Sustainable plant-based bioactive materials for functional printed textiles

The evidence coupled with awareness towards carcinogenic effects of synthetic textiles dyes to the wearer, exhausting fossil fuels, ecological balance distortion, and increased pollutants from the textile industry harming the environment, is on the rise. In this context, the paper provides a significant overview of ancient biomaterial engineering with herbal colorants to refute the modern ecological crisis. The medicinal properties of natural dyes have the potential to create functional textiles, cogently their ability to combat UV radiation and microorganisms are discussed in depth. Cohesively, the subtle and the vital role of plant phytochemicals is comprised. The overview would further propel the textile industry towards slow technology and slow fashion in a substantial way. Thus, it motivates us to view more in less for radical change. For the future, the review paper highlight’s on multi-disciplinary research approach at global, institutional, and individual levels of research to meet the anticipated holistic outcomes.