What are the environmental impacts of bamboo fiber?

Bamboo is a cellulosic and biodegradable fiber when produced through the method of mechanical processing however since the cost of production involved in chemical processing of bamboo fiber is quite low it is the most commonly used method in the textile industry. The mechanical method certainly has certain disadvantages such as the process is time-consuming and less productive.

One of the advantages of bamboo cultivation is that it has the ability to absorb five times more carbon and produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent strand of trees.

Chemical processing as discussed above involves the use of a large amount of chemicals that are harmful to the environment such as carbon disulphide and sodium hydroxide, which can introduce pollutants into the environment via side reactions in processing. Thus, the chemical processing method is not environmentally friendly.