Banana fiber, hemp, bamboo, and coconut fiber are among the natural products that are finding wider use by garment manufacturers in Tirupur.

Black Bull Apparel plans to launch shortly-naturally dyed garments for infants.The company also plans to explore natural dyes sourced from suppliers for T-shirts.

With international buyers and brands pushing for sustainability in production processes and the end product, hosiery makers in the knitwear town are experimenting with different natural products for fibers, colors, and even printing. There are several smaller apparel and fashion brands in the international market that are promoting sustainability. Customers of these brands do not mind spending a little more and it is these brands that are looking for suppliers of naturally dyed garments. While this is an emerging trend that is encouraging many manufacturers in Tirupur to explore different natural sources for dyes, they face challenges while trying to produce such dyes in bulk and in getting more color shades.The production cost goes up three times when natural dyes, chemicals, and processes are used.

While cotton is a natural fiber used to make apparels, disposal of garments is a problem because of the dyes and chemicals used. So there is a big demand for natural dyes, even in domestic garment brands.