The advantages you can get from bamboo can be found even before it is processed and will last well after you have obtained your bamboo pillow, bedding, or clothing. On the other hand, cotton has long been known as the ideal fabric for anything that should touch the skin. Although choice cotton has indeed great and extraordinary benefits, the innate merits that make bamboo better can match these advantages any time, which even premium cottons can’t go up against.
In this article, we discuss what takes place over the course of the development of both these well-known materials so that you can decide for yourself which is the greener option.
Eco-Friendly Growth
Over the past years, more and more businesses and households are aiming at going green. Because of this craze, people now see what makes bamboo better as the most ecologically beneficial material for the production of fabrics. Thus, from the very start, bamboo is already been a gift for the ecosystem.
Shoots Up Fast
Compared to cotton, bamboo matures very rapidly, growing up to 120 centimetres per day – thus the raw material requirement can be filled much faster than what can be produced by a cotton plantation. Bamboo is a highly sustainable material. In comparison to cotton, it can generate much more fibre per acre of land, and replanting is not always necessary after it has been harvested. This leads to another advantage – it does away with the need to turn over the soil using gas-guzzling tractors to prepare it for new seedlings.
Saves Water
Bamboo once again outdoes cotton during the growing process. It is a misconception that because bamboo is known to absorb more water that it also needs to drink a lot of it. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Because of bamboo’s ability to absorb water, it takes only about a third of the amount of water that would be used to properly irrigate a cotton plantation. To specifically demonstrate, in order to make a single cotton T-shirt, a farmer would need to grow a crop of cotton that uses up to 2,700 litres of water. Bamboo is considered to be highly viable and therefore the most sought-after option in place of cotton.
Completely Organic
In order to properly nourish plants, fertilisers are needed. In growing cotton plant, a farmer would need good fertiliser in order to deliver quality cotton. On the other hand, bamboo develops long and strong all by itself. There is also organically grown cotton, but the expenses of generating a crop where only natural pesticides and fertilisers are used increases consumer costs beyond normal tolerance levels.
Another major problem that all farmers deal with is pests, and cotton is one of those crops that invite many different damaging insects. Cotton is known as the most pesticide-intensive plant to grow. Most cotton plantations use harsh chemical pesticides aside from the chemical fertilisers that are already used on the cotton plants, making cotton farming exceedingly dangerous to the environment. What’s more, these toxic substances can be passed on to consumers as they remain in and on the fibres. Conversely, bamboo has no natural pests because it has a self-produced organic pest repelling element.
Cleans the Air
One benefit of bamboo that is often missed is that the bamboo plant takes in more carbon dioxide from the air than a cotton plant can, and consequently, releases more oxygen into the air. Because of this, the quality of the air is greatly improved as it grows, which is a much needed requirement especially in these times of rising industrial pollution.
Returns Safely
For the finale, bamboo, recognised as the most organic fabric available on the market, is completely biodegradable. When it has reached the end of its lengthy life, it can be easily and safely returned to the environment. Its course of decay does not generate any pollution at all, and is moreover beneficial to the soil.
Summary
Once again here are the benefits that make bamboo better than cotton:
- To grow, bamboo needs a third the amount of water – a non-renewable resource that is important to our survival
- It also does not need chemical fertilisers or pesticides that poison the soil and water table
- Bamboo even cleans the air that has been polluted by chemical sprays and exhaust from industrial factories
Put simply, it’s completely benign existence – leaving no harmful effects from its beginning up to the very end – makes bamboo better than cotton by far.