We have talked about the "Bamboo underwear Trend" previously in our blog, along with the misconception on the “eco-friendly” marketing message that particular bamboo brands continue with. 

Contrary to these marketing claims & opinions, bamboo fibre used in industrial textile production is not considered a natural fibre. 

Let's debunk some of those claims!

GOTS - the highest standards and certification for organic textiles makes the following statement: 

“For almost all bamboo fibre used in industrial textile production not the natural bamboo is used but it is melted and regenerated in a viscose/rayon process and can therefore not be considered as natural or even organic fibre, even if the bamboo plant was originally certified organic on the field.”

In 2010, the Canadian Competition Bureau ordered manufacturers to remove the “eco-friendly” label from textiles made from bamboo cellulose because it was misleading to consumers. International textile labelling regulations and the Federal Trade Commission has so far fined major retailers over US$2.5 million for misleading consumers by calling it bamboo (see the FTC’s specific wording below).

The FTC states: “the soft textiles you see labeled ‘bamboo’ don’t contain any part of the bamboo plant. They are made from bamboo that has been processed into rayon using toxic chemicals. When bamboo is processed into rayon, no trace of the original plant is left.”

In summary the fabric used to make clothing “from bamboo” is not natural and cannot be claimed as eco-friendly. The processing in itself requires several chemicals to be used - that are not only harmful to the environment but also the workers and the us, consumers who wear it. 

Any fabric (synthetic or natural) may be treated with chemicals such as fire retardants (bamboo rayon is particularly flammable so often is), formaldehyde to prevent wrinkling, and dyes.  This is another element to take into account when “bamboo fabric” is being promoted as an eco-friendly material.  These chemicals are bonded to the fibres.

Bamboo or the derivatives of bamboo like Rayon and Viscose are often cited as a perfect example of fabric that is “greenwashed”.

This article has some graphic detail about the potential hazards of the rayon process, the deforestation being caused for its production, and how major fashion houses are being pressured to clean up their supply chains.

It’s also why there are no rayon producers in the U.S. It’s too toxic to comply with the EPA’s standards – workers are at high risk of insanity, nerve damage, heart disease, and stroke. And that’s inside the factory. Once you have a factory dumping these chemicals into the waterway, the whole community can be poisoned.

In China, there’s abundant evidence of rayon production poisoning workers and the local bodies of water, even turning a lake black. In India, a plant is dumping into a tributary to the Ganges, poisoning local families, causing the mental faculties of children to degenerate before they reach their teens. (Rayon has been washed multiple times and is safe by the time it reaches consumers.)

Many brands have taken a stance against rayon fabric. Patagonia, is one of them. In their own words this is why they do not use rayon fabric:

…cellulose material (such as bamboo) is dissolved in a strong solvent to make a thick, viscous solution that is forced through a spinneret into a quenching solution where strands solidify into fiber. This is sometimes called hydrolysis alkalization or solution spinning because the fiber is “spun” in a chemical solution. The solvent used for this process is carbon disulfide, a toxic chemical that is a known human reproductive hazard. It can endanger factory workers and pollute the environment via air emissions and wastewater. The recovery of this solvent in most viscose factories is around 50%, which means that the other half goes into the environment. Other potentially hazardous chemicals are also used in the viscose process, including sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid. Because of these environmental issues, Patagonia does not use rayon fabric or bamboo fabric made by the viscose process.

So don't just take our word for it, instead consider the words of industry professionals on a far larger scale than Reer Endz, when they tell you Bamboo is not eco-friendly.

The choice is ultimately yours, just remember underwear is the one garment that gets closer than any other to your most private regions...do you want to risk it? 

If not make the choice of organic cotton men's undies, Reer Endz is better for you and better for our planet.

.SHOP ORGANIC COTTON UNDIES.