New cellulosic materials from potato harvest, leather-like material made from collagen and cutting-edge, plant-based, biodegradable sequin materials are just some of the innovations from the shortlisted businesses as part of Manufacturing Futures 2024.

UKFT’s Adam Mansell is part of the judging panel that selected the list, alongside Matthew Drinkwater, Head of Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion; Gillian Lipton, Head of Sustainability at Alexander McQueen; Ella Gould, Head of Circularity and Innovation at Selfridges; Chelsea Franklin, Head of Advanced Concept Design at PANGAIA.

The shortlisted businesses are:

• Arda Biomaterials – turning spent grain from the beer brewing and whisky distilling industries into a novel, leather-like material
• Fab Materials – converting hard-to-recycle fashion waste into valuable boards and composites
• Fibe – creating new cellulosic materials from potato harvest waste
• Fiiba – scaling sustainable materials for the fashion industry made from 100% agricultural waste
• Oxford Biopigments – plant-based dyes that are naturally lightfast and perform like synthetic dyes
• PACT – creating leather-like material made from collagen sourced from industrial by-products
• Sequinova – cutting-edge, plant-based, biodegradable sequin materials
• The Seam – the wardrobe care & repair service powered by intelligent tech, that pairs specialist makers with people and brands to keep fashion out of landfill
• TRUSS – simplifying the resale process through instant access to actionable data
• Zori Tex – using the latest technology to optimise the sorting and availability of complex non-reusable textiles

The businesses will now take part in a Critical Friends Day to receive feedback from a panel of experts covering innovation and sustainability, manufacturing production, business growth and IP, marketing and investment.

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About the prize

This year’s Manufacturing Futures prize will include:

• Cash prize of £15,000 for the winner and £5,000 each for two runners-up
• Desk membership for a year at The Trampery workspace in Fish Island Village
• Membership to UKFT providing access to their annual programme of events and webinars, networking opportunities via their extensive pool of members and supporters, and the latest market insights
• Business membership for a year to Common Objective, accessing 30,000+ global connections, premium intelligence and training courses in sustainable fashion and manufacturing
• The runners up will also receive professional memberships to Common Objective
• Business development consultancy hours from PANGAIA