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Are there any retailers selling clothes made out of naturally processed bamboo fibre, not the viscose/rayon (see here) method? I am talking of the alternative proposed in this answer:

Apparently bamboo can also be processed into "bamboo linen", i.e. using the same process as with flax or hemp. One commercial producer of bamboo linen is Litrax. Its bamboo linens are described/advertised on textileworld.com. The processing, however, uses "fine-tuned enzymatic cocktails", as is to be expected.

At this page, more information on the method used by Litrax can be found. From the same page:

the typical rayon production process used for most manufactured fiber derived from bamboo uses caustic chemicals whose emissions can harm not only factory workers but also the environment when not properly controlled within the factory. And the resulting fiber — whether processed using the rayon process or a closed-loop, eco-friendly, modified lyocell process — does not resemble bamboo at all in its original form. In addition, widespread claims that the fiber offers antimicrobial properties cannot be substantiated, and its biodegradability has been questioned because it does not break down within a reasonably short time after disposal in a landfill or in a recycling scenario.

However, Litrax seems to produce only yarns and fibres, and doesn't sell any clothing itself. In my case, I am looking for something that can be purchasable commercially, but can't find any sources.

Specifically I'm most interested in availability to the UK, including online.

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  • I can't see any mention of such natural fibres on the Litrax site... I did find a retailer that looked like it previously stocked such a yarn product, but it's no longer available. Perhaps they've changed their business to only produce synthetics? The "Litrax-1" fibre mentioned in the article is certainly not listed on the Litrax site amongst the other fibres. Commented Jul 20, 2016 at 9:53
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    The Wikipedia article on Bamboo textile mentions Litrax, but also a Chinese company called Hebei Jigao Chemical Fiber Company. Maybe you can contact them and ask for companies using their material.
    – user2451
    Commented Jul 20, 2016 at 18:56
  • Another company worth investigating could be SwicoFil. I found these two Googling specifically for clothing from bamboo yarn
    – user2451
    Commented Jul 20, 2016 at 18:57

1 Answer 1

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Positive Outlook are based in Coventry and produce bamboo fibre clothing, and they also advertise that they use "ethical manufacturers". Can't find any mention of what method they use though or who the manufacturers/suppliers are.

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    Hello and welcome! Are you associated with Positive Outlook? If so you'll need to disclose that.
    – LShaver
    Commented Jan 10, 2020 at 15:29
  • No, simply purchased from them in the past
    – Kyle Jones
    Commented Jan 13, 2020 at 12:27

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