Bamboo, like cotton, grows best under warm conditions. In fact, it is the fastest growing plant in the world, at a rate of one inch every 40 minutes! The hardy root system of the bamboo plant enables it to grow effectively without the need for pesticides, fertilizer, or subsequent harvests. Furthermore, the leaf system of this sustainable alternative to cotton enrich the soil it grows in. If that weren’t cool enough, bamboo also releases 30% more oxygen than other trees! It’s not hard to see why bamboo is regarded as one of the world’s most sustainable fabrics.

Cotton, on the other hand, is pretty high maintenance (a.k.a. environmentally harmful) as it requires heavy use of pesticides and fertilizer to reap a larger harvest. Cotton severely degrades the soil it is planted in, requiring destruction of natural habitats to make room for new cotton plantations. The production and processing of cotton has been argued to be the largest water user of all agricultural commodities, resulting in significant wastage of precious fresh water.

Environmental impacts aside, cotton has health impacts too. The pesticides used in the production of cotton also make their way into the cotton products you use in and on your body. Your cotton t-shirts, underwear, tampons & pads are potentially leeching microdoses of toxic chemicals (not to mention microplastics) into your body – a fact which is often overlooked. At Mint. we decided that this was enough reason to use bamboo in our products, because our bodies and our plant deserve better.