Does Bamboo Absorb CO2? The Climate Accounts Explained
Short answer: Bamboo takes up CO2 as it grows, as all plants do. Because it grows fast, a bamboo plantation takes up more per year than a slow growing forest does. But the accounting does not end at the plant, and that is where most figures become misleading.
What the plant does
All plants bind carbon from the air as they grow and release it again when they rot or are burned. Bamboo binds a lot per year, because it adds large mass in a short time and because the root network stays in the ground after harvest.
The root network counts
When a bamboo stem is cut, the roots stay in the ground and send up new shoots. There is therefore no period where the soil lies bare, and the carbon bound in the root network stays where it is rather than escaping.
Where the accounting turns
The route from plant to fabric uses energy and chemicals. In viscose production the cellulose is dissolved chemically, and that requires heat and electricity. If that electricity comes from coal, a fabric from a fast growing plant can carry a heavier total load.
Why figures are difficult
A figure for a single garment depends on where the factory is, how the electricity is produced and how far the goods have travelled. Two T-shirts in the same fibre can therefore have widely different figures, with the fibre having nothing to do with it.
What you can look for
You can look at whether the production is certified and whether the forest or plantation is too. See FSC for the items where the plantation follows a forestry standard, and read what the certificate covers rather than trusting a word on the front.
What certificates do not cover
A forestry certificate says something about how the plantation is run and nothing about how the fibre was made afterwards. The two have to be judged separately, and a label in one area says nothing about the other.
What actually counts most
What counts most in the accounting for a garment is how many times it gets worn. A garment worn three hundred times has a completely different figure per wear than one worn ten times and put away.
That is why care is relevant
Washing at 30 degrees, no tumble drying and no fabric softener extend a garment's life markedly. That is the single thing a buyer can do themselves, and it moves more than the choice between two fibres does.
Our range
See bamboo clothing for women and bamboo for men, where the material composition is listed on every item. That is the information that can be compared across products, and it is always in the same place. See also the guide to bamboo viscose and the environment and why bamboo is cheaper in the long run.
Frequently asked questions
Does bamboo take up more CO2 than trees?
Per year, yes, because it grows faster. But a total account depends as much on production as on the plant.
Is bamboo clothing better for the climate than cotton?
It depends on the factory and the energy behind it. The fibre alone does not decide it, and figures for two garments can differ widely.
What can I do myself?
Wear the garment many times and wash it gently. The number of wears moves more than the choice between two fibres does.
You can find the full range at Bamboo-Clothing.com.
