Process — How fabric and clothing are made from bamboo

The diagram shows the nine stages by which bamboo plants are converted first into fabric and then into finished clothing.

Overall, the process falls into two distinct phases: the raw bamboo is broken down into thread in the first five stages, after which the thread passes through a conventional textile phase of weaving, dyeing and sewing. Remarkably, the raw material itself is ready in only about three years.

In the first stage bamboo is grown, reaching its full height within roughly three years. The mature plants are then cut down and chipped into small pieces, and these chips are soaked in a chemical solution which softens them. Next, the softened chips are crushed so that the natural fibres can be pulled out, and in the fifth stage those fibres are spun into yarn.

The second phase turns this yarn into clothing. The yarn is woven into fabric on looms, and the fabric is then dyed whatever colour is required. In the eighth stage the dyed cloth is cut and sewn into garments, and finally the finished clothing is distributed to shops. From plant to shop rail, therefore, the bamboo passes through a chemical, a mechanical and a textile stage in turn.