Not So Fast: Bamboo May Be The New Luxury, But It’s Not Necessarily Eco-Friendly

The Wall Street Journal reports that bamboo is taking off as both an eco-friendly fiber and a luxury fabric, but that might be a specious reputation.  There’s an argument surrounding the bamboo fabric itself – while the plant grows easily, without irrigation or pesticides, the cloth has been created by chemists, and the process of its creation uses toxins that release pollutants into the air.

Well, that sounds terrible to us. Luckily, organic cotton can be counted on to feel good and be produced far more naturally.  It’s also easy to find – Norma Kamali even uses it in her Walmart line, as with this fun striped henley.  We’re pretty partial, in general, to scoring eco-friendly comfortable basics – we also love this organic cotton dress from Athleta (which conveniently comes in five colors).

You can also one-up organic cotton with a hemp alternative (we promise it’s not as crunchy as it sounds).  Eileen Fisher’s tunic is pretty and made from eco-friendly Italian hemp, and this water jewel blouse has of-the-moment cut outs and is crafted from organic hemp.

Once you’ve got the eco-friendly ball rolling, keep it going with a reusable grocery tote, eco-friendly shoes and handbags, and of course, eco-friendly underwear.