The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates

TCBL HANDBOOKS

THE 2018 CALL FOR TCBL ASSOCIATES

Co-funded by Horizon 2020

ANNEX IV TO TCBL D 4.3, 30 JUNE 2018

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INTRODUCTION TCBL is creating a global movement for a sustainable T&C industry by building a community of innovators and enterprises that share common goals and values. As TCBL becomes an umbrella ‘brand’ representing those values, the procedure for the selection of business to become part of that community gains great importance.

This Handbook illustrates the terms, procedures and results of the 2018 Call for Associates, the mechanism through which TCBL labels its community members. This was the third of four yearly Calls foreseen in the TCBL project workplan, and builds on the experience of the previous call with the following main changes: • •

•

The Call procedure is now managed on the Thela platform for supply chain management (https://thela.cleviria.it/) The application questionnaire has become a Checklist against criteria to become a TCBL Associate – Relevance to the T&C sector, Value Added to the TCBL innovation activities, and Coherence with TCBL principles – with scores and thresholds replacing an evaluation process.

The decision to use this method to shift to an open rolling Call procedure starting in September 2018.

For the 2018 Call, as well as applications to the rolling procedure thereafter, a Welcome Service will be offered by TCBL Advisors to help applicants improve their scores on the Checklist and link up with the activities and services in which they have shown interest in participating.

Starting in September 2018, all information relevant to the Call, including the Call invitation, a downloadable copy of the Checklist, and instructions for compilation, will be available on the TCBL website at: https://tcbl.eu/call-associate-enterprises This document is intended for: • •

Those who participated in the 2018 Call and wish to learn more about the process Those interested in becoming a TCBL Associate through participation in future calls

The Handbook is structured according to the following sections: • • •

A description of the goals of the TCBL Calls for Associate Enterprises A description of the 2018 Call procedure and Welcome Service A summary of the results, including a listing of the 70 new Associate Enterprises

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OBJECTIVES

A central feature of the TCBL approach to scaling up and out is the Associates Programme, which aims to overcome the gap between the EU-funded project partnership and open business ecosystems in the “real world” by “gradually extending the interacting components of the business ecosystem through yearly Calls for Expressions of Interest.”1

THE FIRST TWO CALLS IN 2016 AND 20172 The objective of the first Call in 2016 was to select and define a minimum set (target of 60) of businesses with whom to carry out the first “internal” cycle of pilot experimentation. This implied identifying the desired features of the overall set of businesses, namely including the variety of sizes and innovation strategies and a sufficient mix of supply chain “positions” in order to be able to “compose” different value chains based on different pilot scenarios. The 2016 Call for Associate Enterprises was very successful, given that with a target of identifying 60 enterprises over 120 applications were received and 78 new Associate Enterprises selected.

The 2017 Call, for which the target was lower (40 new Associates), was used to test the sustainability of network expansion, committing a lower level of resources specifically to the Call and counting on the enlistment effect of partner and Lab activities as such, together with the dissemination effect of the website and social media activity. Notwithstanding some delays in launching the Call and the lower degree of publicity, the 2017 Call was again successful beyond our expectations. As against the target of 40 new enterprises, 93 organisations registered for participation and a total of 63 application forms were fully completed.

During these first two Calls, the distinctive features of the TCBL Associates Programme emerged with regards to a “traditional” call evaluation process, for instance as with H2020 Calls for proposals, as highlighted in the following table.

Traditional Call

TCBL

Money is being distributed to the most worthy candidates.

The value proposition offered is mainly based on joining an opportunity-based community.

The number of selections is defined by the limited amount of resources to distribute.

The number of selections is based on the ability of TCBL partners to support the dynamics of interaction between them.

Candidates are in competition with each other

Candidates are selected on the basis of their propensity to collaboration, with no fixed ceiling.

Candidates present innovation projects that they will carry out as planned if their bid is successful.

It is expected that innovation projects will be defined and designed after selection.

Projects are carried out with a pre-defined consortium or set of suppliers.

Projects in TCBL are carried out together with partners that are “discovered”3 from within the

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TCBL contractual Description of Actions p. 14.

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Including text previously published in TCBL Deliverable 4.1.

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

Traditional Call

TCBL

business ecosystem following selection.

On-going projects have little or no interaction.

Selected candidates become Associates, a bounded ecosystem that promotes interaction within an innovation community.

Projects follow a fixed time frame with external monitoring and evaluation.

TCBL supports self-evaluation of pilot scenario participants for open-ended experiments that scale up to the “real” world.

In essence, the shift is from a situation where “we” are offering an opportunity and candidates qualify to be worthy of that offer, to one where candidates are being asked how they intend to contribute to an ecosystem that they themselves are being offered the possibility to build. We support the construction of this ecosystem and the collaborative innovation initiatives that animate it, rather than supporting the individual companies participating in it as such.

OBJECTIVES FOR THE 2018 CALL The main objective for the 2018 Call was to reinforce this logic by gradually move the community of TCBL Associates onto a platform where the Call procedure is not an end to itself, but an entry point into a qualified value chain community. The Thela platform supports that shift, since its main purpose is to allow brands to transparently monitor compliance with social, environmental and legal issues through self-assessments, certification, audits, etc.

In more concrete terms, the goal was to bring an additional 60 Associates into the ecosystem, attracted by the prospect of participation in the TCBL value-based business community and specifically in on-going innovation initiatives.

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The term “discovery” is used similarly to “Entrepreneurial Discovery” in ERDF Smart Specialisation.

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

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THE 2018 CALL

The Call was thus published on 15 March (in parallel with the new TCBL website), The deadline for registration was thus extended from 15 to 30 April and that for submission of the completed questionnaire from 30 April to 15 May. APPLICATION PROCEDURE The registration feature developed to link the TCBL website with the Thela platform provides applicants with a free subscription to Thela (a commercial service) for the duration of the Call procedure, which extends through 2018 if the application is successful.

Applying is a three-step process:4 1. First, the applicant must first sign up to the TCBL Open Platform (use Login on https://tcbl.eu/ and then Sign up!) to use the TCBL Single Sign On facility, then login to the TCBL website.

2. From https://tcbl.eu/call-associate-enterprises, click “Apply”. This leads to a special Signup page, where the applicant compiles a registration form with information about her and her company. Clicking Submit automatically grants the free Supplier license, links the applicant as a “Supplier” to TCBL, and assigns them the 2018 Call questionnaire. A confirmation page shows that registration is successfully completed.

3. At this point, the applicant is registered and can simply go to the Thela homepage at https://thela.cleviria.it/ (there is also a button for this on the confirmation page). It is essential to “Login with TCBL” (login is required again for security reasons), and then one must select “Compiling” on the home page to go to the 2018 Call Checklist questionnaire. The applicant can save her work as she proceeds and click Complete when satisfied with the result.

CRITERIA Beyond general company information, the Checklist consists of three sections corresponding to the main criteria for qualification and which were the main evaluation criteria in the previous Calls.

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Relevance: The applicant must fit in with the role of Associate Enterprise. This means it should be active in any way in the T&C sector or wishing to be so in the near future.

This can include fashion designers, tailors, textile mills, cotton growers, retail outlets, environmental consultants, service providers, etc: anyone who can potentially become part of a T&C value chain.

To validate this criterion the Checklist asks the degree to which the applicant has knowledge and/or experience in the areas of textile and/or garment production and/or related fields ranging from logistics to social impact.

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Value Added: A strong applicant adds value to the community, by reinforcing its innovative character and enriching its diversity. Of course, a desire to collaborate and innovate together must also transpire.

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The procedure described below will be re-activated with the launch of the open rolling procedure in September 2018.

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

To validate this criterion the Checklist asks the applicant which Business Pilots, Lab Projects and/or Open Platform Services they are interested in using or participating in, and the level of their interest in these innovation processes.

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Coherence: The applicant must demonstrate coherence with the values and principles of the TCBL community, expressed as the 7 TCBL Principles: Curiosity, Viability, Durability, Multiplicity, Openness, Respect, and Responsibility (see https://tcbl.eu/tcblecosystem/values).

To validate this criterion the Checklist asks applicants to highlight where and how they can contribute to the community. We are thus not necessarily looking to rate “goodness” on each count, but above all consideration of the issues and commitment to improvement and experience in at least some areas.

VALIDATION AND FOLLOW-UP For the 2018 Call, three TCBL Controllers (from the same set of evaluators as the 2017 Call) checked each of the 70 completed questionnaires and the veracity of their responses. Four questionnaires were below threshold, but those concerned when contacted expressed a desire to increase their commitment to engagement with TCBL in order to raise their scores. All 70 questionnaires were thus accepted as new TCBL Associates.

In addition, the responses to the third Call called into question a decision taken in the first Call to limit the role of TCBL Associate to companies actively engaged only in T&C production. The role of TCBL Associate was thus given a broader definition, to include any actor engaged in the T&C industry in any role: designer, producer, consultant, service provider, etc. Being a TCBL Associate can thus overlap with participation in other roles (Advisors, Business Lab, Service Provider): the role of Associate is characterised by the interest in participating directly in business model innovation pilots.

In line with this new definition, 21 Associates from the two previous Calls who had successfully completed the relevant questionnaires (and also qualify for the criteria of Relevance), were upgraded to the status of TCBL Associate.

In order to follow-up with all new Associates, both to upgrade their Checklist scores and facilitate their integration into the TCBL innovation activities, a Welcome Service to be carried out by TCBL Advisors will be launched in early September 2018.

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

3. TCBL IN 2018 The state of the TCBL network, including all roles, is shown below for 2018, as a result of this Call and the parallel activities for enlisting new Labs, Startups, Service Providers and Creative Hubs.

ASSOCIATES FROM THE 2018 CALL. Name

City/Region

MS

Description

2T - Soluções de Impressão, Lda.

Sao Joao da Madeira

PT

Services in printing, laser cutting, and finishing

4M Fashion

Iasi

RO

New brand for kidswear and accessories

Anikogaldesign

Bologna

IT

Independent designer-producer for sustainability

Anma Mag

Volos

EL

Technical clothing and protective equipment

Argo Art Consulting

Bucuresti

RO

Fashion designs inspired by regional artists

Baby Look SA

Athens

EL

Baby clothes

Body2Garment Solutions

Den Haag

NL

Patternmaking consultants

Braco Sports

Larissa

EL

Sportswear

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

Name

City/Region

MS

Description

Brandi & Bandi d.o.o.

(Hiddenstitch)

Ljubljana

SI

Ethical fashion consultants and designers

Centre for Citizenship, Enterprise & Governance

Northampton

UK

Blockchain service tracking social value

Confectii Integrate Moldova

Iasi

RO

Large scale garment production

Cortex doo

Tolmin

SI

Small t-shirt with nature lifestyle concept

Cotton Diaries

Portsmouth

UK

Video stories of cotton

Dabadubada d.o.o. /Things I Miss

Ljubljana

SI

Independent designer brand

Darja Malešič, s.p.

Ljubljana

SI

Individual designer launching own brand

Demiuma Comimpex

Bucuresti

RO

Large womenswear producer, Nissa brand

Destilator

Pivka

SI

Small upscaling craftsmanship

EFL

Veneto

IT

Startup marketing independents

Es' SRL

Firenze

IT

Concept brand with a social purpose

Exclusiv Comp

Iasi

RO

Irina Schrotter upscale womenswear brand

exetexconf srl

Constanta

RO

Garment production including the EXE brand

gipsy and clown

Mavčiče

SI

Small, tailored denim, quality

Good On You

Amsterdam

NL

Brand rating and mobile shopping app

Gorfoo

Paris

FR

Eco-brand, TCBL-IFM prize

Goucam Group

Viseu

PT

Large scale garment producer

Her Dress Atelier

Iasi

RO

Custom made atelier

Hyperborea Srl

Navacchio di Cascina

IT

ICT services with a focus on culture

Indiese Intent

Smlednik

SI

Small scale design and production

Inseta S.r.l.

Prato

IT

Prato textile producer

Lanificio Leo

Soveria Mannelli

IT

Wool textiles

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

Name

City/Region

MS

Description

Lanificio Mario Bellucci spa

Prato

IT

Medium sized fabric production

Le Petit Bossu

Neo Voutza

EL

Artist-designer with heritage designs

Maen productions

Hertogenbosch

NL

Designer and production matchmaker

Maison Chouchou

Iasi

RO

Independent designer-producer

Mareight

Volpago del Montello

IT

Printing

Marini Industrie

Prato

IT

Textiles in Prato

Mateja Perosa

Bristol

UK

Social enterprise for patterns and sewing

MD Fashion Lab

Bucuresti

RO

Independent womenswear designerproducer

Mija Curk s.p. / Sofia Nogard

5270

SI

Original accessories (e.g. solar backpack)

Modni Studio 21. Stoletje

maribor

SI

Tailor's atelier

NCN Collection Srl

Iasi

RO

Small scale garment production

Nika-ĹĄiv d.o.o.

Železniki

SI

Small in sports and technical uniforms

Nissa Manufacture

Craiova

RO

Womensware in the Nissa brand

Nissintex Fashion

Giurgiu

RO

Nissa brand

Nourp Group

Calarasi

RO

Alda Ciceu's designs for elegant evening gowns

Pinkponilo

Budapest

HU

Sewing and clothes repair workshop

Plektiria Thessalias

41500

EL

Knit single and double-side jersey

Pletisa

Metlika

SI

Cotton clothing

Printerzone.srl

Piatra Neamt

RO

Startup for textile printing and embroidery

REMOkey

Amsterdam

NL

Service provider

Resort Prod

Constanta

RO

Brise brand garment production

Riccardo Rami Studio

Prato

IT

Design consultants with global brands

PT

Sustainable wool, local traditions

Salva la Portuguesa

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

Name

City/Region

MS

Description

SC Moda Miss Srl

Suceava

RO

Women's apparel

SC Stefitex Srl

Iasi

RO

Dynamic small apparel producer

Smirodava S.A.

Roman

RO

Large scale garment production, knitting, retail

Sofiaman

Tg. Neamt

RO

Large scale garment production

Staff Color Energy

Larissa

EL

Sustainable dyeing and finishing

Stofe Buhusi SA

Buhusi

RO

SME for wool textiles

TecnoCampus Foundation

Mataró

ES

Technology park for textiles research

Tekyn

Paris

FR

On-demand 4.0 pre-production services

Tenthorey

Eloyes

FR

Established cotton mill

Texmoda Tessuti Srl

Prato

IT

Prato textile firm

Thessalian clothing manufacturers and subcontactors network

Larissa

EL

Network of 20 T&C SMEs

Tintex Textiles SA

Campos – Vila Nova de Cerveira

PT

Smart and eco-fabrics

Titera doo

Murska Sobota

SI

Technology transfer for T&C

Vertical Fashion

Forlì

IT

On-line brand based on transparent cost structure

Webservice

Iasi

RO

Fashion-oriented ICT services

Zavod Korak naprej Murska Sobota, so.p.

Murska Sobota

SI

Small business wanting to make recycled clothes

Zeus+Dione

Athens

EL

Luxury and quality, garment design and production

ASSOCIATES UPGRADED FROM PREVIOUS CALLS Name

City/Region

MS

Description

4 Sustainability

Prato

IT

Reduction of chemical usage in textiles

Al Revés società cooperative

Palermo

IT

Social sewing

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

Name

City/Region

MS

Description

Athens Traders Association

Athens

EL

Athens traders association

Centro Consorzi

Prato

IT

Textile consortium

Fibrenamics

Norte

PT

Fibres research

Green'ing

Paris

FR

Plants, natural dyes

La Fabrique

Paris

FR

Fashion management school

Lucideon

Yorkshire

UK

Materials technologies, testing & characterisation

Multidata

Prato

IT

ICT services for textile industry

Next Technology Tecnotessile

Prato

IT

Tuscany textile R&D hub

Opera Fabri

Milano

IT

3d printing services

PatternMade4You

Utrecht

NL

Patternmaking software

Programma Ambiente

Prato

IT

Integrated waste management

SEPEE

Athens

EL

Fashion association

Seta Etica

Veneto

IT

Silk road in Veneto Region

Society of Dyers and Colourists

London

UK

Textile processing

Sourcebook

Berlin

DE

Digital T&C community

Stefano Panconesi

Biella

IT

Natural dyeing and organic textiles

Technical University Crete

Crete

EL

Production Engineering

Tsiakiris

Athens

EL

Silk

University of Piraeus

Piraeus

EL

Garment engineering

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The 2018 Call for TCBL Associates TCBL Handbooks Textile & Clothing Business Labs

DOCUMENT INFORMATION REVISION HISTORY This Handbook is published as Annex IV to TCBL Deliverable 4.3, “T&C Business Systems: Engagement and Impact”. Authors: Athanase Contargyris (MIRTEC), Jesse Marsh (Prato), Bill Macbeth (TCoE) and Filippo Mazzariol (UCV). This document in particular was edited by Jesse Marsh, City of Prato.

REVISION Version 1 Version 2

DATE

AUTHOR

14.06.2018 07.08.2018

Jesse Marsh Jesse Marsh

ORGANISATION

DESCRIPTION

City of Prato City of Prato

Full draft for review Final version incorporating reviewers’ comments.

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; 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; Reginnova NE (Reginnova) Romania, Centexbel (CTB) Belgium, Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) France, IAAC (FabTextiles) Spain, Cleviria (Cleviria) Italy, and Sqetch (Sqetch) Netherlands.

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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