FTC Blows The Whistle On Bamboo-Based Textiles’ Green Claims

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FTC Blows The Whistle On Bamboo-Based Textiles’ Green Claims

By The Author ⋅ August 14, 2009 ⋅

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Filed Under corporate sustainability, greenwash

Bamboo

One of the most common and unintended mistakes made by good-intentioned, yet naive, eco-enthusiasts is in their assumption that a product or process derived from a plant source is always sustainable and a better choice for the environment. While often times plant-derived products are, by comparison, more environmentally friendly than their synthetic counterparts (corn plastic vs. typical plastic for example), they can also have many negative environmental characteristics and indirect effects as well (water consumption, synthetic fertilizer and toxic pesticide usage, food price inflation, etc. in the case of corn growing). These negative environmental aspects to some ‘green products’, whether apparent or somewhat obscure, are almost always known by the companies producing them. But like any good ‘environmental optimist’ (wink), these companies usually try to focus on the positive aspects of their supposed ‘eco-friendly’ products.

The Anatomy Of A Greenwash

Of course “focus” to most means to emphasize, but to many companies trying to jump on the green product money train, “focus” means bury the negative and just market the positive. So what if there are no real or substantial environmentally positive aspects to a company’s ‘green’ product; what then? Well, make up some positive green claims and no one will ever know the difference right? Wrong.

Though greenwashing is still rampant in the marketplace, it often times is so ridiculous and overtly obvious, that even the most remotely environmentally aware consumer can usually call BS on a ‘green claim’ that just isn’t true. However, there a few companies and products out there who make a concerted effort to be more than just obscure about their products’ environmentally beneficial claims and when this occurs, it’s the task of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take notice and respond.

Bamboo Isn’t As Green As Some Companies Lead You To Believe

Bamboo-based products have become all the rage in the green marketplace due to bamboo’s rapidly renewable nature as well its ability to be manufactured into all sorts of different types of products and materials. Nowhere has there been a bigger increase in the manufacture and sale of bamboo-based products than in the textile industry. Bamboo sheets, towels, shirts, rugs, and virtually any other fabric type product are mainstays of any green housewares store and have even begun showing up at places like Target and Walmart.

Though the rapidly renewable nature of bamboo does give some green credentials to bamboo-based textile products, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Tuesday that any other environmental claims made about bamboo-based textile products are essentially outright lies. The FTC focused specifically on four companies (Pure Bamboo, Bamboosa, Jonano, and Mad Mod) who actively marketed their products as being “made in an environmentally friendly manner, naturally antimicrobial, and biodegradable”. The FTC release reads as follows:

The companies falsely claim that their rayon clothing and other textile products are “100% bamboo fiber.” They market them under such names as “ecoKashmere,” “Pure Bamboo,” “Bamboo Comfort,” and “BambooBaby.” Rayon is a man-made fiber created from the cellulose found in plants and trees and processed with a harsh toxic chemical that releases hazardous air pollutants. Any plant or tree could be used as the cellulose source – including bamboo – but the fiber that is created is rayon.

The complaints also allege that these four companies make a number of other “green” claims about their clothing and textile products, none of which are true or substantiated. All four companies claim their products retain the bamboo plant’s antimicrobial properties. The settling companies – Jonäno, Mad Mod, and Pure Bamboo – also claim that their products are made using environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes, and both Pure Bamboo and Bamboosa make unqualified claims that their products are biodegradable, and that they will completely break down and return to the elements found in nature in a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal. Rayon products are not biodegradable because they will not break down in a reasonably short time after customary disposal. Most clothing and textiles are disposed of either by recycling or sending to a landfill. Neither method results in quick biodegradation

Rayon also does not retain any natural antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant. The rayon manufacturing process, which involves dissolving the plant source in harsh chemicals, eliminates any such natural properties of the bamboo plant.

Remember that while these four companies, knowingly or unknowingly, falsified claims about their bamboo textile products, there are many other companies who do not. So don’t think this makes bamboo-based textile products entirely bad and wholly ‘ungreen’ as they certainly are anything but when compared to other fabrics such as conventionally raised cotton, silk and polyester.

The Good: The FTC is finally calling out some of the most egregious greenwashers in the marketplace and helping to better educate the general public on what to look for when selecting green products.

The Bad: The FTC has still got a very long way to go in addressing the enormous amount of greenwashing going on in the marketplace.

The Bottom-Line: Though the green claims being debunked by the FTC are indeed not true of bamboo-based textiles, there are still a few aspects of bamboo-based textiles that are green and make bamboo a relatively greener fabric choice than say conventionally grown and harvested cotton.

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Discussion

View Comments for “FTC Blows The Whistle On Bamboo-Based Textiles’ Green Claims”

adhd

HEMP not bamboo people, we NEED hemp NOW
DougBan

Sara,
You should try doing some research before you make claims about matters which you have no knowledge.
Bamboo is the most plentiful plant resource on this planet. You cut it above the ground and it grows right back. It needs to pesticides, no herbicides, no water, and no replanting.
I don't think that you are tall enough to ride this roller coaster.
Doug

For those that have not done the research...it is certainly understandable that one may assume that the FTC is simply revealing "greenwashing" practices perpetrated by companies selling bamboo textiles. If you are truly interested in learning about the facts of this FTC alert, then I would encourage you to take a few moments and hear the other side of the story.
Yes, the FTC is supposed to be out protecting consumers from false advertising, monopolies etc., but you might be surprised to learn that there are truly some instances where the FTC's just plain gets it wrong. To get the other side of the story, and see some examples of the FTC's past wrongdoings, please take a look at this blog post:
FTC Bamboozles Public on Bamboo Fabric @ http://blog.greenearthbamboo.com/archives/129
Sara

Bamboo fiber is not sustainable, organic, natural, antibacterial or anything even close. All claims to the contrary are 100% greenwashing.

The only people who would tell you differently are those that have a financial interest in purporting this falsehood. Bamboo is very cheap to make since the chemical destruction takes place in China and not in the US. A green claim commands a premium and consumers are easily duped. This is why the FTC is (finally) stepping in.
bamboobonnie

Bonnie from Jonano says...

Recently the FTC developed new labeling guidelines for the organic and natural product market including bamboo textiles. Our company, Sami Designs and the brands we produce including Jonano along with several other companies at the forefront of the eco textile and eco fashion world who work in bamboo were asked to ensure that our labeling and marketing to conform with these new guidelines. Jonano immediately signed on, agreeing to conform to the new labeling guidelines, while other companies are going to fight some of the specific new FTC guidelines that do not jive with the extensive testing and data widely available and accepted by research and testing facilities, and universities worldwide.

Here are the facts:
2005 Sami Designs began researching textiles and wrote a 90 page white paper on antimicrobial textiles including bamboo, chitin, alginin, and hemp. Testing data is included from several sources showing antimicrobial factors for both bamboo and hemp and biodegradability of bamboo crops and hemp crops and chitin/rayon fabrics. These quantitative tests were performed by Japan Textile Inspection Association, SWICOFIL, China Industrial Testing Center, Bambrotex.

2006 the Jonano Brand began designing marketing and selling bamboo and hemp clothing. Characteristics such as grown without the use of pesticides, produced in a "closed loop system" that recirculates and captures agents used to convert the plant into fiber, "antimicrobial" were used in our marketing. All of these "claims" were due diligently researched and substantiated in writing by independent sources, textile manufacturing agencies and textile research organizations.
2007 bamboo organic certification criteria was released by the FDA. Jonano chose to select only certified organic bamboo for our production and could then use the label "certified organic bamboo."

Beginning in 2008 Jonano switched our labeling of the organic bamboo content on our clothing production from "organic bamboo" to "viscose from organic bamboo," after we received information that the government was ready to present labeling guidelines for this new eco textile that might require this switch shortly. Prior to this time no FDA guidelines for bamboo textiles were available and this fiber and fabric was labeled "bamboo" as had been accepted by the US Customs Department during importation and customs clearance for all Sami Designs products since we began.

In 2009 Sami Designs received a mailing from the FTC asking that a settlement agreement be reached that Sami Designs would conform to the new FTC regulations and standards. We signed on immediately and went over all of our marketing materials with a fine tooth comb in order to ensure that we were in compliance with these new labeling and marketing standards.

As for the claim that Sami Designs and our brands misrepresented our clothing products in our labels, no standardization was available until after we began using the term viscose from bamboo on our clothing. We are compliant with the new FTC labeling standards and never tried to mislead.

As new eco textiles continue to be developed and brought to market, the challenge of this task includes working with agencies in developing labeling and organic certification standards, obtaining new organic certifications for these crops, and continually working towards better and safer ways to produce textiles. All textile production requires processing of crops into fibers to create fabrics that can be comfortably worn and enjoyed for years to come. Our goal is and has always been to develop great eco textiles that make a positive impact on the environment, on the farmers and growers, on our manufacturing and cooperative production facilities and most importantly on the lives of the people who choose to select organic fashion for their wardrobe.

Our company makes available detailed information that describes the process of turning hardy organically grown bamboo into fiber that we select to create our viscose from organic bamboo blends sold under the Jonano ecoKashmere Collection. If anyone is interested in obtaining our testing data, simply write me through the contact us pages on the jonano.com website.
We are currently working on new eco textiles including corn blends, peace silks and more. As always, technologies and scientific advancements precede governmental standardization. The end result of developing new and improved eco textiles, we envision, will be a world where fewer pesticides and fertilizers are used on textile crops, safer methods for producing textile fibers and fabrics continue to be developed and organic clothing and eco textiles continue to become more available.
Although Jonano will not be participating in any fight with the FTC, we support the work of the companies who will be fighting to secure acceptance of the extensive research, testing and documentation and research that supports emerging new eco textiles so that we can all continue to expand the world of eco fashion together.

With Metta,

Bonnie
theauthor

The FTC release seems to indicate that they don't take issue with any "organic claims"; it's the other claims such as "Antimicrobial, Made in an Environmentally Friendly Manner, or Biodegradable" which are clearly not true.
bootlegliza

There are actually several tests from several different research groups concluding otherwise. Here is a great link to how bamboo is made into fabric: http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/

From my understanding the groups provided the testing to the FTC, but the FTC chose to disregard it and not offer any information on what group's testing they would accept instead. I wonder why?? Didn't they do this to hemp?

You can't deduct that stuff is "clearly not true" just because the FTC all of the sudden says so. My friend, who has a bad chemical allergy, says organic bamboo is one of the only things she can wear without her skin burning. And anyone who's worn bamboo t-shirts on bike rides across the great keystone state knows there's something antimicrobial going on, because you don't stink to high Heaven.

Sheeks.