ABSTRACT
Since time immemorial natural dyes have been explored for the colouration of various textile fibre/fabrics. Recently, natural dyes have been used on an increasing demand due to an increased health and environmental consciousness among the people in response to the hazardous nature of synthetic dyes and their by-products. In this chapter, natural dyes have been described in view of their origin, classification, chemical structures, and, most importantly, their sustainable production and application. Green production and utilisation of natural colourants are supposed to be a permanent alternative to their synthetic counterparts due to high consumer demands for coloured products (textile, food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics) and today’s environmental challenges. The development of new technologies for dye extraction and dyeing of textiles are a necessity of the present, reviewed in this chapter.
