Boost for bamboo

Researchers from Colorado State University (CSU) have discovered a way of making bamboo fabric that is resistant to the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation and has anti-bacterial properties.

Widely available in Japan, China, India and other countries, bamboo fabric is soft, durable and elastic. It hangs as gracefully as silk, and has an attractive, lustrous sheen. A leading option in the so-called 'ethically produced' clothing market, bamboo is one of the world’s fastest growing plants, reaching maturity in about three to four years.

'Bamboo is environmentally friendly,' said CSU's Subhash Appidi. 'Pesticides and other agents are necessary to grow most other natural fibres - there is nothing like that in bamboo production.'

But despite bamboo’s promise as an environmentally friendly fibre, Appidi said untreated bamboo fabric has plenty of room for improvement. Raw bamboo fabric lets almost all damaging UV radiation pass through and reach the skin. And while many tout bamboo’s inherent anti-bacterial properties, Appidi found that untreated bamboo fabric did not live up to antimicrobial expectations.