Bamboo is no longer just a delicacy for pandas or a collectible for sinophiles.
The environmental movement is embracing bamboo — it's actually a type of gigantic grass with hollow, jointed, woody stems — as a raw material source for organic clothing.

A number of manufacturers and retailers — Sprout Kids Clothing, New Balance, Sameunderneath and Lela Designs, among others — are offering underwear, T-shirts and other clothing made primarily of bamboo, targeting green-conscious consumers and advertising the products as all natural.

Established clothing purveyors such as JC Penney and H&M are also joining the movement, touting their eco-friendly offerings.By Gene Koprowski