Fellow South Carolinian business partner Bamboosa have been under scrutiny recently with regards to the labeling of their bamboo products. Bamboosa make an awesome line of clothing and accessories with bamboo fiber. I am a big fan and wearer of their bamboo clothing and Samantharoma sells their awesome washcloths. Since the beginning of our business relationship, I was pleased to be using a crop that is renewable and, in Bamboosa’s case, ethically produced and organic. Their bamboo is organically cultivated and harvested in China and made into bamboo “fiber.” According to Morris Saintsing (Mo), one of the owners of Bamboosa, this process involves the use of caustic soda (the same lye we use in our soaps) which acts as a catalyst that produces the yarn. Just like our soap, there is no remaining chemical left in the finished product – it burns off in the process.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has decided to take action against Bamboosa and three other small textile companies accusing them of “green washing.’ This is highly offensive to a company like Bamboosa who are actually taking a renewable resource and turning into a replacement for its synthetic counterparts. Not so, say the FTC. They mandate that Bamboosa must label their product “viscose made from bamboo”. If you have bought a washcloth in the last year, it will bear the new label. Not so terrible except it doesn’t end there. The FTC have also demanded that Bamboosa prove their “antibacterial” claim stating that although bamboo is naturally antibacterial, the chemical change caused in producing the yarn negates the antibacterial affect. Kind of like cooking all the good stuff out of fruit and veggies.
However…if you have ever worn bamboo socks or clothing you will be able to vouch for the fact that they help reduce body odor. They are very effective at wicking moisture and regulating temperature. Both of those help with body odor but we can no longer say that our washcloths are antibacterial. Bamboosa has conducted testing that shows that bacteria is less likely to grow on bamboo (sorry viscose MADE from bamboo) compared to cotton and synthetic counterparts but this was inconclusive as far as the FTC were concerned. Mo has assured me that they will continue to fight on but this where you can come in. If you have used our (Bamboosa’s washcloths) and would like to post a comment to the FTC, please follow this link: https://public.commentworks.com/ftc/D9340/
You can read the FTC press release here: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/bamboosa.shtm
You can also visit Bamboosa blog at: http://bamboosa.com/blog/
We will continue to sell our Bamboo Washcloths – without the claim that they are antibacterial even though bacteria cultures did not grow on them – and we’ll keep you posted on any updates!
-Samantha
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has decided to take action against Bamboosa and three other small textile companies accusing them of “green washing.’ This is highly offensive to a company like Bamboosa who are actually taking a renewable resource and turning into a replacement for its synthetic counterparts. Not so, say the FTC. They mandate that Bamboosa must label their product “viscose made from bamboo”. If you have bought a washcloth in the last year, it will bear the new label. Not so terrible except it doesn’t end there. The FTC have also demanded that Bamboosa prove their “antibacterial” claim stating that although bamboo is naturally antibacterial, the chemical change caused in producing the yarn negates the antibacterial affect. Kind of like cooking all the good stuff out of fruit and veggies.
However…if you have ever worn bamboo socks or clothing you will be able to vouch for the fact that they help reduce body odor. They are very effective at wicking moisture and regulating temperature. Both of those help with body odor but we can no longer say that our washcloths are antibacterial. Bamboosa has conducted testing that shows that bacteria is less likely to grow on bamboo (sorry viscose MADE from bamboo) compared to cotton and synthetic counterparts but this was inconclusive as far as the FTC were concerned. Mo has assured me that they will continue to fight on but this where you can come in. If you have used our (Bamboosa’s washcloths) and would like to post a comment to the FTC, please follow this link: https://public.commentworks.com/ftc/D9340/
You can read the FTC press release here: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/bamboosa.shtm
You can also visit Bamboosa blog at: http://bamboosa.com/blog/
We will continue to sell our Bamboo Washcloths – without the claim that they are antibacterial even though bacteria cultures did not grow on them – and we’ll keep you posted on any updates!
-Samantha
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