Nature Coatings, the start-up behind a “carbon negative” black pigment dye, has raised $2.45 million in a seed funding round, the company announced. Nature Coatings was founded by natural dye specialist Jane Palmer, who saw demand for more environmentally friendly pigments in her work as a maker of vegetable dyes for fashion brands. Carbon black, the black powder most used for black colouring in textile products, can be particularly harmful because of its carcinogenic makeup. Nature Coatings is known for its signature black dye alternative, BioBlack TX, which is made from wood waste. The company used a grant from the National Science Foundation to launch the product in 2017.