A Warning on Labeling Bamboo Textiles

Bamboo fabric has long been considered a miracle green fabric. It is super soft, absorbent, biodegradable, and considered antimicrobial. It is true that bamboo is considered an eco friendly plant because it can be grown quickly without the use of chemicals. Many products have been produced from bamboo - from floors to textiles. Some of the eco friendly claims have come under scrutiny, especially bamboo textiles.

Bamboo textiles are produced by two methods. One can be considered sort of green and the other not. With the first method, bamboo stalks are crushed and broken down with enzymes and then combed out. The second utilizes harsh chemicals to break down the bamboo stalks into pulp which is extruded by spinnerets. This second method is the same process in which Rayon fabrics are manufactured.

You can bet that the majority of the bamboo fabrics on the market are manufactured by the second method. Because of this, the FTC has declared that bamboo fabrics must be labeled Rayon with the qualifier from bamboo. While this is a controversial position taken by the FTC, it is more accurate due to the actual processes being used. The FTC has clamped down on some companies claiming their bamboo textiles are "green". The charges include falsely advertising some of the more outlandish claims of being antimicrobial and biodegradable.

Anyway, be careful of how you label bamboo. The FTC has further guidance on how to deal with bamboo.

More aggressive intellectual property enforcement by Taggies and Gerber

Taggies

My most popular blog entries have to do with taggies. Taggies are those square blankets with ribbon loops around all edges. I have received a lot of comments asking what the latest is on the patent and enforcement. I can only repeat what other commenters have stated:

1. The Taggies people are continuing to enforce their patent.
2. The patent enforcement lawyers appear to be going after anyone who has any form of a ribbon loop on a blanket edge, whether it is one ribbon loop or several.
3. No one has taken up the task of challenging the patent.

If Etsy or Ebay receive notice from Taggie's lawyers that the product is a potential infringement, those companies will pull your listing. These companies have little resources to investigate the claims, so legitimate or not the listing will be pulled down. You will not be able to defend yourself. If you list an item in your own store or blog for sale, you will receive a letter directly.

To date, it would appear there is plenty of evidence that the patent can be challenged. Commenters claim they had these style of blankets as children or that they have bought a current home sewing pattern with this style. Patterns and instructions abound on the net as do product listings in various online stores. The Taggies people were the first to obtain a patent and therefore believe they own it despite the evidence that the idea has been around for decades. This only illustrates the problem with the current patent protection system. The system is just complex enough that ordinary people have no idea what patents are being sought and if they should be challenged. The patent bureaucrats and lawyers don't understand the manufacturing processes and how common a folded ribbon loop in a seam is. Who has the time and money to fix the problem? Taggies is expanding into Europe and South America, so despite calls for a boycott the company appears to be growing.

Gerber and the word Onesie

Another aggressive brand enforcement problem has to do with the word onesie. Onesie is a registered trademark brand owned by Gerber. You cannot use that particular word to describe an infant bodysuit or unitard unless it is an actual Gerber branded Onesie. Various acquaintances of mine and online shop owners are receiving threatening letters about their use of this word in their product descriptions. Gerber appears to be ramping up their enforcement of their trademark.

These companies have not technically done anything illegal. They have the right to apply for patent and trademark protection. That protection is only worth as much as they are willing to enforce it. So, IMO, let them waste spend their money on it. The one thing these companies are doing is creating ill will among potential customers and retailers. Customers and retailers have long memories and will think twice about buying or indirectly promoting those products to friends. They may be doing more damage than they know.

Baby and children's apparel products seem to have more patent and trademark protection than other sewn product categories. There are bibs, hand covers, sensory objects, diapers, and so much more that have patent protection. I haven't quite figured out why.

What is a fabric converter?

Fabric or textile converters may not be a term some are familiar with. Fabric or textile converters are factories that embroidery, dye, print, flock, bead, pleat, etc. fabric. They may specialize in one area and simply call themselves embroiderers or printers, or they may provide multiple types of conversions. A fabric converter takes specially prepared or greige (pronounced grey) fabric and converts it into finished goods.

There are various forms of greige goods. Generally greige goods are fabrics that come right off the loom. Some have been minimally processed, not processed at all, or the yarns have been processed prior to weaving or knitting. There are various types of finishes that depend on the desired outcome. There are finishes that prepare the fabric for printing or dying. Other finishes enhance the fabric's qualities, such as singeing, desizing, scouring, bleaching, calendaring, and many more. These are finishes done to the fabric prior to printing, dying, or embroidering and so they are still called greige goods by some. Since these finishes do finish the fabric to some degree, they are technically called by other names. There are various acronyms and labels for the different types of "greige" goods and it all becomes kind of fuzzy (or grey, heh) for me. In any event, greige goods are warehoused until an order comes in to print (or whatever) the fabric. Printing and embroidering are some of the fabric conversions done at the very last stage of fabric manufacturing.