How is bamboo fabric made?

I have been asked this question many times, and to be honest I didn't know. I have heard comments that chemicals are used in the process - as they are with other fabrics, cotton, viscose, hemp, linen etc.  Anyway, I found several articles which help to explain the process.

One of websites with information is of course Wikipedia.  Click here to read the entry.

I found another site where there is a list of fashion designers, who are now using bamboo fabric in their fashions.  This list included some I did not know, but Oscar de la Renta was one I did.  Check here for a very interesting article about bamboo fabric and its manufacture, from the Organic Clothing Blog.

Please read the full article on the Organic Clothing Blog, but I take the liberty of adding this information that was on the site.

• Bamboo grows rapidly and naturally without any pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.
• Bamboo clothing (both mechanically and chemically manufactured) is 100% biodegradable and can be completely decomposed in the soil by micro-organisms and sunlight without decomposing into any pollutants such as methane gas which is commonly produced as a by-product of decomposition in landfills and dumps.
• Growing bamboo improves soil quality and helps rebuild eroded soil. The extensive root system of bamboo holds soil together, prevents soil erosion, and retains water in the watershed.
• Bamboo grows naturally without the need for agricultural tending and large diesel exhaust-spewing tractors to plant seeds and cultivate the soil.
• Bamboo plantations are large factories for photosynthesis which reduces greenhouse gases. Bamboo plants absorb about 5 times the amount of carbon dioxide (a primary greenhouse gas) and produces about 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
• Bamboo fabrics and clothing can be manufactured and produced without any chemical additives although eco-certification such as Oeko-Tex is necessary to insure that the manufacturing and finishing processes are healthy.
• Currently, there are no known genetically modified organisms (GMO) variants of bamboo. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Yes, I agree - that I hope genetically modified is not a term that we come to know as associated with bamboo.