Bamboo proves valuable material for clothing

 

Environmentalists have long known the ecological benefits of bamboo. First, it is limitlessly renewable. It grows very rapidly and can therefore be harvested every few years with almost zero environmental impact. Secondly, it is inherently anti-microbial. It is seldom the victim of disease or pests. So products made with it won’t need to be treated for those things using toxic chemicals. And finally, bamboo is able to absorb and release moisture very rapidly.

 

With those benefits, greenies have tried their best to manufacture anything they can from bamboo, but the most useful bamboo product may turn out to be the most unexpected – clothing. A Pittsburgh company called Jonano has devised a way to make clothing out of bamboo fiber. The bamboo is first shredded, then bamboo cellulose and impurities are extracted leaving fiber that is pulped into sheets. The sheets are soaked and then spun into fiber. Jonano adheres to Fair Trade regulations and has received Ethical Junction certification in the UK.

 

Jonano also uses organic cotton, hemp and other eco-friendly materials woven with the bamboo to create its clothing. Designed by Jonano owner Bonnie Siefers, the company describes the clothing as “eco-chic.” It sells in lines called ecoKashmere and Daffodil.

 

The company itself is only two years old, privately-held and doesn’t report any financial information. But it does claim that ecoKashmere is catching on in Hollywood and at prices like $30 for a short sleeve T-shirt, it has high hopes for a profitable future.