[NAT LOGO]


      NATURALLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL SPINNING TRIALS
          OF CRAILAR ORGANIC FIBERS SPONSORED BY HANESBRANDS INC. AT NC
                                STATE UNIVERSITY
          - TRIALS DELIVER INDUSTRIAL HEMP BLEND YARN AND FABRIC USING
              CONVENTIONAL COTTON EQUIPMENT WITH NO MODIFICATIONS -
- - NAT'S 100% ORGANIC SYSTEM ENABLES INDUSTRIAL HEMP TO ENTER MAINSTREAM APPAREL
              PRODUCTION USING TRADITIONAL COTTON KNITTING SYSTEM -

PORTLAND, OREGON, NOVEMBER 17, 2008- Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. (NAT,
OTCBB: NADVF, TSXV: NAT) spun hemp yarn and knitted fabric on conventional
cotton equipment with no modifications at North Carolina State University using
CRAILAR(R) Organic Fibers technology. The trials were sponsored by Hanesbrands
Inc.

Tim Pleasants, Spun Yarn Lab Manager, NC State University, said, "We
successfully carded and spun a blended CRAILAR yarn on our cotton ring spinning
system. The resulting 20/1 Ne* ring spun yarn was knitted into a 5-ounces per
square yard jersey fabric. This is the first time in my 23-year yarn spinning
career that I have seen hemp processed on conventional cotton spinning
equipment."

*Ne (English cotton yarn number) = Number of 840-yard strands per 1 English
pound of mass.

"CRAILAR's success on the cotton system elevates hemp fiber from a niche market
to the mainstream cotton market through the traditional supply chain, which
enables mass production," stated Ken Barker, CEO of NAT. "CRAILAR employs a
simple, efficient 100% organic, enzyme bath and scales easily to leverage the
global industrial hemp industry. In addition, CRAILAR Organic Fiber will be
cost-comparable to organic cotton. Therefore, CRAILAR enables the transformation
of hemp into a better sustainable alternative to organic cotton. "

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF TEXTILES
The College of Textiles (COT) at North Carolina State University is housed in a
new 45 million dollar, 300,000 square foot research and teaching facility on the
1,000 acre Centennial Campus. The building contains a state-of-the-art Model
Manufacturing Facility (MMF), consisting of individual laboratories that are
capable of all manufacturing operations from spinning fibers to producing the
end product. The MMF is the heart of the Applied Research Program for the
College of Textiles as well as being an integral part of the education and basic
research programs. The Applied Research Program bridges the gap between the
traditional education, research and extension activities of the university and
the Fiber-Textile-Apparel industrial complex.

ABOUT NATURALLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. is committed to unlocking the potential of
renewable and environmentally sustainable biomass resources from hemp and other
bast fibers. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Crailar Fiber
Technologies Inc., is developing proprietary technologies for production of bast
fibers, cellulose pulp, and their resulting by-products, in collaboration with



Canada's National Research Council and the Alberta Research Council. CRAILAR(R)
technology offers cost-effective and environmentally sustainable processing and
production of natural, bast fibers such as hemp and flax, resulting in increased
performance characteristics for use in textile, industrial, energy, medical and
composite material applications. The Company is also a provider of sustainable,
environmentally friendly fibers and fabrics through its apparel division
HTNATURALS. Founded in 1998 in response to the growing demand for
environmentally friendly, socially responsible clothing, the Company adheres to
a "triple bottom line" philosophy, respecting the human rights of employees, the
environmental impact of the Company's operations and fiscal responsibility to
its shareholders. See WWW.NATURALLYADVANCED.COM

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange
nor any regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy
of this news release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT DISCLAIMER
This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed
"forward-looking statements". All statements in this news release, other than
statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements or information are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties
which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the
forward-looking statements or information and including, without limitation,
risks and uncertainties relating to: any market interruptions that may delay the
trading of the Company's shares, technological and operational challenges, needs
for additional capital, changes in consumer preferences, market acceptance and
technological changes, dependence on manufacturing and material supplies
providers, international operations, competition, regulatory restrictions and
the loss of key employees. In addition, the Company's business and operations
are subject to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent Form 10-KSB,
Form 10-QSB and other SEC filings which are available through EDGAR at
WWW.SEC.GOV. These are among the primary risks we foresee at the present time.
The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Kirsten Chapman / Cathy Mattison
Lippert / Heilshorn & Associates
415.433.3777
IR@NATURALLYADVANCED.COM

MEDIA CONTACT:
Summer Facchini
Black Lab Communications
503.830.5983
SUMMER@BLACKLABCOMM.COM