Peckish

Rumor?

Okay, here's the body of the article I wrote about bamboo batting. Read it carefully, investigate the links, and feel free to then draw your own conclusions. I personally could not care less what other people use for batting, but if it's important to you, please base your decision on more than just a "rumor".

What kind of batting to use is a decision that a lot of quilters have difficulty with. There are so many variables to consider, so many different products to choose from. Poly, cotton and wool are well known, tested, and documented. It’s looking as if that’s not the case with bamboo.


Lots of quilters got excited when the new bamboo battings came on the market. They were reported to be a sustainable, environmentally friendly and rapidly growing crop with antimicrobial properties, grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers. For quilters looking to minimize their impact on the environment, their exposure to chemicals, and be “green”, this seemed like a dream come true.


However, the Federal Trade Commission has quite a different story. They want consumers to know that while bamboo does grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides and has found excellent uses in hard products like flooring and furniture, the soft bamboo textiles such as sheets, shirts, and batting are actually rayon, which is not an environmentally friendly product.


Going green is appealing to many people. But it’s difficult to go green if we don’t know the truth about the products we’re using. In fact, it can be detrimental to the life of our quilts.

I found an article on the web that discusses good vs. bad bamboo and how to tell the difference. In summary, bamboo is either processed chemically, which is harmful to the environment and the people processing it, or it's processed mechanically, which makes it organic and “green” but is very labor-intensive and actually costs more than chemical processing. Scroll halfway down the page for a short list of things to check when you’re considering purchasing bamboo batting.



Until further analysis and verification can be documented about bamboo (and labeling rules and laws are changed), it might be wise to stick with standards like wool and organic cotton battings that have been tested, confirmed and are widely available.


http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...ts/alt160.shtm

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5538.html

http://ecovillagegreen.com/2009/02/i...ndly-material/
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_...-facts-be.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon
http://www.awakenedaesthetic.com/201...s-your-bamboo/