Napthalene

Naphthalene's most familiar use is as a household fumigant, such as in mothballs. Destroys red blood cells and might be carcinogenic and bioaccumalates in marine organisms. Also known as tar-camphor,It is manufactured from coal tar or made synthetically, and turns to gas very easily at room temperature and is used also in dyes and solvents and carpet cleaners. p-Dichlorobenzene is now often used instead of naphthalene as a mothball substitute. (www.seventhgen.com)

Nanotechnology

The control of matter on a molecular level. The scale is smaller than 1 micrometer.Uses include coatings to reduce odours and give stain resistence to minimise laundering, but could be toxic as particles are small enough to enter human cells.

Also would render recyling / upcycling difficult.

Natural

‘Greenwash, imprecise.’(EW) However, it is used commonly to describe renewable materials such as cotton, wool, linen etc.


Natural Capital

Natural capital refers to the natural resources and ecosystem services that make possible all economic activity, indeed all life. These services are of immense economic value; some are literally priceless, since they have no known substitutes. Yet current business practices typically fail to take into account the value of these assets which is rising with their scarcity. As a result, natural capital is being degraded and liquidated by the wasteful use of such resources as energy, materials, water, fibre, and topsoil. The first of natural capitalism's four inter linked principles, therefore, is radically increased resource productivity. Implementing just this first principle can significantly improve a firm's bottom line, and can also help finance the other three. They are: redesigning industry on biological models with closed loops and zero waste; shifting from the sale of goods (for example, light bulbs) to the provision of services (illumination); and reinvesting in the natural capital that is the basis of future prosperity. (www.natcap.org natural capital by Paul Hawkin, Amory and L. Hunter Lovins)

Natural / Naturally Occurring dyes.

Many people believe that natural means environmentally friendly. This is supported by many of the comments made in my questionnaire. However, it is important to analyse all aspects of each dye before concluding whether it is environmentally friendly, and also to define appropriate use.Many natural dyes yield only 2% dyestuff to 98% plant material. This would prohibit the economic or ecological sense of farming these dyestuffs, unless there was equal need for the 98% plant material for another purpose.

Some dyes are fugitive, they are not fast to light or washing. These dyes could be used if the expectation of the consumer was different, and their use was modified sympathetically. For example, Debbie Crum, Master medieval dyer, told me that our medieval ancestors loved colour, and used all the fugitive hedgerow dyes for their clothes.

After 6 months the clothes would have faded, but would be redyed for the next festival. Other dyes require the additional use of heavy metal mordents to make them fast, which would not be acceptable.Research is being carried out by Dr Richard Blackburn of Leeds University into the extraction of natural colorants and their use. The premise is that dyes from plants are more sustainable. This is true if we follow the guidelines of Cradle to Cradle because they are biological nutrients, and therefore renewables. Most other synthetic dyestuffs are technical nutrients, therefore they are not renewables, and many are toxic into the bargain. This makes investigation into natural dyestuffs all the more environmentally imperative.

However, they have a poor affinity with synthetic fibres. The department acknowledges the importance of synthetic textiles in their overview of environmental issues, and has designated research time to look at ways of chemically changing natural compounds for use on synthetic fibres. Concentrating on the madder plant, which yields 2 important colours, alizarin and purpurin, Leeds Green chemistry group are developing dyes for greater affinity with polyesters (PET), to create higher colour strength and brightness, greater wash and light fastness.

Natural dyestuffs are many and various. They include, Madder, Indigo, Weld, Woad, Cochineal, fustic, lac. they are found in berries, all parts of plants, insects and snails.

Neoprene

Synthetic rubber (ridgewell)

New Industrial Revolution

Interlinked and symbiotic new systems to utilise global resources, where production, use and reuse of finite resources mimic the abundance and harmony of natural systems. (AS interpreting research)


Non-renewables

Materials which are finite resources (such as metals, oil, some chemicals) (CC) Also known as technical nutrients

Non-wovens

Where fibres form the structure of the fabric, in combination with various glues, adhesives, resins, or by a mechanical or natural matting process, caused by barbed needles (needlefelt) or water and friction (natural felting) making webbing's, interfaces, boards, underfelt, hat felt, and felt fabric. AS

Nylon

Synthetic polymide (ridgewell) made from polychloroprene, vulcanised with sulphur or metal oxide (techno textiles) Production leads to large emissions of the green house gas, nitrous oxide. (Ethical consumer june/july 2002 p 16)
(KF) These emissions from a single site in the UK have a global warming equivalent to more than 3% of the UK’s entire carbon dioxide emissions (ENDSreport 1996).