10 Best Bamboo Towels Ethical and Sustainable Bamboo Towels

Phew! Looking for the best bamboo towels is one thing, and searching for ethical, sustainable bamboo towels is far from easy. If it’s not greenwashing, it’s a whole lotta misleading advertising. Did you know that not all bamboo is worker and environmentally friendly? That’s right. Many bamboo towels are actually “rayon made from bamboo,” which is neither “bamboo fiber” nor ethical or sustainable. And guess what! The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on it.

Ethically sourced and manufactured bamboo fiber towels are more expensive, so you can generally tell what you’re getting by the price tag. But that’s not always the case, so you’ve got to pay attention to product labeling. Still, it would be much easier if the manufacturer didn’t expect the consumer to hunt for the information in the crevices of their website.

In this article, we’ll give you 10 Ethical and Sustainable bamboo towels to choose from. Then we dive into what actually makes bamboo fabric ethical, and how it can also be a bad choice depending on the manufacturer.

Keep in mind, processing and manufacturing bamboo plants are often in places where people are poor, overworked, marginalized, and work for pennies on the dollar. When manufacturers have depleted a community’s resources by polluting their drinking water and farming land, then what?

10 Best Bamboo Towels: Reviews of the Brands & Products

1. Pangea Bamboo Outdoor Towel

Pangea: We are organizing cleanups around the world. | Absorbency: Absorbs 3x More Water | Material: 100% Biodegradable Bamboo Fiber | Size: Standard 27” x 47”

Pangea has created a potentially carbon-negative towel with complete cradle-to-grave thinking. There’s no plastic; it’s made from 100% bamboo fibers, and the packaging is biodegradable or compostable, but that’s not what makes it carbon negative. Every towel purchased goes towards sustainable river clean-up. Every $10 earned results in “2 lbs. of trash [removed] from the ocean and 2lbs worth of carbon [removed] from our atmosphere.”

Past successes have shown that they can effectively persuade people to support the mission as they’ve already held 26 clean-ups with over 900 volunteers. Now, Pangea aims to install river barriers on the worst polluted rivers in the world to catch plastic before it enters the ocean. The first and primary goal is to clean up the Citarum river in Indonesia, trapping 40 tons of waste annually.

2. Bamboa Ultra Soft 2-Piece Bamboo Towel Set

Bamboa: Sustainably resourced bamboo. | Softness: Ultra Soft | Absorbency: Highly Water Absorbent | Material: 100% Bamboo Fiber | Size: 2-piece Set

Women-owned Bamboa was founded with the hopes of promoting ethically sourced and sustainable materials for the home. A portion of their proceeds goes to The Grow Bamboo Initiative, which aims to fight climate change and empower communities and their economies.

Their towels are made from 100% bamboo fiber and are more robust and more durable than cotton. There are no zero pesticides used in the growing of bamboo to make these towels, and they’re entirely biodegradable. 

Best Bamboo Hair Towel

3. Ettitude Waffle Hair Towel

Ettitude: Soft on your skin. Gentle on our planet | Softness: Luxuriously soft | Absorbency: More absorbent than traditional towels | Material: 100% Clean Bamboo™ | Size: N/A

Ettitude bamboo towels are made from 100% Organic Bamboo Lyocell CleanBamboo™ in a closed-loop processing system, which captures any chemicals needed to process bamboo and cuts down water use. Their towels are moisture-wicking, hypoallergenic, so they’re great on sensitive skin. Plus, the waffle design cuts down on frizz and friction, which is something ordinary towels create.

To find out more about their manufacturing, DEI, activism, and end-of-life solutions for their products, check out their Impact Report.

Reviewers Like: Soft, lovely; Hair dries better than with microfiber

4. Kitsch Eco-Friendly Hair Towel.

Kitsch: Kitsch is evolving your everyday essentials. | Softness: Luxuriously Soft | Absorbency: Highly | Material: Organic Cotton and Bamboo** | Size: N/A

Kitsch towels are made from organic cotton and bamboo. They are branded as eco-friendly, chemical-free, and biodegradable, yet the manufacturer doesn’t define the bamboo material used. And as you already know, chemical-free fabric represents the end of the manufacturing process but doesn’t clue the consumer in about a closed-loop system. 

**Full disclosure. The manufacturer of these bamboo beach towels does not disclose whether the bamboo is fiber or rayon. So, why did I choose it? The elastic band makes it an ideal starter hair towel for kids or anyone else with ability concerns. If it’s slightly oversized, just give it a few extra twists. 

Reviewers Like: Amazing quality, soft material; Tames and reduces frizz

Best Bamboo Beach Towels

5. Slate and Salt Navy Bamboo Tie Dye Turkish Towel

Slate and Salt: Ethical Goods for the Global Home | Absorbency: Absorbent, Quick Drying | Materials: 70% Turkish Cotton, 30% Bamboo** | Size: 39” x 70”

The Slate and Salt Navy Bamboo Tie Dye Turkish Towel come from the Denizli Turkey Co-op. In our recent article, “The Buzz on Fair Trade Chocolate Part II,” we discussed the power of cooperatives. They have greater access to funding, improve education in their community schools, and, best, women often find (generally) support structures as farmers and business owners. 

The towel itself is versatile. Use it as a beach towel, beach blanket, or wrap it around you and use it as a sarong. The Denizli Turkey Co-op prides itself on traditional looming and manual craftsmanship, so you know you’re buying a quality item made with generational knowledge.

**Full disclosure. The manufacturer of these bamboo beach towels does not disclose whether the bamboo is fiber or rayon.  

6. The Loomia Zebrine No. 2

The Loomia: Ethically Made Textiles | Softness: Gets Softer with Every Wash | Absorbency: Absorbent | Material: 50% Bamboo**, 50% Turkish Cotton | Size: Family Pack of 4 Towels | Cost: 92

Loomia is a family-run business located near Mount Pleasant, NC. They started back home in Turkey with the hopes of bringing Turkish textiles to the world. Their online business was very successful, and after they immigrated to the United States, they decided to open up a brick-and-mortar storefront.

The towels are moisture-wicking and quick-drying. Because they have that minimalist vibe, they work well in modern home décor as well. So, hang one or all four up in your bathroom.

**Full disclosure. The manufacturer of these bamboo beach towels does not disclose whether the bamboo is fiber or rayon. 

People like: Beautiful, absorbent; Comes with a hand-written note

People dislike: n/a

Best Bamboo Bath Towels

7. The Company Store Legends Hotel™ Cotton & TENCEL™ Lyocell Bath Towel

The Company Store: Cherish People, Cherish the Planet | Softness: Crazy Soft | Absorbency: Ultra absorbent | Material: 80% Cotton, 20% Cotton Lyocell™ | Size: 30” x 54”

The Company Store sells products that are ‘Crafted with Conscious’ effort to encourage environmental, social, and economic bottom lines. Certifications include GOTS, OCS 100, OCS Blended, RDS, and RCS.

Atop those certifications, they support: 

• 99% water recycling
• 70% renewable energy
• 1,000,000+ sq ft of rainwater harvesting
• 50%+ heat recovery system
• 90% reduce heat emission
• 99%+ use of natural and sustainable fibers

And the towels? Soft, plush, and absorbent.

8. Ettitude Waffle Towel Set

Ettitude: Soft on your skin. Gentle on our planet | Softness: Luxuriously soft | Absorbency: More absorbent than traditional towels | Material: 100% Clean Bamboo™ | Size: N/A

Again, Ettitude bamboo towels are made with 100% Organic Bamboo Lyocell CleanBamboo™ in a closed-loop processing system, capturing the chemicals needed to process bamboo, cutting down on water use.

The towels are moisture-wicking, so your skin will dry quickly. They’re also hypoallergenic, so if you’ve got sensitive skin you can rely on this fabric. Another exciting detail has to do with the waffle weave—it gently exfoliates!

Best Bamboo Bidet Towels

9. Tushy Mint-Colored Bamboo Bum Towels

Tushy: The Softest Towels in the World | Softness: Bum Soft | Absorbency: Absorbent | Material: 100% Natural Bamboo Fibers | Size: 5-piece Set of 10” square towels | Cost: 19

If you have a bidet and the next sustainable goal on your list is to go toilet paper-free, Tushy has the towel for your backside. It’s anti-bacterial, made from 100% bamboo fibers, and without bleach.

A portion of the proceeds from your purchase will go towards building community toilets in India, supporting community resilience, health, productivity, and best, it provides them, especially pregnant women and children, an opportunity to live with safety and dignity.

Reviewers Like: Game changer; Luxuriously soft

10. Omigo Bamboo Bidet Towels

Omigo: Ditch Toilet Paper. Wash with Omigo. | Softness: Buttery Soft for Your Sensitive Parts | Absorbency: Absorbent | Material: 100% Bamboo Fiber | Size: 6-piece Set 10” x 10”

The environmental impact of toilet paper is enormous! Americans cut down enough trees to fill up the land area of Lake Tahoe every year to just wipe our backsides. That’s 15 million trees! Add in the water and electricity needed to flush and process the paper waste, and the water use exceeds that of New York City and could power 53,000 homes a year.

With that crazy data in mind, Omigo’s Bum Towels are hypoallergenic, quick-drying, machine washable, sanitary, and easy to use.

Reviewers Like: Daisy fresh, Sooo soft

What Makes Bamboo Fabric Ethical? 

Ethical bamboo fabric means that toxic processing and water-polluting processes are exchanged for sustainably sourced, environmentally safe, earth-friendly, people-friendly manufacturing processes, falling under Fair Trade, Fair Labor, and other Transparency guidelines to include advertising. 

What Makes it Unfriendly and Less Safe?

It’s relatively easy to make a renewable, organically grown resource into one that’s harmful to local communities and the environments in which they thrive. To do that, you:

• Grow bamboo using fertilizer or insecticides
• Use excessive rainwater
• Dissolve the bamboo fibers in harsh chemicals
• Resolidify that solution with sulfuric acid
• Release said chemicals into waterways, damaging the environment and causing risk to humans and wildlife
• Also, fabric certifications are half the story – most bamboo manufacturers will find it reasonable to wash out the chemicals so as to keep from irritating the consumer’s skin
• Labels like bamboo viscose and bamboo modal still pollute waterways

Keep in mind, processing and manufacturing bamboo plants are often in places where people are poor, overworked, marginalized, and work for pennies on the dollar. So, when manufacturers have depleted a community’s resources by polluting their drinking water and farming land, then what?

What’s the Big Deal About Eco-Friendly Bamboo?

Labels including Bamboo lyocell, Bamboo Tencill™, Clean Bamboo™, and Monocel® support workers and apply environmentally friendly manufacturing indicators. These processes use a more tedious and expensive mechanical manufacturing, plus the loop is closed, which means there’s a 99% recapture rate of any used chemicals, keeping workers and waterways as safe as possible.

• Manufacturers like Ettitude work with supply chains that have been third-party audited by companies like BSCI, WRAP and SEDEX.
• Companies are also concerned about giving back on top of all that, so many donate portions of their profits to fund things like river clean-ups, raise money to support workers when issues arise, and educate girls.

Your one bamboo towel—has a real, tangible human, animal and environmental impact on societies, communities, and entire ecosystems.

Next up! Detox Your Closet.

Take the next step and start adding some ethical bamboo clothing to your closet when you need to purchase something new—when you need it. 

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