Innovation & Trends
Announcing the 2024 PDS Innovation Award Winner
The PDS Innovation Awards is a collaboration between Common Objective and PDS Limited, a design-led sourcing and manufacturing platform for some of the world's leading global brands which is committed to enabling a sustainable future for fashion.
The winner
The winner, Planetcare, has demonstrated exceptional innovation and impact through their revolutionary approach to combating microfibre pollution. Planetcare's technology and services offer a circular solution helping to protect oceans and marine life. They are primed to achieve impact at scale through their commercial and domestic solutions.
As the winner, Planetcare will receive investment or other support from PDS Venture Tech, and all four finalists have been awarded full access to Common Objective’s suite of training, tools, and resources.
PDS Innovation Awards
Common Objective members had the opportunity to apply to pitch in front of PDS investors, who have already invested in a raft of businesses including Good on You, Unspun and Materra. Following several rounds of judging 30 businesses were selected as 'ones to watch' before the final three were shortlisted.
The three finalists, PlanetCare, Fairbrics and Nivogo pitched to the PDS Limited x Common Objective panel.
See all the finalists below, check out their profiles and connect with them on Common Objective.
The PDS Innovation Award 2024 Winner
The PlanetCare washing machine filter is a pioneering solution that intercepts 98% of microfibres and is part of a closed-loop cycle. Each domestic filter includes reusable cartridges that are easily replaced once they are filled with microfibres. The high-capacity commercial filter uses the same principles as the domestic solution but is tailored to each client's requirements.
Why they won: PlanetCare are ready with its proven concept and ability to scale to meet new legislation requiring mandatory washing machine filters - already confirmed to begin in France, though unfortunately delayed from the initial 2025 commitment. Crucially, their closed-loop process minimises the environmental impact further as cartridges are returned to PlanetCare for refurbishment and reuse, and the caught fibres are collected for repurposing.
Finalists
Sustainable fabrics made from CO2 captured at hard-to-abate industry sites. Fairbrics's proprietary process avoids using fossil fuels and decreases GHG emissions. Fairbrics is the first company in the world to have demonstrated a ground-breaking technology that converts CO2 waste streams into sustainable carbon-negative PET in a circular manufacturing value chain.
Why they were in the top 3 out of 100+ entries: Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from hard-to-abate industries, such as cement, steel, and chemical production, poses huge challenges due to the high concentration and large volumes of CO2 emitted, Fairbrics' technology means that the negative impact of these industries is reduced whilst simultaneously benefiting the fashion industry by converting the waste into textile fibres.
An innovative circular fashion company that dramatically extends the lifespan of products through value-added operational capabilities and cutting-edge technology at the Nivogo renewal centre - the first and largest in Turkey and Eastern Europe which renews up to 500,000 products per month.
Why they were in the top 3 out of 100+ entries: Excels in giving both pre-consumer and post-consumer products a new lease on life through high-tech, efficient processes at their state-of-the-art warehouse, this revitalisation effort supports their distribution network, which includes seven commercially successful stores and a robust e-commerce presence.
Meet the top 30 innovative businesses the Innovation Award judges shortlisted as 'ones to watch' before selecting the above finalists.
Discover how agricultural waste is turned into spinnable fibres, scaleable tech that is dramatically improving workers’ lives, carbon data being gathered in real-time, and waste that's turned into carbon-negative colourant.
