The environmental and human impact of the textile industry is well-documented, leaving consumers looking for options that they can feel good about. Cariloha aims to make the decision-making process easier with a line of bed, bath and apparel products made from sustainable natural materials.
Not only does Cariloha use fast-growing and sustainably farmed bamboo as its primary material, but the company also ensures it meets Cariloha standards by owning and running the official Cariloha Bamboo Farm in an area that encompasses 10 square miles in the green hills of the Sichuan Province in China. In total, the farm produces around 61 million trees each year, which equals about 14,000 tons of harvested bamboo. All trees are organically grown with zero pesticides.
Bamboo is considered a sustainable product because of the speed at which it grows — up to four feet per day once established. It’s also used for soil stabilization to counter erosion. Like all plants, bamboo helps to filter carbon out of the air and releases oxygen back into the environment as it grows. In addition, farmed bamboo doesn’t affect the natural bamboo animals rely on, so they are not impacted by the production. Each bamboo stalk is turned into enough material to make either five t-shirts, three pairs of men’s boxers, one top sheet or 20 socks.
Once the bamboo is harvested, it’s manufactured into bamboo fiber in China’s Hebei province. From there, the fiber is woven and spun into yarn all over the world, with fair trade partners in the U.S., Turkey, Mexico, India and China.
Carihola believes making quality products is the solution to fast fashion waste. However, when the shirts, sleepwear, socks, masks, towels and bedding do reach landfills, bamboo is a naturally biodegradable fiber that releases no harmful chemical waste as it breaks down.
“Since the launch of the brand in 2007, our mission has been to empower everyone to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle without compromising luxury and comfort,” said Jeff Pedersen, CEO and founder of Cariloha. “With our expanded availability, sustainable and luxurious bedding products have never been more accessible.”
Cariloha luxury textiles use organic, sustainable bamboo [Inhabitat]