Natural Bamboo Textile Fibres

After years of research, it became possible to obtain spinnable natural fibres from bamboo. 

The emphasis here is on natural fibres. This new material should not be confused with the products that have been sold for years under the name “bamboo fibre”. Conventional “bamboo fibres” are actually nothing more than viscose made from bamboo cellulose instead of wood pulp. The new natural bamboo fibre, however, is extracted directly from the bamboo stalk without any chemical modification. The task of breaking down the bamboo is left to those who have been doing it for billions of years – bacteria. When bamboo decomposes in nature, a wide variety of bacteria and fungi begin to break down the material. Together, they digest all of the woody components until, after a few weeks, only a small amount of humus remains. While highly effective, this process does not produce the desired result.
Fortunately, each type of microorganism prefers a different component of the bamboo. Even bacteria have their own preferences. This led to the idea of guiding the natural decomposition process. The first step was to identify which bacterial species are involved in the decomposition of bamboo. Researchers discovered 28 different species from four families, all working together to transform solid bamboo stalks into dust. A research paper on this process can be found here. By controlling the conditions inside closed containers, it became possible to encourage the growth of certain bacterial species while limiting others. This allowed the decomposition process to be directed in a way that preserved the desired fibres. 

For as long as it was available, we used this exceptional yarn—a blend of bamboo, merino wool and silk—in a number of our woven baby wraps. The resulting carriers and wraps were appreciated for their wonderfully soft feel and their excellent temperature-regulating properties. Unfortunately, yarns later marketed as “pure bamboo” consistently turned out to be viscose. As the manufacturing process is fundamentally different, we consciously chose not to use these materials.