Project Plan B have been selected for a prestigious award of funding and academic mentoring from the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) Creative R&D Programme.

Project Plan B will receive a comprehensive support package, including a part-time researcher to deliver the project, mentoring from leading academics, hands-on specialist creative and technical advice, as well as ongoing project management and strategic business support.

From over 140 new applications, 15 were shortlisted and provided one-to-one mentoring, business workshops and training to help develop their initial concepts into full-fledged business plans. The shortlisted businesses then had to pitch their idea to a panel of industry and academic experts – with just ten applications making the final cut.

The SME’s cover a range of subsectors and R&D areas, including; surface finishing processes and natural dyeing, embedded use of traceable raw materials, high-value recycling of fashion and textile industry waste, sensing technologies for healthcare, bio-materials, non-woven textiles, on-shoring of state-of-the-art manufacturing, novel digital solutions and sustainable chemical treatments of fabrics.

Project Plan B will be working with the Centre for Circular Design at the University of the Arts London on a R&D project focussing on calculating life cycle assessments to exact data on he carbon savings of fibre to fibre recycling for clothing, taking place in 2021 and 2022.

Tim Cross, CEO of Project Plan B said: ‘Being awarded this support will really enable us to excel the impact of Project Plan B’s work by allowing us to work with university researchers. We will be able to calculate life cycle assessments and determine the carbon savings from recycling clothing back into clothing again, and again, and again!

Professor Jane Harris, BFTT Programme Director said: “Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are critical to the economy and critical to the creative sector in particular, making up over 95% of creative businesses in the UK. The BFTT R&D Programme seeks to highlight the value and impact SMEs can have in our sector and on the economy, when provided with the right type of financial support and research expertise.” ​

Nikki Matthews, Creative R&D Programme Manager said: “We are delighted to have Project Plan B joining us in the Programme. From the Programme’s first cohort funded in 2020, we have seen how SME’s can be incredibly agile and creative, and the real difference that focused R&D can make to the business. This Programme will provide Project Plan B with multi-disciplinary and multi sector expertise, to accelerate the innovation of sustainable business models, processes and products.”

This new award brings the total investment by BFTT – including this Creative R&D Programme, and collaborative research across three additional BFTT projects – to approx £2.8 million across 35 SME’s, with the creation of at least 20 new jobs. 

Ends.

Notes to Editors:

About Project Plan B

Project Plan B’s vision is to make the term no end of use a reality for the clothing industry. By pioneering a closed-loop recycled polyester system where virgin polyester is no longer required, eliminating waste and reducing CO2 emissions. Project Plan B aim to create a textile climate where everyone wins: using quality fibres to create performance garments with no compromise to the environment.

By designing with the end in mind, Project Plan B create a circular polyester cycle. Every fabric, trim, accessory, thread and label are carefully selected to ensure standards for reuse and at the end of a garments wearable life, it can be turned back into raw polyester before being remade as a new garment. Again and again. projectplanb.co.uk

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For photography, further information or to arrange an exclusive interview with Tim Cross, Director of Project Plan B; please contact Sophie Scanlon +44(0)7737041997.

Connect with Project Plan B:

Instragram: project_plan.b

Twitter: @ProjectPlanB1

Website: projectplanb.co.uk

LinkedIn: Plan B (Project Plan B)

About BFTT’s SME R&D Support Programme:

The Programme, developed by Research, Business and Innovation teams at UAL and in partnership with Loughborough University, provides targeted funding, support and expertise designed to help SMEs turn bright ideas into viable and sustainable commercial propositions. Its key aims are to:

• Foster a creative business development culture that will enable fashion, textile and technology SMEs to thrive using bespoke R&D as a mechanism for innovation and growth
• Advance development of sustainable and technologically engaged FTT products, services and experiences.

About BFTT

The Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) is a five-year industry-led project that focuses on delivering innovation within the entire fashion and textile supply chain.

BFTT aims to foster a new, creative business culture in which fashion, textiles and technology businesses – from small and medium enterprises to multinational companies – can use R&D as a mechanism for growth, positioning the industry as agents of new technology and materials development. BFTT is engaging with businesses and the Government to develop a pipeline of talent to support the fashion, textile and technology businesses of the future, tapping into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) expertise, which aims to provide the creative skills and transdisciplinary innovation needed to support the sector.

During its first year, the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology reported considerable progress, including 2,500+ organisations reached via partner network, 80 expressions of interest for the first call of the SME Support Programme and 800+ responses to a major national survey of the fashion, textiles and technology industry.

BFTT is one of nine Creative Research & Development Clusters funded by the Industrial Strategy Fund (£80m) and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council on behalf of UKRI as part of the Creative Industries Cluster Programme. The Creative Industries Clusters Programme comprises nine Research and Development (R & R&D) partnerships: the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) Partnership and an independent Policy and Evidence Centre led by Nesta with partners. The UK wide programme convenes world-class research talent in a first-of-its-kind R&D investment to accelerate growth in a range of creative sectors and aims to create jobs and drive the creation of companies, products and experiences that can be marketed around the world, significantly contributing to UK economic growth both regionally and nationally.

Connect with BFTT on Social Media:

LinkedIn: showcase/bftt

Instragram: @bfttpartnership

Twitter: @bfttpartnership

Website: www.bftt.org.uk

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