“Have You Been Bamboozled by Bamboo Fabrics?”  This is the title of a recent consumer alert by the US’s Federal Trade Commission.

The charge is basically one of greenwashing – of exaggerated or untruthful eco-friendly claims in marketing.

The FTC alerts points out the following:

1) “Soft ‘bamboo’ fabrics on the market are rayon.”  In other words, bamboo doesn’t easily break down into handy fibers that can then be easily woven into nice soft textiles.  Rather, they are man-made fibers produced with ”toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air.”  (More on bamboo textiles here.)

2) Claims are being made that rayon made from bamboo has antimicrobial properties.  The FTC says there is no evidence for this.

3) Companies that claims a fiber is made from bamboo should have it verified through scientific testing, since it’s otherwise not possible to tell the original plant source.

Source:  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt160.shtm