A fabric consisting of an assembly of textile or natural fibres (oriented in one direction or in a random manner) held together  (1) by mechanical interlocking; (2) by fusing of thermoplastic fibres, or (3) by bonding with rubber, starch, glue, casein, latex, or a cellulose derivative or synthetic resin is termed as non-woven fabric.

These are produced by using one or a combination of the above mentioned basic techniques of fibre entanglement and bonding like, thermal bonding, needle punching, stitch bonding, air laying, hydro-entanglement, etc.

The new non-woven technologies that have been developed during the last few decades enable the production of useful and novel materials in shorter processes and at considerably faster rates than those attainable with conventional textile processes. Furthermore, non-woven techniques impart into the final product certain features that cannot be obtained by weaving or knitting. Owing to their specific properties coupled with lower costs of manufacture, non-wovens opened up new markets and gained strong foothold in numerous household, industrial and technical end-use applications.

These are produced in the form of felts (a special variety of fabrics), a basic material for composites. The majority of non-woven is produced from synthetic fibres, but to make it environment-friendly and to incorporate recyclability and programmed biodegradability, jute and other plant fibres are being used.

Jute non-wovens can be produced in a variety of forms with properties varying in wide ranges. Some of the important advantages of jute non-wovens are:

Jute non-woven products are being used in the automobile and foot wear industries. Non-woven products are also used as insulation material.

Jute felt is a value added product made from jute wastes.  Jute felts have good prospects for being used in insulation, acoustics and air-conditioning works.  These may also be used as underlay of carpets, cushions and mats.