Greenyarn, a Boston firm developing advanced fabrics for consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives to conventional materials, has developed a deodorizing fabric made from bamboo. The company has scaled up production of this material which it has named “Eco-fabric,” and is now supplies it to the Asian and American fabric and garment markets.
The active ingredient of Eco-fabric are nano-particles of bamboo charcoal, made from the Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens), the world's most porous bamboo grown in the Jhushan “Bamboo Mountain” region of Taiwan.
The bamboo contains many pores in its structure, making it excellent for absorbing odor-causing chemicals, controlling temperature, and voiding moisture - and a good fabric for footwear or undergarments. The bamboo is also naturally biocidal, and inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungii.
Eco-fabric's properties makes a wide range of new products possible. Over the past six months Greenyarn has developed deodorizing socks, anti-fungal insoles, and deep cleansing facial masks.
Under development are temperature adapting polo shirts, ultra-thin jacket liners, and stress-reducing baby blankets. "We found that the activated particles in Eco-fabric prevent static build up, and static build up causes stress," said Ben Wiley, Greenyarn's US accounts manager.
"We are trying to develop a baby blanket that prevents nightmares."