The STAND Up! Tunisian partner CITET has coordinated a group of well established textile and fashion local companies, which have identified an interesting set of environmental challenges and problems awaiting innovative proposals for their resolution through the different services that can be activated through the Open Eco-Innovation vouchers made available by the project.

From the set of solutions that will be collected through the Switchers Open Eco-Innovation platform in response to the challenges launched, 4 start-ups will be rewarded with a voucher of 20.000€ each, aimed at developing and implementing the innovative proposals  and to be spent on prototyping, analysis and testing services in co-operation with the reference company.

The challenges are addressed to early and growth stage ventures or independent entrepreneurs in the textile and clothing sector that are legally constituted in one of the eligible areas from ENI CBC Med Programme in Tunisia. All selected ventures must be led by women (no age limit) and/or youth (up to 35 years old).

The involved companies and issues related to the challenges are listed below:

1. Demco, a renowned garment manufacturing company established in 1991, specialized in two jeanswear & knitwear producing denim and knitted garments for renowned international brands.

Two Challenges proposals:

1. Substitute Sodium Metabisulfite by an eco-friendly chemical product.
2. Substitute boiler’s chemical treatment by an eco-friendly chemical product.

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

2. Hitex, a denim garment producer established in Tunisia since 2011 offering cutting, sewing, washing, dyeing, finishing, and packaging services.

Two Challenges proposals:

1. Identifying biopolymer-based flocculants.

2. Optimise energy consumption at drying process.

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

3. Mfcpôle is a public-private organization created in 2006. The Textile pole "Neotex Monastir Technopark", which is a component of Mfcpôle aims to develop the Tunisian textiles & clothing sector.

Four Challenges proposals:

1. Carbon Footprint calculation
2. Sludge Recovery into combustible/cobblestone.
3. Control, master and optimize the consumption of natural resources.
4. Control, master and optimize chemical product consumption.        

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

4. Texpro Corp is vertically integrated company specialised in Denim, casual & outdoor wear, established in Tunisia since 1999 offering a full service of ready to wear garment

Three Challenges proposals:

1. Second choice upcycling.
2. Eliminate paper pattern plots in cutting process.
3. Automatic Optic Fabric inspection.

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

5. Sitex is an integrated denim fabric maker established in Tunisia since 1977. Its production line consists of spinning, yarn dye, weaving and finishing.

Four Challenges proposals:

1. Reduce salinity concentrate of Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology.
2. Cotton organic waste recovery.
3. Reducing the carbon footprint by recovering CO2 gas emissions.
4. Sludge recovery to green hydrogen        

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

6. Sartex is a garment maker since 1983, specialised in Denim and casual ware. It offers a full-product services from sourcing, cutting, sewing, washing, dyeing, finishing, packaging till export

Two Challenges proposals:

1. Drying by solar energy.
2. Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology concentrate recycling.    

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

7. King+, a vertically integrated company specialised in Denim, casual & outdoor wear, established in Tunisia since 2000.

Challenge proposal:

1. Cutting waste management.

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

8. Beau Jean’s is a totally exporting company specialized on garment washing & dyeing, created since 2009.

Challenge proposal:

1. Dryer’s waste management.

Deadline to submit your solution: 02/3/2023

Status: OPEN

More details on the challenges and all information to start-ups on the procedures for proposing solutions by registering on The Switchers platform HERE.

STAND Up!, the EU-funded project under the ENI CBC Med Programme that is behind the creation of the platform, and Switchmed Programme, aim to help meet the sustainable innovation challenges faced by private and public companies in the textile and fashion industry and to provide business support organisations (BSOs) with the necessary tools to facilitate links between solution seekers and entrepreneurs.