The present invention relates to a component consisting exclusively of non-woven natural textile fibres, and to a method and machine for the production thereof; the component (1 ) comprises a web (2) consisting exclusively of carded natural textile fibres which is pleated in the direction of the length and/or width of the component and which is needle-punched in the direction of the length and/or width of the component; the needle-punching affects only a central portion of a thickness of the component; its production is effected by: - continuously feeding (3) a long web (4) consisting exclusively of carded natural textile fibres towards a processing area (5), - repeatedly performing pleating operations on said web (4) according to a direction corresponding to the length of said web (4) by means of a pleating head (6) in said processing area (5), - repeatedly performing needle-punching operations on said pleated web (4) according to a direction corresponding to the length of said web (4) by means of a needle-punching head (7) in said processing area (5), in such a way as to needle-punch only a central portion of said thickness of said component, said central portion being in particular less than 80% of said thickness, and - continuously advancing (8) said pleated and needle-punched web (4) while distancing it from said processing area (5).