ARTICLE 1: CONTEXT
Circular fashion
These last years have seen the emergence of many initiatives of companies and associations in order to propose a consumption of clothing more in line with the current concerns of consumers (Made In, Zero waste, low environmental impacts...) but also to comply with the national and European regulatory objectives (Circular Economy Package). The Covid 19 crisis has had a strong impact on the textile sector and has had an accelerating effect on these ongoing transitions.
The circular economy is at the heart of these new practices. It allows for the emergence of a new organization of the fashion industry, focused on new value chains, social, societal and environmental responsibility, and innovation in raw materials and transformation processes.
TYPOLOGY OF "CIRCULAR MODE" INITIATIVES
BETTER PRODUCTION THROUGH ECO-DESIGN
- To think the product and/or service in its entire life cycle in order to limit the impacts in the production phase (zero waste...), use (reparability, durability), maintenance (washing...) or end of life (recyclability), for a new product or a product already on the market
- Encourage the incorporation of used, recycled or new materials that are less polluting by reducing the number of different materials used and other disruptors to facilitate recycling
- Encourage the development of short supply circuits using local materials and know-how
- Develop less polluting finishing methods (reduced stages, vegetable dyes, etc.)
- Limit overstock / manufacture on demand
- Limit the release of microplastics
BETTER CONSUMPTION AND LONGER LIFE
- Encourage more sobriety in consumption
- Encourage second-hand practices, re-use, repair, reuse, re-conditioning
- Favouring short distribution channels and sober distribution practices
- Develop new services that allow to limit the quantity of clothes bought: renting, economy of functionality, collaborative economy and sharing (barter, donations...)
- Involve the consumer in the production process (co-production...) and better inform him on the traceability, the impacts, the maintenance... of his product
BETTER MANAGE THE END OF LIFE OF PRODUCTS
- Develop efficient collection systems (e.g.: Consigne...), preparation for recycling and recycling of products in closed loop (in the same production process) or in open loop (new outlets)
- Communication and awareness of sorting habits
- Valorize materials considered as waste (including from other sectors than textiles: food industry, plastic from the oceans, etc.)
The Circular Fashion Awards
In 2020, the European Metropolis of Lille, the historic cradle of textiles in France, organized the National Circular Fashion Awards with its partners ADEME and the Hauts-de-France Region. The first edition of this competition, which aimed to reward and stimulate innovation in the fashion and clothing sector, was a great success: 270 projects submitted, 30,000 voters during the public voting phase and 7 winners from all over France.
The European Awards for Circular Fashion are part of this desire to accelerate the transition of the textile industry.
As a cross-border territory, the MEL has a long history of cooperation with the Netherlands and Belgium. It is quite natural that this second edition will also allow projects from Belgium and the Netherlands to apply, also illustrating the European dimension of textiles.
ARTICLE 2: THE ORGANIZER
The organizer of the call for applications is the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) in close collaboration with its partners ADEME and the Hauts-de-France Region.
ARTICLE 3: PURPOSE OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
The call for applications concerns projects with products and/or services that innovate in the implementation of circular economy principles in the textile sector related to fashion and clothing. It will aim to reward innovation and business models of circular fashion/sustainable fashion.
The outcome of this call for applications will be the organization of a ceremony to award the European Circular Fashion Awards.
ARTICLE 4: TARGETS OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Companies: Very small companies, SMEs, large companies, creators, self-entrepreneurs... who can prove that they have already created a legal structure.
Incubated projects that can prove a certificate of incubation
Economic associations subject to VAT
Whatever the legal form of the project leader, the projects must aim to market a product and / or service in B2B or B2C.
The call for applications does not apply to fundamental research projects or to associations not subject to VAT.
ARTICLE 5: GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
Applicants to the call for applications must be able to prove that they are based in one of the following three countries:
- In France
- Belgium
- Netherlands
ARTICLE 6: PRIZE CATEGORIES
Trophies defined:
- Hope: projects in development that have not yet been brought to market but which aim to commercialize a product and/or service in the short term
- Booster: projects on the market for less than a year;
- Honor: projects that have been on the market for more than 1 year and no more than 3 years and benefit from a return of experience;
- Grand prize of the public: Nugget project of the general public
The first 3 trophies will be awarded for 2 categories of companies: The small company category (turnover less than 2 million euros) and the large company category (turnover greater than 2 million euros).
In addition to the trophies, regional prizes may be awarded by the partners of the Awards or by members of the Jury.
These favorites will be awarded among the finalists (all categories)
In summary:
| Catégorie Petite Entreprise (CA< 2 millions d’euros) | Category Large Company (CA> 2 million euros) |
| Hope Trophy | Hope Trophy |
| Booster Trophy | Booster Trophy |
| Honorary Trophy | Honorary Trophy |
| Grand Prize of the Public | |
| Favourites |
In total, 7 trophies will be awarded.
ARTICLE 7: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
- Submission of applications
Applications must be submitted online on the www.modecirculaire.com platform.
Any incomplete application and/or not submitted online will be eliminated.
Do you need help submitting your application? A Frequently Asked Questions section is online at www.modecirculaire.com.
Can't find your answer in the FAQ? Send us an email at candidature@modecirculaire.com. - Selection of eligible projects
At the end of the call for applications, a first step will verify the admissibility or not of the proposal.
Elements of admissibility of an application:- The candidate is present on the French, Belgian or Dutch territory
- The candidate is a project leader who can prove the legal creation of a company (Sas, Sarl, auto entrepreneur, creator ...), an association subject to VAT or other certificate of incubation. (Associations not subject to VAT cannot apply)
- The candidate has followed the procedure for submitting a file, i.e.: online submission on the platform
- The application was submitted online before Thursday, June 30 at 5:00 pm
- The project falls within one or more of the themes related to the Circular Fashion (see article 1) and aims at the marketing of a product and/or service in B2B or B2.
- Selection of finalists
All eligible projects will be presented to the Jury. This Jury will be composed of the technical committee and qualified experts.
It will select the finalists.
It will meet on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. The projects will be evaluated according to the evaluation criteria mentioned in Article 9.
Depending on the number of applications and their quality, the Jury may select up to 15 finalist projects.
An email will be sent to the unsuccessful candidates as well as to the successful candidates. - General Public Voting
A general public voting phase associated with a communication campaign and the exhibition of the finalists will take place from October to November.
For this purpose, a digital platform will be created so that the general public can decide between the finalists. The voting will take place from October 10th to November 16th at 5pm.
Prior to this, the finalists will have to make themselves available beforehand to produce communication tools, i.e.: videos, documents, exhibition...
An exhibition will be created to highlight the finalist projects. It will take place from October 10th until the awards event.
The public vote will be taken into account for 50% of the final decision for all trophies. The Grand Prize of the public will only take into account the votes of the public. - Final Jury and Awards Ceremony
A second jury will be formed and will be different from the first. The second jury will decide on the finalist projects and select the winners by category.
In order to guarantee confidentiality, this Jury will meet on the day of the awards ceremony. Each member of the Jury will have a file with a summary of the projects and a form for each project (sent in advance, at least 10 days before). Each finalist will be auditioned by the Jury (pitch 3 mins). The final decision will take into account the Jury's score (50%) and the score of the public vote (50%). The Grand Prize of the public will only take into account the votes of the public.
The evening will be followed by a cocktail party and networking with the North European and national actors of the circular fashion
. The finalists of the Call for entries commit themselves to be present - or represented - at the award ceremony.
ARTICLE 8: CALENDAR
Thursday, May 9: Launch of the Call for Entries
Thursday, June 30 at 5:00 p.m.: Closing of the Call for Entries
Tuesday, September 13: Jury 1
In the meantime: Production of communication materials for the finalists: videos and exhibition support*
Monday, October 17: Launch of the general public voting
Wednesday, November 16 at 5:00 pm: End of the general public voting
Friday, November 18: Jury 2 and Awards Ceremony *
*Candidates agree to make themselves available to produce the communication materials and to be present at the Jury 2 and at the award ceremony.
ARTICLE 9: EVALUATION CRITERIA
Here are the evaluation criteria for guidance:
- Reduction of environmental impacts over the entire life cycle or even creation of positive impacts
- The project aims at the sustainability and the extension of the life span of products and services
- New business models that respond to an economic market and are part of a strong social and societal responsibility (respect for human rights, animal conditions...)
- Important leverage effect on consumption (change of behavior, awareness, involvement or even sobriety practice)
- Each of these 4 criteria would be scored out of 5 to obtain a score out of 20.
ARTICLE 10: PRICES
For all finalists:
- A short video of the project
- Valuation of the initiative during the exhibition of the finalists
- Valuation of the project in the finalists' book
- Photos from the award ceremony
- Coverage and promotion of communication from mid-July to mid-November on all our media: events, social networks, press conferences, exhibition, awards ceremony...
- Networking with responsible fashion actors during the awards evening.
For the 7 winners:
| Catégorie Petite Entreprise(CA< 2 millions d’euros) | Category Large Company(and CA> 2 million euros) | |
| Hope Trophy | Financial price-accompaniment | Accompaniment by an expert firm |
| Booster Trophy | Financial awardaccompaniment | Accompaniment by an expert firm |
| Honorary Trophy | Financial awardaccompaniment | Accompaniment by an expert firm |
| Grand Prize of the Public |
The support will be based on the following proposals: help in raising funds, launching a participatory financing campaign, incubation, support on business models, help in measuring ecological impacts...
It will be awarded by the final jury according to the progress of the winning projects.
For all the finalists:
Coverage and promotion communication from mid-September until the awards evening on all our media: events, social networks, press conferences, exhibition, awards evening ...
ARTICLE 11: TRANSPORTATION
Travel costs to the video production meetings, the Final Jury and the award ceremony are at the candidates' expense. The presence of the finalists is compulsory at these two events.
ARTICLE 12: IMAGE RIGHTS
Participation in the competition entails the transfer of the following rights to the benefit of the MEL, its service providers and its partners, for communication purposes related to the said competition:
- as regards the images provided by the participants (photographs of the representatives, or any image illustrating their productions, their achievements, their business, their establishment, and any other subject likely to enhance their participation): the transfer concerns all the rights conferred by the intellectual property code, as well as the right to the image. Participants also certify that they hold all applicable rights in this area, including copyright.
- Furthermore, the finalists will be filmed and photographed by the MEL or its service providers before the award ceremony and during the event. The organizers are the sole judges of whether or not to proceed with these recordings, as well as their use. Consequently, by participating in the contest, the Participants agree to the recording of their image on this occasion and to the use of these recordings by the Organizers. They declare to give up their image rights necessary for this use and this from the moment of their recording. The participants declare that they are not bound by any other exclusive contract concerning their image or their name.
ARTICLE 13: DATA PROCESSING AND LIBERTIES
The personal data collected by the MEL and its service providers, as data controller, during the registration process are necessary for the following purposes: registration and participation in the competition, awarding of prizes and communication of information within the framework of the trophies. Failure to provide the required data will only result in the candidate not being able to compete for the trophies. In accordance with the French law "Informatique et Libertés" of January 6, 1978, as amended, each participant has the right to access, rectify or even delete personal information concerning him/her, by writing to the contest address specified below:
European Metropolis of Lille
2 boulevard des Cités Unies
CS 70 043
59 040 Lille Cedex
ARTICLE 14: ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES
The fact of participating in the contest implies the pure and simple acceptance of the present rules in their entirety which has the value of a contract. Any violation of these rules may result in the elimination of the candidate.
Any dispute relating to the interpretation or application of these rules, or any other question that may arise that is not resolved by these rules, will be decided by the organizers in the spirit in which the operation was conceived. These decisions will be final.
ARTICLE 15: MODIFICATION OF THE TERMS OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
MEL reserves the right, for any reason whatsoever, to modify, extend, shorten, suspend or cancel the contest, without being held liable in any way. No compensation may be claimed by the participants. Any difficulty that may arise from the application or interpretation of these rules or that is not provided for in them will be decided in the last resort by the MEL. Therefore, any modification cannot give rise to any claim or compensation. MEL may cancel all or part of the call for applications if it appears that fraud has occurred in any form whatsoever. In this case, MEL reserves the right not to award the prize(s) to the fraudsters and/or to prosecute the authors of these frauds before the competent courts.
