Innovative Plant-Based Mordants and Colorants for Application on Cotton Fabric

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote the utilization of renewable materials and processing methodologies for achieving circularity in the fashion industry production. Hence, the research was initiated to investigate the innovative and renewable plant-based sources of mordants and colorants for textiles that benefit the environment and human health alike. The research examinations established mugwort herb, rue herb, black cherry stems, and hops flower as a sustainable and innovative source of mordants and colorants on cotton fabrics. The Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) analysis of 6% stock herbal infusions identified the highest levels of copper and ferrous content in hops flower, and black cherry stems of 6.5 mg/l and 11 mg/l respectively as a prospective renewable and innovative source of mordants and colorants. Their applications on textiles would prevent the fatal mining and depletion of mineral ores of copper and ferrous elements, and metal toxicity to the ecosystem would be combated. Very good rub fastness and wash fastness to color staining, on the other hand, fair lightfastness ratings were gained. The cotton fabrics pre-treated with black cherry stems and colored with hops flowers exhibited the minimum transmittance percentage in the UVB region at 12.98% therefore practically appropriate for summer wear. Evaluation of ecological parameters, ATR-FTIR study of herbs and their treated fabrics, and Life Cycle Analysis is recommended for future work.