At first, we were just trying to make clothes that would feel amazing…
… then I thought I was trying to lower my carbon footprint. Now I know I am fighting in a race against climate change.
Tom Hole,
founder of Cariki and constantly developing environmentalist.
The cellulose is then dried, pressed, crushed and left to evaporate before being added to a solution and forced through a spinneret.
This acts as a nozzle, funnelling the cellulose into fine fibres that can be woven into fabric. A small percentage of certified organic cotton is added to make this incredibly soft fabric more durable.
Like many alternative sustainable fabrics, bamboo has its drawbacks. The process required to turn bamboo shoots into fabric demands heavy mechanical and chemical processing in the factory.
To mitigate this, these facilities are powered by renewable energy and use waste recapture systems to recycle as much waste product as possible.
Other factors must be considered to fully gage the environmental credentials of a product, such as impact on the local environment, social impact, transport costs, durability, biodegradability and recyclability. These are all areas that Cariki tries to focus on during the production of its bamboo items.
Sustainable Growth Crop
Bamboo is the fastest growing wood crop in the world, producing incredibly high yield outputs with low resource input. It requires low water, no chemicals and limited space compared to cotton.
Ultra-Soft Fabric
Bamboo clothing is to cotton what cashmere is to wool, a luxuriously soft feel that lightly glides over your skin.
Performance
Moisture wick and thermo-regulatory properties makes this item suitable for almost every environment, keeping skin comfortable and dry.
Fast Growth Crop
Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world, requiring less time to produce high yields.
Removes CO2 from the air
Bamboo consumes large volumes of carbon dioxide and in return produces clean air for us to breath. Bamboo forests are so dense that they produce up to 30% more oxygen per hectare than trees and can sequester 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air.
Requires less Energy to Grow
Compared to similar trees and plants used to produce fibres, bamboo plantations require very little energy to maintain.
Reclaims Land
Unlike cotton, which can often lead to the degradation of the soil, bamboo can in a very short time reclaim land destroyed by overgrazing and overbuilding and in the process clean the soil of toxins.
Reduced Space
Bamboo’s high yield nature means that the same volume of material can be produced from under 10% of the land when compared to cotton.
Organic
Bamboo requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides to be added in the fields, helping prevent local ecological and environmental damage.
Decreased water consumption
Bamboo is much less water intensive than cotton, causing less water pressure in areas which are typically prone to drought.
Bamboo is a grass
Bamboo can be cut rather than uprooted when harvested, helping prevent soil erosion associated with the harvesting of cotton across the globe.
100% Biodegradable
Bamboo clothing is 100% biodegradable and will revert back to nature, leaving none of the chemicals in the ground associated with synthetic materials.