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.
