The winner of the Manufacturing Futures Innovation prize has been announced

Biophilica was announced as the winner of the Manufacturing Futures Prize for Treekind™; an entirely plant-based, compostable leather alternative for the fashion industry.

Highly Commended was awarded to Modern Synthesis, a bio-materials start-up making cellulose materials by growing microbes, and Nanoloom, a company that creates biodegradable fibre from a unique nanomaterial which is based on graphene.  

The ten shortlisted start-ups pitched their innovations to judges followed by an industry and investor supper in London.

Sponsored by the IET in celebration of its 150^th anniversary in May this year, Biophilica will receive a cash prize of £15,000 as well as a one-year lab membership for rapid prototyping and experimentation, provided by the Mills Fabrica.

IBM will also provide bespoke business support that utilises design thinking to produce an action plan, and Common Objective will offer a 12-month business membership with global connections, premium intelligence and training courses in sustainable fashion and manufacturing.

The aim of this award is to support technological innovations which are helping to solve the manufacturing challenges facing the fashion industry today.

Since May, the finalists have received business and investment advice from industry and manufacturing experts before pitching to the panel of judges from Pangaia, H&M Co Labs, Make UK, IBM, FIA and IET.

Those shortlisted also included:

• Clean Ocean Technology: a textile business that creates new yarn by binding any recycled raw material with natural and bioartificial spun yarn.
• ClearChain: a software platform for easy, low-cost, high-value supply chain mapping, compliance auditing and reporting.
• 2DTronics: a textile technology start-up dedicated to producing smart sustainable clothing for the home, for work and exercise.
• Nanofique Limited: working with bio-composites of nanostructured material to degrade the dyes in wastewater, removing the colour and associated harmful effects.
• Pattern Project: a clothing micro-factory, developing machinery and software to enable independent fashion brands, high street retailers or tailoring companies to produce custom-fit clothing in-store and on-demand.
• Petit Pli: a wearable technology company engineering clothes that grow.
• Terra Neutra provides innovative services that measure the carbon footprint of a product and allow customers to offset the impact on the shopping cart.