Dyeing of Textiles with Natural Dyes

Abstract

Textile materials (natural and synthetic) used to be coloured for value addition, look and desire of the customers. Anciently, this purpose of colouring textile was initiated using colours of natural source, untill synthetic colours/dyes were invented and commercialized. For ready availability of pure synthetic dyes of different types/classes and its cost advantages, most of textile dyers/ manufacturers shifted towards use of synthetic colourant. Almost all the synthetic colourants being synthesized from petrochemical sources through hazardous chemical processes poses threat towards its eco-friendliness. Hence, worldwide, growing consciousness about organic value of eco-friendly products has generated renewed interest of consumers towards use of textiles (preferably natural fibre product) dyed with eco-friendly natural dyes. Natural dyes are known for their use in colouring of food substrate, leather as well as natural fibres like wool, silk and cotton as major areas of application since pre-historic times. Although this ancient art of dyeing textiles with natural dyes withstood the ravages of time, but due to the wide availability of synthetic dyes at an economical price, a rapid decline in natural dyeing continued. However, even after a century, the uses of natural dyes never erode completely and they are being still used in different places of the world. Thus, natural dyeing of different textiles and leathers has been continued mainly in the decentralized sector for specialty products besides the use of synthetic dyes in the large scale sector for general textiles/apparels.