We’ve been trained to look for bamboo on the label when we’re trying to buy eco-friendly clothing, but it’s no secret that the textile has a downside. It’s not easy to get stalks of the hardy plant (technically a grass) to switch from coarse wood to soft fabric and sometimes the process that takes it there can make it as un-environmentally friendly as any other conventional textile. In fact, the chemical treatment that bamboo undergoes to get from forest to t-shirt is sometimes so extreme that the Federal Trade Commission has started cracking down on companies who label their items as made from bamboo fiber because by the time they reach a fabric stage, there’s very little of the original bamboo left.

Confused? It’s understandable; after all, the FTC is basically charging companies with false advertising for listing their bamboo clothing as made from bamboo. What the government watchdog wants, however, is for the companies to begin labeling bamboo items as rayon made from bamboo instead of 100% bamboo fiber, which is a different thing altogether (and usually distinguishable by its rougher feel).

While every eco-consumer should be pleased to see that the FTC is on the lookout for greenwashing, their Consumer Alert on of bamboo almost makes you think that bamboo is one of the worst fabrics you could be buying (you can read it here), and that’s not always the case. Although rayon made from bamboo has often been subjected to countless chemical treatments to get it to that state (and subjected our environment to some chemicals, too), such is the case with almost all rayons, and choosing one made from bamboo will at least mean that the plant itself was sustainable and grown without the need for heavy pesticides. Plus, not all bamboo clothing you buy is comprised of rayon made from bamboo.

To buy the greenest bamboo clothing available, look for items that contain tencel made from bamboo (tencel is made from wood pulp and requires less chemical treatment), and buy from brands that have always been environmentally-geared and open about where and how they source materials—a bamboo shirt from your local big box is likely to contain very little bamboo in relation to cotton and will probably be made of rayon from bamboo.

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