Viscose: Villian or Victor
The fashion world is front and center when referencing sustainability and the human contribution to environmental mayhem. Now more than ever is the consumer aware of the phraseology of choice between an eco-friendly fabric, a re-used fabric, or a circularly sustainable fabric. We know that nylon/poly are plastics, yet we are fine with wearing them. Viscose was a wonder fabric until we found out that we needed to use carbon disulfide in the manufacturing process of the pulp. Where do we stand now?
NYLON/POLYESTER is now consumed in the circular sustainability initiative. We were shown pictures of turtle caught in a sport bra or the inside of a fish’s belly with all the microplastics it eats with no nutrients. The industry has created ways of gathering up the discarded materials from “ocean” islands and treating them with chemicals to break them down and create more fabric from nylon and polyester. While it is better to re-cycle and re-use our plastic waste is it still okay to be wearing clothes that do not breathe and use harsh chemicals in order to dye them favorable colors. We need to ask ourselves if it is necessary to use only these fabrics in our high compression active and streetwear, might there exist, something better.
Enter viscose and for our purposes, we’ll use the pulp from bamboo. Years back we recognized that the chemical solvent used to breakdown bamboo was harmful if not disposed of, handled, or re-used of properly. This gave bamboo and some other tree bark a bad wrap because the effort to close the loop during the process of the viscose pulp was just not happening. The GREAT NEWS is that we are there! The loop has been closed and the chemicals used for the process of creating viscose pulp are now handled properly, recovered, re-used, and fully contained environmentally. Thus, allowing the bamboo plant to stand tall once again contributing to our carbon footprint like no other plant in the universe.
Bamboo’s natural attributes are strength, durability, thermo-regulation, and flexibility, along with its’ inherent compression. It breathes and wicks moisture into the air and away from our skin. Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that requires no fertilizer, fungicides or pesticides and it requires hardly any water or irrigation at all. We clearly have a winner here!
Choose OSHәN fabrics as victor!