Bamboo - would like to know more about where and how it's grown

[Becs999]

As the title says I would like to know more about where and how bamboo is grown (the sort of bamboo(s) used to make fabric. I was just watching a show the other day about Japan and they were talking about these giant forms of bamboo that grew up to 1.5 metres A DAY! That really is a 'plant and stand back' kinda tree!

Can anyone point me in the direction of where I could read up about bamboo? Thanks

[Wems]

Bamboo Facts Information - Bamboo Fabric Store Australia

maybe try here

Sorry fak

[Obsi]

From what I've read there are 3 main ways they make bamboo fabrics.... one is not particularly eco-friendly, one isn't as bad, and one is better but more expensive...

The bamboo itself grows quickly, doesn't need pesticides and is an eco-friendly crop, but transforming it from the bamboo pulp to a fabric is usually done with chemical solvents... and that's where it's annoyingly not quite as "green" as something like hemp or organic cotton. There is also the argument that as bamboo fabrics are becoming more desired, other crops are being taken over by bamboo plantations (much like how the push for bio-fuels is cutting away food producing farmlands in favour of fuel making crops)

Some factories dump their chemicals, but some use what they call a "closed loop system" or something, where the chemicals are reused and contained to lessen the environmental impact. There is a more manual process, but its more labour intensive (so expensive)....

I don't know what is used for things like the bamboo fleece we use in nappies and things.... I'd like to think that when it's combined with organic cotton (like the fleece I buy), the manufacturers have thought about the eco-aspect and are at least using the closed loop thing...

To Bamboo Or Not To Bamboo - In The Loop
Bamboo Fabric - The Naked Truth: ENN
WE BAMBOO: Manufacturing Process of Bamboo Fabric
Organic_Clothing: Bamboo: Facts behind the Fiber

I've watched enough martial arts movies to know bamboo can indeed grow VERY tall LOL