BAMBOO FABRICS Q&A Why Bamboo? Arbor utilizes bamboo as the base raw material in the fabrics we make our apparel from because it is the resource that best fits our mission - using environmentally friendly natural materials to improve overall performance and style.  Form still follows function and only bamboo allows us to deliver contemporary design attributes while offering ecologically responsible fabrications. Today, there are no fabrics that are 100% “green;” organic and transitional cottons require large amounts of land and water; recycled P.E.T. (polyethylene terephthalate) is still a chemically driven, petroleum-based material; and many hemp and bamboo fabrics require a pulping process. So, when looking at the current options for environmentally “friendlier” fabrics, our choice came down to a material that provided the best blend of ecological and performance benefits; that turned out to be bamboo-based fabric, a resource that we’ve come to see as today’s most promising alternative. Currently, Arbor uses three bamboo-based fabric blends: Bamboo viscose based fabrics - used to produce our knits and wovens, including t-shirts. Nano bamboo infused polyester - used to produce our boardshorts. Mechanically produced bamboo fabrics - used to produce many of our hats. With this in mind, check out some of the facts on bamboo-based fabrics: The Ecological Benefits of Using Bamboo as a Raw Material Renewable – The bamboo used for apparel production is the fastest growing plant known to man, growing up to 4 feet (122 cm) per day, and rapidly reaching heights over 40 feet.  Because of this rapid growth rate and the amount of vertical biomass created, bamboo is able to deliver far more usable raw material per acre than any other alternative, which makes it today’s most renewable resource.  Bamboo is also self-regenerating, so it can be harvested and, in most cases, will simply re-grow without replanting. Sustainable – Bamboo cultivation requires zero pesticides or chemical fertilizers to achieve its amazing growth rate and renewability.  Hence, it is inherently organic.  In contrast, it takes 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough conventional cotton for one t-shirt.  Cotton production is responsible for 16% of the world’s insecticide use, more than any other single crop, while covering only 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land.  Many of these chemicals run off into our waterways, harming humans and the natural environment.  In addition, bamboo requires much less land and water (as a ratio to usable fiber produced per acre), than cotton, organic cotton, and other alternative fibers.  In fact, it takes 15,000 liters of water to grow 1 kg of cotton or organic cotton.  Some of this water is piped in from critical watersheds, as cotton is typically grown on arid lands. In contrast, bamboo requires only natural rainfall. Additional Eco Benefits - Bamboo propagation prevents erosion and adds nutrients back to the soil, while conventional, transitional, and even organic cotton cultivation strip the land of nutrients. Bamboo is hand picked using traditional methods that have a much lower impact on the environment than modern machine-based harvesting practices.  It’s also important to note that bamboo is not planted on cleared forestlands; it is sustainably selected from naturally occurring bamboo stands.  In addition, bamboo absorbs more carbon dioxide and emits more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees.  Oh - and the “timber” bamboo used for apparel production is not a source of food for pandas, nor is it harvested from panda habitat. The Performance Benefits of Fabrics Made Using Bamboo Wearable - Bamboo-based fabrics are much softer and more comfortable than cotton, hemp, or other alternatives. Functional - Bamboo-based fabrics help regulate body temperature.  Compared to cotton, they are more breathable, provide improved wicking of moisture, and deliver better UV protection. In addition, mechanically produced and nano bamboo blends dry more quickly than comparable fabrics. Anti-Microbial - Mechanically produced bamboo fabrics and nano bamboo infused fabrics retain bamboo’s natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties.  This makes them resistant to mildew and odor retention and much less likely to cause skin irritations.  Studies by the China Industrial Testing Center (CITC) and the Japan Textile Inspection Association (JTIA) show that bamboo viscose based fabrics also retain these anti-microbial properties.  However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) refuses to acknowledge these studies and currently requires that suppliers of bamboo viscose based apparel refrain from claiming that it is anti-microbial.  The FTC has provided no scientific evidence to refute these studies.  Nevertheless, we are complying with their ruling. It is our opinion that the FTC’s ruling is reminiscent of the government’s previous effort to stop hemp fabrics from being imported into the United States.  You may remember the concern that “kids were going to smoke their T-shirts.”  Many of us saw this as a diversionary tactic designed to protect “Big Cotton.”  In the end, we have to wonder how much lobbying is being done by Cotton, Inc. to stop bamboo fabrics from entering the market as they once tried to stop hemp from becoming an alternative to conventional cotton. How Are Bamboo-Based Fabrics Made? There are several ways to turn bamboo into fiber that can be used to produce fabric.  Arbor currently uses bamboo-based fabrics derived from three separate processes: Nano Bamboo infused fabrics are produced by embedding powdered bamboo into a variety of materials.  The raw powder is created by heating bamboo until it reaches a charcoal consistency.  The charcoal is then ground into a nano-particle, which can be embedded into fibers such as cotton or polyester.  These embedded fibers are then spun into yarns or filaments. We use Nano Bamboo infused polyester in our boardshorts because of its natural anti-bacterial and quick-dry properties.  It is interesting to note that Bamboo Charcoal has been used by the Chinese for millennia to purify water. Mechanically Produced Bamboo fabrics are made by grinding up bamboo until it can be spun into a yarn. This process is best used to create canvas style fabrics, which we currently use in many of our hats. Bamboo Viscose fabrics are the most widely available of all bamboo-based fabrics on the market.  Bamboo Viscose fabric is made by a process in which cellulose (viscose) is extracted from bamboo and regenerated into a fiber that can be spun into a yarn.  The process starts by grinding up the leaves, stems, and soft inner pith of a species of timber bamboo called Moso.  The ground up mass is processed using solvents to extract the cellulose.  The cellulose is then forced through spinnerets to create the raw bamboo viscose thread, which is extremely soft to the touch.  The thread is then spun into yarn, which can be blended with a variety of materials. (Source: www.apparelsearch.com) We use viscose from bamboo to make our knit and woven products such as t-shirts, hoodies, denim, etc.

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