FTC Says Bamboo Fabric Should Be Labeled Viscose Or Rayon

The Wall Street Journal published an article today titled "Picking Apart Bamboo Couture." It states that four apparel manufacturers are being sued by the FTC for claiming that their bamboo fabric is "natural", "biodegradable," and "antimicrobial," when in actuality, the process used to make bamboo into fabric utilizes toxic chemicals and the end product is neither biodegradable nor antimicrobial (two qualities that bamboo has in its natural state).

That's a big disappointment, but I find it encouraging that folks are investigating uses for bamboo given how easy it is to grow it.