Tcbl policy environment 2017

TCBL HANDBOOKS

TCBL POLICY ENVIRONMENT – 2017 EDITION

Co-funded by Horizon 2020

TCBL 646133 – ANNEX III TO D 7.2 31st October 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 3

2.

TCBL POLICY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: 2016 SUMMARY ....................................... 4 2.1

EUROPEAN POLICIES OVERVIEW .................................................................................... 4

Europe 2020 ........................................................................................................................ 4 Textile Regulation (EU) N. 1007/2011 ................................................................................ 4 EU Ecolabel for Textile Products ........................................................................................ 4 2.2

EMERGING POLICY TRENDS ........................................................................................... 5

Social Innovation ................................................................................................................. 5 Circular Economy ................................................................................................................ 5 Industry 4.0 .......................................................................................................................... 6 Smart Specialization ........................................................................................................... 7 3.

TCBL POLICY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: 2017 RESULTS ......................................... 8 3.1

EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT ............................................................... 9

Industrial Landscape Vision 2025 ....................................................................................... 9 Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation .............................................. 18 Cluster Collaboration Platform .......................................................................................... 20 3.2

T&C-RELATED POLICIES.............................................................................................. 20

Textile Clusters for Industrial Modernisation - Tex4IM...................................................... 21 Towards a 4th Industrial Revolution of Textiles and Clothing - A Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the European Textile and Clothing Industry ................................... 22 4.

TCBL POLICY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: THE BIG PICTURE ................................. 25

5.

CONCLUDING REMARKS ............................................................................................... 27 5.1

POLICY ALIGNMENT WITH THE TCBL PROJECT.............................................................. 27

5.2

TAKEAWAYS ................................................................................................................ 30

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... 32 LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... 32 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 33 DOCUMENT INFORMATION .................................................................................................... 35 Revision History ................................................................................................................ 35 Statement of Originality ..................................................................................................... 35 Copyright ........................................................................................................................... 35 Disclaimer .......................................................................................................................... 35 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 35

1. INTRODUCTION The textile and clothing (T&C) sector is undergoing a rapid transition due to challenges posed by modern society. Citizens’ new values and changing needs, upward pressure on environmental requirements, relentless technological progress, huge changes in the industrial fabric, regulations and financial incentives are all factors that, in the last years, have remarkably affected the development of the sector.

TCBL project recognises the importance of these driving forces and, through the analysis of the policy environment, aims to understand how T&C companies – especially SMEs – can redefine their strategies following the main guidelines laid down at Commission-level for strengthening the European industry in line with economic, environmental and social sustainability principles.

More specifically, the project includes – as part of WP7 activities – task 7.2, titled ‘Policy Environment’. Such a task aims to analyse the policy background affecting the T&C sector and to provide actionable insights for TCBL Associate enterprises and, more in general, for T&C companies interested in following the TCBL approach. During the first year (Y1) of the policy analysis, a number of relevant EU initiatives were examined, and, drawing on them, four trends shaping the EU industrial background were presented (see the handbook ‘TCBL policy environment’ released as annex to D7.1 1 for further details). These findings have been expanded during the second year (Y2), when five recent initiatives have been pointed out: each policy action has been studied focusing on its alignment with the TCBL project and the relevance for the T&C sector at large, all this while distilling practical insights for T&C companies.

The structure of this document reflects the TCBL time plan: whilst Section 0 contains a brief summary of the results stemming from the first year of the policy-related activity stream, Section 0 delves into the five initiatives taken into consideration in the second year of activities.

Furthermore, Section 0 puts together the policies analysed in both years (Y1 + Y2) to draw a comprehensive big picture of the policy environment in which TCBL operates. Finally, the conclusive chapter (Section 0) recaps the outcomes of the policy environment analysis conducted so far by presenting – for each initiative under the lens – the alignment with TCBL principles as well as key takeaways for TCBL Associates and T&C companies at large.

The present handbook is accompanied by the TCBL Policy Brief2 – released as annex to D7.2 – which builds on the first two years of the TCBL project to provide a synoptic, company-friendly analysis of the policy environment of interest for the TCBL ecosystem.

1

https://tcbl.eu/sites/tcbl.eu/files/u4/TheTCBLPolicyEnvironment.pdf

2

http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_Policy Brief.pdf

2. TCBL

POLICY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS:

2016

SUMMARY During the first twelve months of the TCBL project, the policy environment in which the project operates was analysed focusing on the European policies that influence the sector and identifying four cross-border trends that shape the overall European industrial context. The following sections 0 and 0 resume these findings.

2.1 EUROPEAN POLICIES OVERVIEW EUROPE 2020 The Europe 2020 action plan [1] depicts the European Union’s ten-year growth strategy: it aims at creating the conditions for a different type of socioeconomic development that is smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive.

The strategy sets five key targets for: (1) employment; (2) education; (3) research and innovation; (4) social inclusion and poverty reduction; and (5) climate/energy, which the EU should meet by the end of the decade. Seven flagship initiatives were set up to catalyse progress under each priority theme (Table 1).

Innovation union Smart growth – an economy based on knowledge and innovation

Youth on the move A Digital Agenda for Europe Resource efficient Europe An industrial policy for the globalization era An agenda for new skills and jobs European Platform against poverty

Sustainable growth – promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy Inclusive growth – a high-employment economy delivering economic, social and territorial cohesion

Table 1 – Europe 2020 flagship initiatives

T EXTILE REGULATION (EU) N. 1007/2011 The Textile Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 [2] on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of the fibre composition of textile products was adopted in September 2011 and became applicable on 8 May 2012. It repealed and replaced the previous Textile Directives. The directive defines norms related to the fibre composition, disciplines the fibre names, regulates the presence of non-textile parts of animal origin, and defines an exemption applicable to customised products made by self-employed tailor.

EU ECOLABEL FOR T EXTILE PRODUCTS The EU Eco-label [3] seeks to minimise the various environmental impacts at each stage of a product’s life. A number of criteria have been set at levels that promote products that have a lower overall environmental impact. These criteria have also been made available to be used

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs on a voluntary basis by public administrations in the public procurement process: public purchases account for 15-20% of the EU GDP, thus making even a small improvement in terms of sustainability in such a process may contribute to generate significant environmental impacts.

2.2 EMERGING POLICY TRENDS SOCIAL INNOVATION The term Social Innovation is an umbrella concept for inventing and incubating solutions to modern time challenges in a creative and positive way. Even if there is not a unique and universal accepted definition for social innovation, we make reference to the characterisation used in Open Book of Social Innovation (Young Foundation) [4] where “Social innovations are innovations that are social both in their ends and in their means”; they are “new solutions that simultaneously meet a social need [...]”. Social innovation is present in a whole range of policy initiatives of the European Commission: the European platform against poverty and social exclusion, the Innovation Union, the Social Business Initiative, the Employment and Social Investment packages, the Digital Agenda, the new industrial policy, the Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Ageing, and the Cohesion Policy. A very good account of how social innovation intertwines with different policy measures and domains may be found in the Guide to Social Innovation published in 2013 by the European Commission [5]. Social innovations can be promoted by private organisations, as well as by the public sector and by individuals. Often the most fruitful sources of new ideas take place in collaborations across sectors. They can operate at the level of new ideas and pilots, of implementation and scaling, but also at the level of policy making.

Social innovation initiatives are promising in the T&C sector, which is considered a fertile soil to test, implement and diffuse social and environmentally conscious innovations. An example par excellence is Made in Carcere3, a non-profit social co-operative providing work opportunities in the textile sector to disadvantaged people (i.e., detainee women).

CIRCULAR ECONOMY Circular economy aims “to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimising negative impacts” (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [6]. The circular economy ambition goes well beyond recycling as it advocates the creation of a restorative industrial system aimed at designing out waste [7]. Forecasts related to circular economy estimate that shifting towards circularity could add $1 trillion to the global economy by 2025 and create 100,000 new jobs within the next five years. The European Union could benefit from an annual productivity improvement of 3 % and a 7 % GDP growth with respect to current development scenarios. At the end of 2015, the EC adopted a circular economy package (EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy) [8] that defines an action plan with measures covering the whole cycle, from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials.

The Resource Efficient Europe flagship and the Eco-label initiative work in this direction as well, in the quest for sustainability and resource efficiency.

3

http://www.madeincarcere.it/en/

5

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs The relevance of circular economy for the T&C sector is noticeable. In this regard, it is worthy to mention the Circular Fibres Initiative4 launched by Ellen MacArthur Foundation in May 2017.

The action aims to bring together key industry stakeholders to build a circular economy for textiles starting with clothing. Moreover, looking at corporate level, companies such as Mud Jeans5 are already testing the waters of the circular economy paradigm. The core business of this company, in fact, is it to lease its apparel to consumers; after the lease period of one year, consumers can switch them for another pair and continue leasing, return them for recycling or upcycling purposes, or keep them.

INDUSTRY 4.0 Industry 4.0 is a term applied to a group of rapid transformations in design, manufacture, operation and service of manufacturing systems and products. The term was originated in Germany (BMBF) [9], but the concept largely overlaps developments that, in other European countries, may variously be labelled: Smart factories, Smart Manufacturing, Industrial Internet of Things, Smart industry, or Advanced manufacturing. Industry 4.0 depends on a number of new and innovative technological developments, from the application of ICTs to digitalise processes, to the use of Cyber-physical systems (CPS) to monitor and control physical processes and systems. It includes also network communications, big data analytics and exploitation, simulations and virtualisation, robots, augmented reality and intelligent tools to support human workers.

European Commission launched several policies to support Industry 4.0 developments [10, 11, 12]. In 2013, the Commission created a Task Force on Advanced Manufacturing for Clean Production and, in 2014, a Strategic Policy Forum on Digital Entrepreneurship. In addition, the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs was designed to make ICT education more attractive and better aligned to industry needs. Finally, the Digital Single Market Strategy promises to address data ownership and interoperability in business-to-business and machine-to-machine communications, and encourages standards for digitisation in the industrial sector and developing digital skills and expertise on the digital transformation of European industry and enterprises.

Industry 4.0 ushers-in opportunities under several points of view: for the economy (e.g., gamechanging business models), for the society (e.g., in terms of new jobs creation) and for the environment (e.g., companies will be able to optimise their production processes in terms of energy and resource consumption).

On the whole, the T&C sector is eager to exploit the opportunities offered by information and communication technologies (e.g., sensors, virtual & augmented reality, digitisation of manufacturing and supply chain, data-driven innovation) as well as by additive manufacturing.

The diffusion of this paradigm in the sector is widespread as testified by a cohort of companies in the limelight: Lanieri6 and Stitch Fix7 are specialised on data-driven innovation, Tilt Textile8 is

4

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/news/new-circular-fibres-initiative-brings-industry-togetherto-build-a-circular-economy-for-textiles 5

http://www.mudjeans.eu/

6

https://www.lanieri.com/

7

https://www.stitchfix.com/

8

https://www.tilttextiles.com/

6

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs experimenting with augmented reality applied to the textile sector, and Marvelous Designer9 combines fashion design to computer graphics.

SMART SPECIALIZATION Smart specialisation is about identifying the unique characteristics and assets of each country and region, highlighting each region’s competitive advantages, and rallying regional stakeholders and resources around an excellence-driven vision of their future. It also means strengthening regional innovation systems, maximising knowledge flows and spreading the benefits of innovation throughout the entire regional economy. In this respect, the Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) [13] encourages national and regional authorities across Europe to design smart specialisation strategies in entrepreneurial discovery process, so that the European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) can be used more efficiently and synergies between different EU, national and regional policies can be increased. The RIS3 ex-ante conditionality requires EU Member States and regions to identify the knowledge specialisations that best fit their innovation potential, based on their assets and capabilities.

Moreover, an important endeavour meant to strengthen the local / regional competences in the T&C sector is the RegioTex initiative, which seeks to reinforce regional innovation structures and capacities while facilitating effective European collaboration among regional actors. Many private organisations operate following this approach, like the English company Make Works 10, an open directory for sourcing local manufacturing and materials in the T&C realm.

9

https://www.marvelousdesigner.com/

10

https://make.works/

7

3. TCBL

POLICY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS:

2017

RESULTS Drawing on the body of knowledge resulting from the first year of activities carried out within the scope of WP7, an in-depth analysis of other policy actions relevant for the T&C sector in Europe has been developed in the second year. To this end, five significant policy initiatives have been selected and analysed (in chapters 0 and 0) with the ambition to add further details to the findings of the first year and, above all, to provide a comprehensive big picture of the TCBL policy environment, for which the reader is referred to section 0. Specifically, these five initiatives have been selected factoring-in the relevance for the EU industrial landscape and the T&C sector as well as the alignment with TCBL principles. The subsequent analysis has concentrated on the policy objectives, the alignment with the project principles, and the identification of takeaways addressable to T&C companies. This overarching process is illustrated in Figure 1.

Relevance for the European Industrial Landscape Relevance for the T&C sector Alignment with TCBL principles

RELEVANT POLICIES FOR TCBL

TCBL 2016 POLICY ANALYSIS

Objectives Alignment with TCBL principles Takeaways

TCBL POLICY ENVIRONMENT BIG

Figure 1 – Methodology for TCBL policy analysis for 2017

Going back to the five recent policy initiatives selected, the schema reported in Figure 2 subdivides them into two categories. The first three policies are generic: they can be contextualised in the European industrial landscape and are relevant for any sector; however, it is possible to find in them explicit reference to – or implications for – the T&C sector. The latter two are purposely geared towards the T&C sector: the first one (i.e., Tex4IM) is an initiative

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs developed by the European Cluster collaboration platform, while the second one is a work coordinated by the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing.

European industrial policy environment •Industrial Landscape Vision 2025 •Smart specialization platform for industrial modernisation •Cluster collaboration platform

T&C-related •Textile clusters for industrial modernization - Tex4IM •Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the European Textile and Clothing Industry

Figure 2 – Policy initiatives considered for TCBL policy analysis 2017

Finally, as previously anticipated, in the following two chapters each initiative is analysed through a three-pronged lens: 1. main policy objectives; 2. alignment of the policy with TCBL project principles, especially with reference to: a. the three innovation dimensions (i.e., openness, data, sustainability) as defined in the primer on business model dynamics enabled by TCBL11, released as annex to D4.2, b. the four emerging trends identified in D7.1, c. the importance of sectoral skills enhancement (capacity building), d. the Labs specialisation (Place, Make, Design Labs); 3. resulting suggestions and takeaways for textile companies – in particular SMEs – willing to strengthen their competitive positioning through the TCBL approach.

3.1 EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE VISION 2025 OBJECTIVES The Industrial Landscape Vision 2025 (ILV) [14] was developed in the context of a foresight study run by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission concerning Standardisation. The ambition of this research is to study how the industrial landscape is evolving, which are the main driving factors and elements and how they are related. It focuses on the importance and the potential impact of the societal, technological, economic, environmental and policy drivers on industry: this is done by providing a holistic view of the industrial system, with a function-based representation in which production and consumption systems include components that are integrated in a systemic approach. The ILV (Figure 3) is composed of three interrelated layers, which are as follows: Layer 1 – AGENTS OF CHANGE: driving forces that will shape the industrial landscape. They describe the way the society will evolve in the future.

11

http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/WP4_Primer.pdf

9

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Layer 2 – ENABLERS AND CONSTRAINTS: factors that can either enable or restrain the evolution of the industrial landscape. They are influenced by agents of change and determine the direction and development of the different components of the production and consumption system.

Layer 3 – PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION SYSTEMS: processes that describe the production and consumption system of the industrial landscape. They describe how we are going to produce and consume in the future. Each component identifies the mechanism of change for a defined part of the production and consumption system.

Figure 3 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025 (source: ILV 202512)

The ILV is characterized by a detailed structure: each layer is made up of several components, each of them further described through additional features. For example, Figure 4 provides a screenshot of the first component (‘Society’) of the layer ‘Agents of Change’: it is described by means of ten characteristics (e.g., ‘increased importance of customer requirements and behaviours’, ‘changing societal risks’, ‘increased global population’), which in turn are split into sub-indicators.

12

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research/foresight/ilv2025

10

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

Figure 4 – ILV layers and components: ‘Agents of Change’ example (source: ILV 2025)

TCBL ALIGNMENT Even if the ILV looks at all European industries, it is possible to detect several indications for the European T&C sector. Therefore, according to this vision, the sector can be reshaped by providing innovative products and personalised solutions that can operate according to a circular economic model that maximise local resources, exploits advanced manufacturing techniques and engages in cross-sectoral collaborations and strategic clusters.

The following tables (i.e., Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4) analyse, for each layer of the ILV, its components in terms of relevance for the T&C sector and alignment with the TCBL project. In 11

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs this regard, the ILV 2025 proposes many insights that can be associated to the nine market trends identified in the TCBL handbook “Market Analysis And Trends – 2017 Edition” released as Annex I to D7.2, namely (1) consumption; (2) emerging markets; (3) relocalisation; (4) business models; (5) networked production; (6) consolidation; (7) fragmentation; (8) commoditization; (9) subcontracting. These alignments are reported, where relevant, in the last column of the following tables with the labelling “Ref D7.2 Annex I trends”.

Component

Relevance for T&C sector Collaboration is a pivotal aspect to achieve ‘critical mass’.

Increased importance of consumer requirements and behaviours

Consumer-driven design and product development, product/service personalisation should be enhanced.

Support to social innovation and circular economy practices.

SOCIETY

Changing Societal risks

Globalisation is influencing all sectors.

ICT / data protection issues needs to be considered.

TCBL alignment Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

Importance of collaboration practices.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption Focus on local markets / clusters.

Strategic role of Place Labs for fostering local economies.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption; relocalisation; network based production; consolidation

Increased global population

The issue of population increase has to be taken into consideration for the development of new solutions for attractive growing markets.

Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

Ageing population

Aging population will require new solutions for better and more affordable healthcare, active and independent living of elderly citizens

Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

People demand more convenience, greater choice, faster solutions and more services (changes in customers’ demand).

Development of new business models that take into account new needs of the population.

Increased urbanization

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption; consolidation

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption; emerging markets Focus on local markets / clusters.

Changing social norms and values and ethical issues

Evolving modes of education and learning

Emerges the need to find the right balancing between global and regional values.

Corporate social responsibility initiatives are spreading.

New and emerging technologies are always more socially accepted.

Skills and training are essentials for the T&C sector.

Strategic role of Place Labs for fostering local economies.

Importance of the ‘social sustainability’ and ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption; relocalisation; network based production; consolidation Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition

TECHNOLOGY

TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Component

Relevance for T&C sector

TCBL alignment

Increased social innovation

Growing social needs enable the diffusion of social innovation practices.

Evolving workforce and culture

Skills and training are essentials for the T&C sector.

Digitalisation of society

Services digitisation trend is pervading in the whole sector.

Importance of ICTs and the ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Services digitisation trend is pervading in the whole sector.

Importance of ICTs and the ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Importance of the ‘social sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption

Converging technologies New and emerging technologies Dissemination technologies

ENVIRONMENT

Multiple, new resources Increasing scarcity of natural resources Need to mitigate and adapt to climate change

Many companies are focusing on environmental issues.

Emerges the need to support circular economy practices.

Importance of ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

POLICY

ECONOMY

Increased threats to ecosystem Market forces

Existing business models needs to change.

Globalisation of markets and manufacturing

Local and regional markets should be strengthened

Changing economic norms and values

New business models, focused on social needs, are going to be defined

Evolution of international trade relations Public policy Governance 2.0

Industry needs to align with national / regional / sectorial policies.

ICTs are an important tool for interacting with PA.

‘Economic sustainability’ innovation dimension: need to define new business models, support to little entrepreneurs.

Focus on local markets / clusters.

Strategic role of Place Labs for fostering local economies.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets; relocalisation; network based production; consolidation; fragmentation

Importance of ICTs and the ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Table 2 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025: Agents of Change description and alignment with TCBL project

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Component

People and societal values

T&C sector implications

The T&C sector needs to focus on user requirements.

TCBL alignment Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

Importance of ‘social sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption

Employment and skills

The ability to attract workers with the right skills at the right cost will have competitive advantage.

Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Regulation

Norms and laws can enable the development of new innovative solutions and business models in the T&C sector.

Regional – national normative framework has to be considered for the realisation of new collaborations between different stakeholders.

Financial system

Financial regulation, crowd funding, future banking systems and the evolution of the monetary systems are elements that will affect the financial capacity of the production industry.

Emergence of new business models: importance of the ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets Importance of ICTs and the ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Science, research and technology

Science, Research and Technology are determinant in defining the extent of opportunities for developing new markets, processes and product

Emergence of new business models: importance of the ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets

Environment, resources and energy

Markets, competition and consumers

Companies need to use resources in a sustainable manner.

The T&C sector needs to develop new business models.

Importance of the ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Emergence of new business models: importance of the ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets

Table 3 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025: Enablers and Constraints description and alignment with TCBL project

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

INFRASTRUCTURE

Component

T&C sector implications

TCBL alignment

Smart and interoperable physical infrastructure

Smart infrastructures will enable industry to be more competitive and efficient, as well as allow industry to better address societal challenges such as climate change and scarcity of natural resources.

ICT Infrastructure

It is necessary to focus on the strategic role of ICTs for the growth of the market and on services digitisation.

Importance of the ‘data’ innovation dimension

Knowledge infrastructure

Companies need to support to skills enhancement and education.

Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Financial infrastructure

Financial infrastructure is an important element to consider in order to strengthen the reference market.

Strategic role of ICTs. Importance of the ‘sustainability’ innovation dimension (social, economic and environmental).

Development of sustainable business models (‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension).

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets

SERVICES

For customers

For production

Materials and reusable parts for sustainability Advanced materials for performance

TECH NOLO GIES

MATERIALS

For business

Resourceefficient and

T&C sector needs to focus on users’ needs: services personalisation and customisation.

T&C sector should promote promote of smart specialization endeavours

Innovative business services (e.g., eco-industry) are emerging in all industrial sectors.

Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption; business models Focus on local markets / clusters. Strategic role of Place Labs for fostering local economies.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: relocalisation; business models; network based production; fragmentation Importance of the ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets

- Circular economy

Importance of the ‘environmental’ sustainability innovation dimension.

- Environmental sustainability

Promotion of circular economy.

- Use of advanced materials with high performances

In this context: strategic role of the Design and Make Labs.

T&C sector should focus on circular economy and environmental sustainability

Importance of the ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

T&C sector should focus on:

15

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Component

T&C sector implications

TCBL alignment

Flexible, smart and customeroriented technologies

T&C sector needs to focus on users’ needs: services personalisation and customisation.

Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

Human-centred factories

Factories have to address simultaneously economic, environmental and societal challenges.

Importance of the ‘sustainability’ innovation dimension (social, economic and environmental).

Strategic role of the Make Labs for T&C smart production.

Digital factories

The process of digitisation of services / products is pervading EU industry with important impacts also in the T&C sector.

Importance of ICTs and the ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Logistics and supply chain

Logistics and supply chain have to be set-up focusing on environmental sustainability criteria.

Importance of the ‘environmental’ sustainability innovation dimension.

clean production processes

Holistic design

T&C sector should focus on environment sustainability and ecodesign and promote a user centric approach.

Importance of the ‘openness’ and ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Design Labs could promote ecodesign initiatives.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: network based production

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Global integration

Emerges the need to find the right balancing between global and regional values.

Environmental and resources issues have to be considered.

Value chain optimization

Dynamic and suitable business models New innovation schemes

Companies should focus on specialization and smart production techniques.

Emerges the need to focus on collaboration and emerging business models.

Importance of local market in the globalisation background, promotion of smart specialization. Importance on Place Labs.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: emerging markets; relocalisation; business models; fragmentation Importance of the ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension; role of Make Labs to promote innovative production techniques.

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: business models; fragmentation Importance of the ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension and development of new business models.

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Component

T&C sector implications

New business partners

TCBL alignment Ref D7.2 Annex emerging markets

Skills and talents

Companies need to foster the development of new skills and talents retain.

Customers involvement

Companies should focus on services personalisation; customers involvement and customer-oriented design.

I

trends:

Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Need for product / services personalisation (‘openness’ innovation dimension).

Ref D7.2 Annex I trends: consumption

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Data capture Knowledge generation Intellectual property management

Investments on skills and education are of pivotal importance.

Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Table 4 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025: Production and Consumption Systems description and alignment with TCBL project

TAKEAWAYS On the basis of the analysis conducted, it is clear that TCBL project is consistent with the ILV 2025 and from this policy action some useful insights addressable to SMEs operating and interacting in the T&C sector can be derived.

First of all, T&C sector has to re-define its products / services offering taking into consideration two main aspects: 1. new products / services design should be based on user requirements, as the tendency to provide personalised, attractive and adaptable solutions emerges from the analysis; 2. the promotion of digitalisation – looking both at the management and production processes and at the final products/ services offered – can enable radical changes in the T&C sector.

In a second instance, the textile industry needs to reinforce its local and regional resources in order to revitalise European economy, strengthen sectorial competences available in each country and promote inter-regional collaborations. Moreover, environmental sustainability issues can be embraced by companies considering the entire product/service lifecycle (e.g., design, production, selling, post selling, waste management, energy usage) and, thus, enhancing circular economy approaches and the reuse of materials.

Finally, as a consequence of all these aspects, the typical expertise of the T&C sector is going to be reshaped: new competences are required, new skilled personnel is going to be hired and, in some cases, existing human resources need to be reconverted.

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

SMART SPECIALISATION PLATFORM FOR INDUSTRIAL MODERNISATION OBJECTIVES The Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation 13 (S3P-Industry) is an initiative promoted by the Smart Specialisation Platform [13] (already analysed in D7.1 and briefly recapped in Section 0) which considers industrial ecosystems. It aims to support EU regions for proposing and developing industrial investment projects following a bottom-up approach based on interregional cooperation, cluster participation and industry involvement. It ensures the active participation of industry and related business organisations like clusters, research institutions, academia and civil society.

This initiative encourages the set-up of new partnerships in specific thematic areas for industrial modernisation. Currently the thematic areas are the following ones: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Advanced manufacturing for energy applications, Bio-economy, Efficient and Sustainable Manufacturing, High Performance Production through 3D-Printing, Medical technology, New nano-enabled Products, Smart Regional Investments in Textile Innovation, SME integration to Industry 4.0, Sport.

TCBL ALIGNMENT This initiative falls within the Smart Specialization trend described in Chapter 0 and has many elements in common with the TCBL approach.

Amid the nine thematic areas, the following two are relevant especially for the T&C sector and, consequently, for the TCBL project: • •

Thematic Area 7 ‘Smart Regional Investments in Textile Innovation’, which makes explicit reference to the sector; Thematic Area 4 ‘High Performance Production through 3D-Printing’, which outlines interesting implications for T&C sector.

Thematic Area 7: Smart Regional Investments in Textile Innovation This thematic area is built on the awareness that the EU T&C industry can reinforce its strategic position in the European industrial landscape by responding actively to key social, economic, environmental, technology and policy trends through a series of actions: • •

•

Advanced manufacturing technologies offer the possibility to develop production systems that are cleaner, less labour and resource intensive and more circular.

EU-based production would offset the risks and costs associated with long-distance supply chains and offers the opportunity of short delivery times, thereby providing enhanced possibilities for on-demand and customised production.

The integration of ICT and big data analytics in business processes can enhance consumer involvement, co-design, personalisation and servitisation of textile products.

The alignment of this line of the S3P-Industry with the TCBL project values are manifold. Firstly, all the three innovation dimensions on which the project is built on are recalled. ‘Sustainability’ 13

http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/industrial-modernisation

18

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs is explained by the attention to environmental issues; ‘openness’ can be associated to the need to provide personalised / customised products and to enhance co-design and customers’ involvement practices; ‘data’ dimension is evoked by the need to integrate ICT and big data analytics in business processes. Moreover all the three types of TCBL Labs are evoked by this thematic area: the emphasis on regional and local markets is one of the main objectives of TCBL Place Labs; the promotion of the use of advanced manufacturing technologies in the production processes is a factor that lie at the core of TCBL Make Labs’ identity. Finally, TCBL Design Labs – promoting, inter alia, co-design endeavours – can also be touched by this action strand.

Thematic Area 4: High Performance Production through 3D-Printing This area supports the implementation of synergies in new 3DP value chains across regions based on local smart specialisations. In particular, it aims to identify opportunities for jointdemonstration between regions, based on a solid mapping exercise and the detected complementarities between existing demonstration facilities and company needs.

Eight cases for joint-demonstration are identified in the Vanguard “3D Printing” Pilot Project 14.

Each one of them has a dedicated democase leader that has produced a concept note on the case, and that is now further shaping the collaboration with other regions interested in the democase: 1. Automotive 1 – Hybrid Materials for Lightweight, Structural Components (metal-CFRP) (lead: Emilia-Romagna); 2. Automotive 2 – Functionally Graded Components (metal, non-critical) (lead: Aragon); 3. Machinery & Tooling – Structural Parts with Complex Shapes (lead: Wallonia); 4. AM-Subtractive Platform – 3D additive subtractive transversal pilot line concept (lead: Flanders); 5. Creative Industries – 3DPrinted wearables, lighting and decoration, fashion (lead: Catalonia); 6. Textiles – Adding a dimension to 2D textiles (lead: Lombardy); 7. 3DP Smart Bike – Open source platform for customise bike and accessories (lead: Flanders); 8. Healthcare – Customised ortheses and exoprosthesis components (lead: EmiliaRomagna).

Amid these eight democases, three of them rely on competences and resources of the T&C sector, namely democases number 5, 6 and 8.

Moreover, also in this case it is possible to envisage alignment with TCBL principles. This action line, in fact, promotes the collaboration among enterprises, strengthens local and regional markets and is focused on the new production techniques and materials that are all core concepts of the TCBL Place and Make Labs.

TAKEWAWAYS The analysis of the Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation brings to the fore some recommendations deemed valuable for European textile companies: 1. Collaboration The promotion of industrial collaboration and cluster participation are the centrepiece to revitalise the European economy; in addition, it is essential to focus on local and regional markets in order to strengthen sectorial competences available in each country and promote

14

http://www.s3vanguardinitiative.eu/cooperations/high-performance-production-through-3d-printing

19

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs inter-regional collaborations. Furthermore, collaboration synergies must be established not only between enterprises but also with research institutions, academia and civil society.

2. Sustainability Industrial partnerships and regional synergies can activate new production processes with a low environmental footprint.

3. ICT and big data The integration of ICT and big data analytics in business processes enhances consumer involvement, co-design, personalisation and servicisation of textile products.

CLUSTER COLLABORATION PLATFORM OBJECTIVES The European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) [15] is a service facility that aims to provide cluster organisations with modern tools that allow to: make efficient use of networking instruments; develop collaboration trans-nationally (within Europe) and internationally (beyond Europe); support the emergence of new value chains through cross-sectorial cooperation; access the latest quality information on cluster development; improve their performance and increase their – as well as their members’ – competitiveness.

Moreover, the platform offers both virtual facilities and live activities that include: • • • • • •

a dynamic mapping of profiled cluster organisations worldwide with new search facilities based on special filters; detailed information on the European Strategic Cluster Partnerships; a ‘marketplace’ where cluster organisations can exchange their offers and demands; existing ‘gateways’ as organisations supporting SMEs internationalisation processes; a unique collection of profiled cluster-related projects developed under various European programmes; besides special sections for matchmaking or for showcasing good practices as inspiration sources.

ECCP defines its services primarily for the needs of cluster managements but its offering can be useful for both the cluster members and for the cluster policy makers at regional, national or international level.

TCBL ALIGNMENT AND T AKEAWAYS This initiative is relevant for the TCBL project because it well exemplifies the notion of collaboration among stakeholders – main principle on which the TCBL ecosystem hinges – and it supports regional and local markets.

The Cluster Collaboration Platform is aligned with the S3P-Industry initiative and, as a consequence, it suggests similar recommendations to SMEs: it stresses the importance of promoting industrial collaboration and cluster participation for revitalising European economy, and it emphasizes the focus on local and regional resources in order to strengthen sectorial competences and promote inter-regional collaborations.

3.2 T&C-RELATED POLICIES This part of the handbook deals with two recent policy initiatives specifically oriented to the T&C sector.

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

T EXTILE CLUSTERS FOR I NDUSTRIAL MODERNISATION - T EX4IM OBJECTIVES The Tex4IM partnership [16] is an initiative promoted by the Cluster Collaboration Platform [15] with a focus on the T&C sector. The initiative aims at bringing together the main European textile-based clusters in countries / regions where the T&C industry represents a significant share of the national / regional economy, to enhance innovation capacities, business models, knowledge and skill levels and other key competitive factors that will determine the future of European T&C sector. The partnership aims at building strong competences and form strategic alliances in the following strategic areas, based on the priorities set forth by the Strategic Innovation & Research Agenda [17] (which will be discussed in section 0): • •

• • •

•

transfer to textile operators the basic principles of circular textile products; investigate new means of reaching and engaging the final consumer, eventually widening market opportunities and enabling more personalisation and user-driven design/innovation; facilitate the design and implementation of new or improved value chains for textilebased materials and products; design and develop a joint international strategy that contributes to securing, strengthening and extending T&C companies competitiveness at the international level; design and testing newly conceived textile products, including advanced materials for diversified applications, that will presumably lead to the creation of new market niches or to the replacement of more expensive and less flexible components in diverse manufacturing processes and final products; retain talents within the regions and the sector, introduce advanced skills still not spread in T&C enterprises and attract new talents for the newly established or improved value chains.

TCBL ALIGNMENT This initiative exhibits plenty of commonalities with the vision underlying the TCBL project, besides the focus on the T&C sector. Firstly, it promotes the collaboration between stakeholders – basic principle of the TCBL ecosystem – while actively encouraging sustainability-driven endeavours (e.g., reuse of materials) and user-driven innovation (akin to TCBL innovation dimension ‘openness’). Finally, TCBL Labs are in tune with the objectives of this initiative: whilst the promotion of advanced materials and production techniques is in line with Make Labs, the preservation of local skills, talents, and craftsmanship techniques is a firm commitment of all TCBL Place Labs worthy of the name.

TAKEAWAYS The Tex4IM partnership provides directions – besides the ones captured from the analysis of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform from which it is generated – that are in line with the recommendations already mentioned in the other policies analysed. They can be summed up in three main points: 1. the pressing need to provide personalised products / services and to involve final users, putting their requirements at the core of the design of new products and services; 2. the attention to environmental sustainability matters in all the lifecycle of a product / service and the enhancement of circular practices;

21

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs 3. the need to re-shape the T&C sector using new and advanced materials and production techniques, finding new competences and talents from local market and, lastly, strengthening the competitiveness at international level.

T OWARDS A 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION OF T EXTILES AND CLOTHING - A STRATEGIC INNOVATION AND RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE EUROPEAN T EXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRY OBJECTIVES This report [17] is the most recent (dated October 2016) T&C-related document published heretofore. It is the result of a process involving textile research, technology and industry experts in Europe with the aim to identify and describe the major Strategic Innovation Themes and corresponding Research Priorities of the European T&C industry for the next decade. This work was coordinated by the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (ETP).

The document makes reference to the Industrial Landscape vision 2025 [14] and identifies four key innovation themes that will shape next-generation T&C industry: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Smart high performance materials; Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains and business models; Circular economy and resource efficiency; High value added solutions for attractive growth markets.

TCBL ALIGNMENT TCBL has been actively involved in the conceptualisation and presentation of this Agenda, through the contribution of the TCBL partners DITF and PRATO. Specifically they were engaged in the editing phase and, successively, in the coordination of the workshop “The Textile Empire Strikes Back – Reloaded – How fibre-based high performance materials will shape our future” during the presentation conference 15 held on 12th-13th October 2016 in Bruxelles. As a consequence, the strategic agenda contains many topics aligned with the TCBL principles and values, that are summarised in Table 5.

Innovation theme

Relevant aspects for TCBL approach

Focus on end-user functionality, durability, manufacturing cost and efficiency, ease of use and maintenance.

1. Smart high performance materials

TCBL alignment Importance of the ‘openness’ innovation dimension.

Make Labs can use new materials characteristics.

Focus on products standardisation and certification.

Importance of skills enhancement (capacity building).

Focus on end-user awareness and education.

Alignment with ‘Eco-Friendly Production’ Business Case.

Enhancement of re-use and recycling practices.

Importance of the ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

15

http://www.textile-platform.eu/home/2016/6/21/eu-textiles-going-digital-going-high-tech-internationalconf.html

22

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Innovation theme

Relevant aspects for TCBL approach Focus on development and maintenance of strong material production and processing competences and capacities.

New production techniques that can be used by Make Labs.

Need to invest in R&D to maintain and further improve Europe’s position worldwide.

Importance of generation of new knowledge, skills and competences.

Goal of automated individualised garment making.

Promotion of service digitisation; importance of ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Shift towards a new paradigm characterised by: • Full personalisation of products; • Faster delivery: sellers must be capable of delivering products to the consumer’s doorstep virtually the next day;

2. Advanced digitised manufacturing, value chains and business models

3. Circular economy and resource efficiency

• Regularly consumed products arrive automatically; • Products may be rented for a limited period of time or shared in a community; • Products need to tell an authentic and transparent story about their making.

Importance of the ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension: development of new business model enabled by TCBL. Focus on ICTs and data: services digitisation, importance of data’ innovation dimension.

Importance of ‘openness’ innovation dimension: products / services customisation.

Textile and fashion business of the future characteristics: new technologies for consumer-driven design and product development; new production technologies for flexible efficient and local on-demand production down to lot size; new business models facilitating deep consumer interaction, easy product return or sharing options and seamless networks of designers, producers and service providers sharing resources, data and common business cultures.

Importance of ‘openness’ innovation dimension.

Need to seek better technology to combine economic with ecological benefits while complying with the law.

Importance of ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Better environmental performance in production and increase consumer interest in more sustainable textile products.

Increasing interest for natural materials (flax, hemp, wool and cotton)

4. High value added solutions for

TCBL alignment

New needs for textile products in specific domains and new growing markets, e.g., workwear and protective clothing; solutions

Focus on local markets / clusters.

Strategic role of Place Labs for fostering local economies.

Importance of ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension and the development of new business models enabled by TCBL. Importance of ‘data’ innovation dimension.

Importance of ‘openness’ and ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Alignment with ‘Natural Cotton’, ‘EcoFriendly Production’, and ‘Bio Shades’ Business Cases.

Importance of ‘environmental sustainability’ innovation dimension.

Alignment with ‘Natural Cotton’ and ‘Eco-Friendly Production’ Business Cases.

Importance of ‘economic sustainability’ innovation dimension

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs Innovation theme attractive growth markets

Relevant aspects for TCBL approach for the aging population; new solutions for sport and outdoor activities; buildings and civil engineering; transportation sector.

TCBL alignment and the development of new business models enabled by TCBL. Alignment with ‘Bio Shades’ Business Case.

Table 5 – Four thematic areas of the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the European Textile and Clothing Industry

The document, at the end, underlines two important additional aspects: (1) the need to invest on education and skills in order to materialise this transition towards the future T&C sector; (2) the importance of supporting and fostering the forms of regional excellence that are particularly thriving in the T&C sector.

TAKEAWAYS This report is certainly the most relevant and complete document aligned with the aims of the TCBL project and, from its examination, several suggestions for TCBL Associates can be distilled.

First, it emphasises the importance of product personalisation and the need to focus on users requirements: customer-driven design and product development should be enhanced and new business models are going to promote consumer interaction, servitisation, easy product return or sharing options (i.e., ‘closet sharing’ in the TCBL parlance).

Moreover, the document underlines the necessity to invest on research and innovation to support SMEs, in particular at local level, but also to maintain and further improve Europe’s position worldwide. Furthermore, according to the report, significant investments are required not only in research and development, but also in industry demonstration and in worker education. This latter is a key aspect that cannot be ignored: new skills and education are fundamental to reshape the T&C sector.

When it comes to environmental sustainability, it has to be seen as an opportunity rather than a mere constraint to comply with. Finally, the collaboration between T&C operators, private sector partners and other stakeholders of the ‘quadruple helix’ has to become more intense with the purpose to provide the necessary conditions for an integrated innovation ecosystem that galvanizes the birth and scale-up of new and successful ventures.

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4. TCBL POLICY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: BIG PICTURE

THE

The policy analysis performed during the first two years of TCBL can be seen as a stepping stone to draw a comprehensive big picture of the wide-ranging TCBL policy environment.

First and foremost, the second year of activities – besides generating an in-depth analysis of existing policy actions pertaining to specific domains (i.e., European industrial background and T&C-related) – brought to the fore the centrality of collaboration practices in the EU industrial policy landscape. The acknowledgment of this evidence led ISMB analysist to add ‘Collaboration’ to the four trends shaping the European industrial context as defined in D7.1.

In a second instance, an effort has been made in order to group the policies analysed hitherto into three main categories: (1) policies related to the European industrial background, (2) T&Crelated policies, and (3) trends shaping the overall industrial environment (i.e., Social Innovation, Circular Economy, Industry 4.0, Smart Specialization, Collaboration). To this end, Table 6 takes a census of the main policy sources examined during the first two years of TCBL and the category to which each of them can be associated.

TCBL year

Policy source

Policy category

1

Europe 2020

European industrial background

2

Industrial Landscape vision 2025

European industrial background

1

Open Book of Social Innovation; Guide to Social Innovation

Trend (Social Innovation)

1

Growth within: a circular economy vision for a competitive Europe; EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy

Trend (Circular Economy)

1

Industry 4.0 - Digitalisation for productivity and growth; Overview of the European commission on digitising Industry

Trend (Industry 4.0)

1

Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy; RegioTex Initiative

Trend (Smart Specialization)

2

Smart Specialisation Platform for Industrial Modernisation

Trend (Smart Specialization)

2

Cluster collaboration platform

Trend (Collaboration)

1

Textile Regulation (EU) N. 1007/2011

T&C-related policies

1

EU Ecolabel Textiles and footwear

T&C-related policies

2

Textile clusters for industrial modernisation (Tex4IM)

T&C-related policies

2

Strategic innovation and research agenda for the European textile and clothing industry

T&C-related policies

Table 6 – Main policy sources examined for TCBL policy environment analysis (2016-2017)

Based on these observations, ISMB analysts coined the ‘windmill metaphor’ (Figure 5) with the purpose of putting together the ‘tesserae of the mosaic’ related to the TCBL policy environment.

As the windmill converts wind into power to crush grain or produce electricity, TCBL unleashes new creative energies to support European SMEs, making available an unprecedented experimentation playground that intends to significantly improve the prosperity of Europe’s diffused system of production.

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs The background in which TCBL is set up is the European industrial landscape 16 , which is represented by the wind situated on the top of the picture. As the project is oriented to a specific sector, T&C-related policies17 represent only the central section of the image, even if the most important. The resulting trends, for their part, are depicted through a windmill, immersed into the European background and from which the T&C-related policies depart. More specifically, the trends windmill is composed of four blades – namely Social Innovation, Circular Economy, Industry 4.0 and Smart Specialization – and is held up by the tower – the Collaboration trend – perceived as the foundation of the windmill. In fact, the notion of ‘collaboration’ is fundamental while considering TCBL values and principles and, at the same time, it appears a common thread running through the other four trends.

For example, many social innovation ideas become reality thanks to collaborations across sectors. Moreover, user-driven product design can be enabled by technologies falling under the banner of Industry 4.0 trend. By the same token, re-use and recycling actions peculiar to the Circular Economy trend often pass through coordination among conscious consumers or enterprises. Lastly, Smart Specialization enhances collaboration among local businesses to jointly develop new solutions targeting market areas of competitive strength.

Figure 5 – TCBL policy environment big picture visualized through the ‘windmill metaphor’ (source: ISMB)

16

Reference policies considered: Europe 2020, ILV2025.

17

Reference policies considered: EU Ecolabel Textiles and footwear, Strategic innovation and research agenda for the European textile and clothing industry, Textile Regulation (EU) N. 1007/2011, Textile clusters for industrial modernisation (Tex4IM).

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

5. CONCLUDING REMARKS This conclusive chapter aims to propose a summary of the main findings stemming from the policy environment analysis conducted during Y2. It goes without saying that the discussion is based on all previous chapters.

5.1 POLICY ALIGNMENT WITH THE TCBL PROJECT Table 7 connects policy initiatives dealt with in Section 3 with the distinctive pillars of the TCBL project. Hence, each policy under the lens is analysed with reference to the following key elements characterising TCBL project: • • • •

the three TCBL innovation dimensions (i.e., openness, data, sustainability) as defined in the primer on business model dynamics enabled by TCBL, released as annex to D4.2; the five trends shaping the industrial environment (i.e., Social Innovation, Circular Economy, Industry 4.0, Smart Specialization, Collaboration); the importance of sectoral skills enhancement (i.e., capacity building); the Labs specialisations (i.e., Place, Make, Design).

TCBL innovation dimensions

TCBL pillars

Openness

Data

Keywords

1. ILV 2025

2. S3P-Industry

Open innovation, User-driven innovation, DIY, Collective Intelligence

Increased importance of consumer requirements and behaviours; Experimentation with social innovation, also in term of social design

Need to provide personalised / customised products and to enhance codesign and customers’ involvement practices

Data-driven innovation, Mass customization

Focus on infrastructure and new and emerging technologies; Importance of digitised services / awareness of

Opportunity to integrate ICT and big data analytics in business processes

3. ECCP

4. Tex4IM

Identification of new means of reaching and engaging the final consumer

5. Strategic Research programme for ETCI Rise of collaborative and sharing economy: challenge and opportunity for T&C sector Identification of new technologies for consumerdriven design and product development Importance of ICTs and data [innovation theme: digitisation]

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

TCBL pillars

Keywords

1. ILV 2025 the digitisation of the society process; Data Management and Exchange Inclusion of the ‘society’ as component of the ‘agents of change’; Promotion sustainable materials and production processes, Implementation of profitable and inclusive business models

Circular Economy

Re-use, Recycle, Materials, Lifecycle thinking

Adoption of circular economic model by 2025 T&C industry

Social Innovation

Social innovation

Increasing opportunities enabled by social innovation, also in term of social design

Smart Specialization

Local market, Regional economies, Competitive strengths, Core competences

Remodelling of T&C industry according to the principle of maximisation of local resources

Industry 4.0

ICT, Data, Digitised services

Focus on infrastructure and new and emerging technologies in the ILV

Trends

Sustainability

Social, Economic, Environmental

2. S3P-Industry

3. ECCP

Attention to environmental issues

Support to regional and local markets

Support to regional and local markets

28

4. Tex4IM

5. Strategic Research programme for ETCI

Reinforcement of T&C companies competitiveness at the international level

Promotion of the adoption of sustainability principles [innovation theme: sustainability and new growth markets]

Transfer to textile operators the basic principles of circular textile products

Promotion of circular economy endeavours (re-use and recycling practices) [innovation theme: smart high performance materials]

Talents retention within the regions and the sector

Support to research and innovation for SMEs at regional level; Need to enhance research and innovation to maintain and further improve Europe’s position worldwide

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

TCBL pillars

Labs specialisation

Capacity building

Collaboration

Keywords

1. ILV 2025

2. S3P-Industry

3. ECCP

4. Tex4IM

5. Strategic Research programme for ETCI

Collaboration, Stakeholders, Cross-sectoral, Ecosystem, Quadruple helix

Promotion of crosssectoral collaborations by 2025 T&C industry

Promotion of collaboration among enterprises

Promotion of collaboration among stakeholders

The initiative brings together the European T&C clusters

Collaboration of T&C sector with policy makers, private sector partners and other bodies

Building of strong competences and promotion of cooperation between clusters.

New talents attraction.

Need to increase investments in research and development, and reinforceworker education

Talents sharing within the regions and the sector

Promotion of the local dimension

Sectoral skills enhancement

Creativity, New skills, Informal learning

Need to attract new skilled and talented employees

Place Labs

Local, Regional, Zero km production

Maximisation of local resources

Design Labs

Design, Creativity

Promotion of social innovation incorporating social design practices

Make Labs

Production, Additive manufacturing

Use of advanced manufacturing techniques

Focus on local and regional markets

Promotion of the local dimension

Facilitation of the design and implementation of new or improved value chains for textile-based materials and products

Use of advanced manufacturing technologies in the production processes

Adoption of new technologies for consumer-driven design and product development (e.g., 3D scanner and 3D prototypes) Use of new and smart high performance materials

Table 7 – Alignment between TCBL Y2 policies and TCBL pillars

Note that the column related to the Strategic Research Programme For The European Textile And Clothing Industry (5) is particularly rich in content: this is due to the active involvement of TCBL in the realisation and presentation of this agenda, as explained in Section 3.2.

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

5.2 TAKEAWAYS The portfolio of policy initiatives examined so far suggests a number of takeaways that are of practical relevance for TCBL Associate enterprises – especially SMEs – willing to test the waters of new digital technologies, emerging production schemes, ground-breaking business models, and re-discovery of the untapped artisan know-how. These companies, on the basis of policy environment findings, can increase their comprehension of industry dynamics, seize emerging opportunities and, ultimately, strengthen their competitive positioning.

Whilst recommendations are specified – separately – at the end of each policy analysis in Section 0, this final section puts together all these insights and draw-up a succinct list of the prominent takeaways.

Firstly, T&C companies are increasingly paying attention to sustainability principles and emerging users’ needs. As a matter of fact, businesses understand that they should be able to turn environmental issues into veritable opportunities: this happens by ‘closing the loop’ of product lifecycles through greater recycling, reuse, repair and remix (i.e., circular economy), adoption of eco-friendly materials with negligible environmental footprint and maximisation of local resources. Moreover, several T&C companies are embracing consumer-driven design and product development as well as product/service personalisation (e.g., ‘mass customization’, ‘predictive offering’, and ‘make to assemble’, just to name a few examples of TCBL business model patterns in this vein): in this process, data and ICTs assume a game-changing role as part of a new wave of digitisation (e.g., Industry 4.0, AI, AR and VR). In this regard, the Stop&Read ‘Sustainable Fashion Market’18 released by ISMB analysts as annex to D2.4 puts at companies’ fingertips a selection of innovative business models powered by TCBL characterised by sustainability-orientation and customer-centricity while shedding light on sectoral ‘business champions’ already implementing such business models. In addition, the six TCBL Business Cases already instantiated seem to epitomize this two-fold vision, giving life to a unique blend of environmental and social motivations19 able to lure the interest of many T&C forward-looking companies.

Secondly, the T&C sector aims to strengthen local economies and to increase competitiveness by adopting a ‘glocal’ approach. The sector, in fact, needs to promote investments in R&D and technology transfer to support SMEs at regional level (i.e., local perspective), but also to maintain and further improve Europe’s position worldwide (i.e., global perspective). Skills and education ignite and fuel this process of change: in the knowledgebased competition advocated by TCBL, R&D activities, establishment of communities of practice and workers’ on-the-job training – including frugal one – are the linchpin for workforce empowerment, talent retention, and territorial competitiveness as well.

Finally, collaboration is a pivotal aspect to cultivate a ‘critical mass’ of innovators.

Collaboration practices should be envisaged not only among T&C enterprises at interregional level but also among the T&C sector and policy makers, private sector partners and other bodies (e.g., research institutions, academia, civil society), as recommended by the ‘quadruple helix’ model. Along these lines, the experimentation playground made available by TCBL allows T&C companies – regardless their size or maturity – to experiment with new collaboration schemes

18

http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/S&R!_SustainableTextileMarket_FINALE _SP.pdf 19

http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ValueModeling_Annex.pdf

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs while standing on the shoulders of a robust socio-technical infrastructure and benefiting from the support of a vibrant community of purpose-driven innovators.

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 – Methodology for TCBL policy analysis for 2017 ........................................................ 8 Figure 2 – Policy initiatives considered for TCBL policy analysis 2017 ...................................... 9 Figure 3 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025 (source: ILV 2025) ............................................. 10 Figure 4 – ILV layers and components: ‘Agents of Change’ example (source: ILV 2025) ....... 11 Figure 5 – TCBL policy environment big picture visualized through the ‘windmill metaphor’ (source: ISMB) .......................................................................................................................... 26

LIST OF TABLES Table 1 – Europe 2020 flagship initiatives .................................................................................. 4 Table 2 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025: Agents of Change description and alignment with TCBL project ............................................................................................................................. 13 Table 3 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025: Enablers and Constraints description and alignment with TCBL project ...................................................................................................................... 14 Table 4 – Industrial Landscape Vision 2025: Production and Consumption Systems description and alignment with TCBL project .............................................................................................. 17 Table 5 – Four thematic areas of the Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the European Textile and Clothing Industry .................................................................................... 24 Table 6 – Main policy sources examined for TCBL policy environment analysis (2016-2017) 25 Table 7 – Alignment between TCBL Y2 policies and TCBL pillars ........................................... 29

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERENCES

[1]

European Commission, “Europe 2020 - A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”, 2010.

[2]

European Union, "Textile Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011", Official Journal of the European Union, 2011.

[3]

European Commission, "EU Ecolabel Textiles and footwear", [Online]. Available: http://ec.europa.eu/ecat/category/en/14/textile-products.

[4]

R. Murray, J. Caulier-Grice and G. Mulgan, “The Open Book of Social Innovation”, The Young Foundation, 2010.

[5]

European Commission, "Guide to social innovation", 2013.

[6]

Ellen MacArthur Foundation, "What is a circular economy?" [Online]. Available: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy.

[7]

E. MacArthur, K. Zumwinkel and M. R. Stuchtey, "Growth within: a circular economy vision for a competitive Europe", Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2015.

[8]

European Commission, "Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy", Bruxelles, 2015.

[9]

BMBF, "Industrie 4.0", [Online]. Available: https://www.bmbf.de/de/zukunftsprojektindustrie-4-0-848.html.

[10] European Commission, "Overview of the European commission on digitising Industry", 2016.

[11] European Parliament, "Industry 4.0 - Digitalisation for productivity and growth", 2015.

[12] R. Berger, "Industrie 4.0 - the new industrial revolution - how Europe will succeed", 2016.

[13] European Commission, "Guide to Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisations", 2012.

[14] Joint Research Centre - EC, "Industrial landscape Vision 2025", [Online]. Available: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research/foresight/ilv2025.

[15] EASME, "European Cluster Collaboration https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/.

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[Online].

Available:

[16] European Cluster Collaboration Platform, "Textile Clusters for Industrial Modernisation", [Online]. Available: https://www.clustercollaboration.eu/partner-search/textile-clustersindustrial-modernisation-tex4im.

[17] European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing, "Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the European Textile and Clothing Industry", 2016.

LINK TO TCBL DOCUMENTS •

Handbook released as annex to D7.1: “The TCBL Policy Environment”, 20th February 2017 https://tcbl.eu/sites/tcbl.eu/files/u4/TheTCBLPolicyEnvironment.pdf

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TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs •

TCBL Policy Brief released as annex to D7.2, September 2017 http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_Policy Brief.pdf

•

Primer released as annex to D4.2: “Business Model Dynamics enabled by TCBL”, 14th June 2017 http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/WP4_Primer.pdf ;

•

Stop&Read released as annex to D2.4: “Sustainable Fashion Market”, June 2017 http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/S&R!_SustainableTextile Market_FINALE_SP.pdf

•

Handbook released as annex to 6.7 “Business Labs Value Modelling”, 29th September 2017 http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ValueModeling_An nex.pdf

•

Handbook released as annex to D7.2 “Market Analysis And Trends – 2017 Edition”, 31st October 2017

34

TCBL Policy Environment – 2017 Edition TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

DOCUMENT INFORMATION REVISION HISTORY This guidebook is issued as Annex III to TCBL Deliverable 7.2, “Exploitation and Impact Plan: Release 2 after Internal Pilot Phase”. Authors: Simon Delaere (imec), Paolo Guarnieri (Prato), Michele Osella (ISMB), Luca Leonardi (ARCA), Jesse Marsh (Prato) and Fabrizio Cardinali (Skillaware) This guidebood specifically is authored by Elisa Pautasso and Michele Osella of ISMB. REVISION

DATE

Version 1

05.10.2017

Version 2

31.10.2017

AUTHOR Elisa Pautasso and Michele Osella Jesse Marsh

ORGANISATION

DESCRIPTION

ISMB

Draft for review

Prato

Layout as TCBL Guidebook

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This deliverable contains original unpublished work except where clearly indicated otherwise.

Acknowledgement of previously published material and of the work of others has been made through appropriate citation, quotation or both.

COPYRIGHT This work is licensed by the TCBL Consortium under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, 2015-2016. For details, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ The TCBL Consortium, consisting of: Municipality of Prato (PRATO) Italy; German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research - Center for Management Research (DITF) Germany; Istituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB) Italy; Skillaware (SKILL) Italy; The Oxford Brookes University (OBU) UK; imec (IMEC) Belgium; Tavistock Institute (TAVI) UK; Materials Industrial Research & Technology Center S.A. (MIRTEC) Greece; Waag Society (WAAG) Netherlands; Huddersfield & District Textile Training Company Ltd (TCOE) UK; eZavod (eZAVOD) Slovenia; Consorzio Arca (ARCA) Italy; Unioncamere del Veneto (UCV) Italy; Hellenic Clothing Industry Association (HCIA) Greece; Sanjotec - Centro Empresarial e Tecnológico (SANJO) Portugal; Clear Communication Associates Ltd (CCA) UK.

DISCLAIMER All information included in this document is subject to change without notice. The Members of the TCBL Consortium make no warranty of any kind with regard to this document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The Members of the TCBL Consortium shall not be held liable for errors contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The TCBL project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme for research, technology development, and innovation under Grant Agreement n.646133.

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