Is your bamboo organically grown?

Yes, our bamboo is Certified Organically Grown and you can see our certifications and read about them here on our website. The farm where the bamboo is grown is certified by OCIA International and the bamboo crops are certified by the USDA Organic Seal.

Your adult clothing and baby products are made in the USA, but where is your bamboo grown?

Our bamboo is grown on managed farms/plantations in Southeastern China. Since all of the viscose from bamboo is processed in China and there is an abundance of bamboo growing in China, we use the bamboo grown there.

Bamboosa imports our fiber from China and completes the manufacturing processes (spinning, knitting, dyeing, and sewing) in South Carolina. Occasionally, we buy yarn from China and then complete the manufacturing of our clothing and baby line in S.C.

I have read that they are clear cutting old growth forest in China to make way for more bamboo farms. Is that true?

We have found absolutely no evidence of any cutting of timber to plant bamboo. In fact, we have found that in 2007 the forest area in China grew by 12.84 million acres or the equivalent of nearly 2.3 billion trees. On January 14, 2008, China announced plans to plant more than 2.5 billion trees in 2008 covering an additional 13.09 million acres. In 2009, China planted an additional 2.6 billion trees covering more than 13.39 million acres. The National Forest Restoration Program of China also has strict protection in place for existing forest land.

We have heard there is more than one type fiber from bamboo. If that is true, what are the different types and do you use all of them? If not, which types do you use?

There are two types of  fiber derived from bamboo. The first is usually described as mechanical and the second as chemical. Very little of the mechanical fiber is in circulation and is not widely used. The fiber produced via solvent spinning is technically classified as 'viscose' and is properly labeled as 'viscose from bamboo'. Viscose from bamboo is the fiber that we use.

What chemicals are used in the processing of your viscose from bamboo and are they hazardous?

The main chemical used in the processing is sodium hydroxide also known as caustic soda. Caustic soda is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world. It is used in food production, soap making, manufacturing of bio diesel, production of paper, and is used on nearly all cotton fabrics, including organic cotton, during wet processing. Caustic soda is approved for use on textiles under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

While caustic soda is a strong chemical it poses no health hazard if used and disposed of properly.

Our fiber supplier in China has confirmed to us that the fiber they produce is produced in a 'closed loop' system where 100% of the sodium hydroxide and 74% of the carbon disulphide is recovered and recycled for further use.



Read more here ... Fiber Processing.