ftc takes a stand, stop labeling those shirts as bamboo
Hopefully you recall our story last fall about the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) taking action against four retailers for falsely advertising their garments as bamboo. After the FTC had litigated several specific cases, they decided everyone must stop the deception.
In late January, 78 retailers received notice from the FTC to immediately cease labeling any clothing or other textiles, such as sheets or towels, as bamboo. Why? Because the fiber is actually rayon and no different than rayon made with other cellulose sources, such as wood pulp.
Who were some of these companies sited for selling mislabeled products? They range from little retailers such as Bambooya, to big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Target, to high-end establishments such as Nordstrom and Barney’s New York. Even Zappos and Amazon.com received notice. You can download the full list from the FTC.
So what does the FTC want companies to do? Easy, label the garments and textiles for what they are. Here’s an excerpt from the letter sent to the retailers:
The term ‘bamboo,’ therefore, may be used in labeling or advertising a textile product (e.g., ‘bamboo shirt’) only to describe textile fibers taken directly from the bamboo plant without the type of chemical processing necessary to make rayon. Rayon, even if manufactured using cellulose from bamboo, must be described by an appropriate term recognized under the FTC Textile Rules. If rayon is manufactured using bamboo as the cellulose source, then you also may include that information in the textile label, for example, by describing the fiber as ‘rayon made from bamboo.’
As a team who’s trying to help bring sustainable practices to the textile industry, we’re pleased that the truth about bamboo is being discussed and it’s eco-friendly image is tarnished. There’s no dispute that bamboo is a great resource for the wood products like flooring or cutting boards. But the expensive, toxic, and wasteful process needed to take course bamboo and make it into a soft fabric is anything but good for the planet.
So, you can help, first, don’t buy bamboo rayon products. Or any kind of rayon product, not only is the process toxic, rayon is not very durable and requires dry cleaning (a topic for another post!). And if you happen to see a retailer claiming their product as bamboo, the FTC would like to know about it. You can report the company online or by phone. 1-877-382-4357. Companies found mislabeling their products face a $16,000 fine per violation.
Robin,
I’d like to make a few corrections to some inaccuracies in your post and to also give you a few facts for consideration.
First, the FTC did not take any action against anyone for claiming any organic status of bamboo textiles. The FTC has not mentioned the word organic and it is not what the action was about.
Since the original action against four companies, the FTC has not ‘litigated several new cases’. They have not taken any additional action until the letter they send out on January 27th.
You state that rayon is not durable and that is requires dry cleaning. That may be true of standard rayon but it is not true of rayon from bamboo.
Have you wondered why the FTC allows the distinction between rayon from bamboo and rayon from any other cellulose source? It is because they are demonstrably different.
The reality is that regenerated cellulose fiber from organically grown bamboo is a very green choice for a textile fiber regardless of what the FTC says.
Our company, Bamboosa, has been manufacturing textiles and apparel IN South Carolina from viscose fiber derived from bamboo for the past five years. I will put the products we make up against anything on the market for the products reduced environmental footprint. Here is why:
• Bamboo is arguably the most sustainable crop in the world. It grows without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, irrigation, and rarely needs replanting
• The farm where the bamboo is grown is certified organic by the OCIA National Organic Program
• The bamboo crops are certified organic under the USDA
• The fiber is produced in a closed loop system that recovers and recycles the majority of the chemicals used
• The plant that produces the fiber has a state of the art water treatment facility that neutralizes the residual chemicals before they are released into the atmosphere
• The fiber itself is certified after production to the Oeko Tex 100 Class 1 standard which stipulates that there are no residual chemicals present in that fiber that could be harmful to human health, including that of babies
• We bring this certified clean fiber to the US where we spin it into yarn, knit it into fabric and then dye it using the lowest impact fiber reactive dyes available for commercial dyeing in the US. The water usage, energy consumption, and required dyestuffs are all reduced, both by the type of dyes as well as the fiber content requiring less dye. Additionally, we follow the Global Organic Textile Standards for all wet processing. (To be clear, our dye facility is not GOTS certified but we follow the GOTS guidelines for allowed chemicals)
• We do not use chlorine, formaldehyde, heavy metals, banned AZO dyestuffs, mordants, flame retardants, anti-curl agents, or ant-static agents on any of our fabrics
• With the exception of the fiber, all of our processing is done in the US under the watchful eyes of the EPA, OSHA, Dept. of Labor, et al.
• A recent study by the Danish EPA shows that between 80 and 95% of the environmental impact of a piece of apparel is sustained after the consumer purchases the product. Laundering and ironing the end product is overwhelmingly more damaging to the environment than the textile processing. Since apparel made using viscose from bamboo can be laundered much, much less, in that regard it is an excellent choice.
• We create US jobs, give back to the community, adhere to best environmental practices, and make an exceptional quality product.
The FTC has grossly distorted the facts in an effort to build a case against bamboo. Bamboo is not totally green and neither is any other textile fiber.
Mo,
Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed post. I do wish more manufacturers were as careful as you are with their processing. But we know that’s not the case, especially overseas.
We’ll keep a close eye on how this all develops and do hope rayon can become a more sustainable fabric. I promise to publish updates as new information comes available.