" is used as a term for the fabric, however this velour can actually be made from 100% bamboo, 97% bamboo and 3% spandex, 95% bamboo and 5% cotton - or other combinations. A "Bamboo Fleece" fabric may be 70% bamboo and 30% cotton. Personally I think that not labelling the exact composition of the fabric is worse than calling something a "bamboo fabric" instead of "rayon". It is however easy for someone to include on their website somewhere a guide to fabrics that lists the composition for the fabrics they use, especially ones known by generic terms like "bamboo velour". Another issue that the mislabelling and misinformation of bamboo fabrics highlights is the "Antibacterial" aspect. Many times you see bamboo and hemp fabrics as being "antibacterial"... which is particularly used by those selling cloth pads and diapers - because naturally people want to limit bacterial growth in these products. Personally I've always doubted that any fabrics can be antibacterial, but apparently any antibacterial properties in bamboo are lost during the processing (I would imagine the same would be true of hemp, but I don't know) This new labelling puts people like pad-makers in a difficult position. Many customers are familiar with the terms "bamboo velour" and "bamboo fleece", so labelling everything as "rayon made from bamboo" is likely to confuse more than enlighten. Especially if the customer makes the assumption that rayon is a synthetic fabric (it is synthetic in that it is man made, but it is made from natural plant matter). For example, under this new labelling, an "8 inch pad topped in bamboo velour with a 2 layer bamboo fleece core and backing of microfleece" now becomes "8 inch pad topped in rayon made from bamboo velour with a 2 layer rayon made from bamboo fleece core and backing of microfleece". While I'm sure we all appreciate that the latter may be more correct, it's not exactly the best way to have to phrase something, and I really don't think doing so is in the best interests of a customer. What can we do as consumers? Make sure you know what a fabric/product is made from - no matter what it is. If you are unsure, ask... Be familiar with the way bamboo is processed if you find it important to know (some people like bamboo fabrics and don't care how they are made). While fabrics made from bamboo are well loved because of their softness and absorbency, if you are buying something made from bamboo fabrics because of their eco-friendly properties, then you're better off looking for other options, such as hemp or organic cotton which are more environmentally friendly. What can we do as pad makers? Now this is only my (uninformed) opinion, but this new ruling is put in place to protect consumers from being mislead as to what the fabric actually is, right....so it would seem to me that so long as you make it clear what the fabric is made of, so that you are giving customers the full information and not misleading them at all, you should be able to use the terms "bamboo velour" etc. as a generic term for that type of fabric - so long as it is clearly stated somewhere else what that fabric is. Perhaps something like:  Again... I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but it would seem to me that labelling your products in a way like this, is the same as a pack of "chicken nuggets" that lists the ingredients on the box. It's not misleading customers, since the information is there... but it's not confusing people and making describing the product difficult, because you are still using the generic terms for these fabrics. Some links on bamboo http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/bamboo-ftc.php http://victoria-e.com/2007/10/04/how-green-is-bamboo-fabric/ http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt160.shtm |