New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Concept category

Identify the award category for which this concept is being submitted
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

Email user
batwatex@gmail.com

Basic information
Concept title
BATWATEX

Full Concept Title
BATWATEX

Please provide a short, catchy description of your concept to be used in communication towards the public
BATWATEX is a sustainable vegan leather alternative made from potato leaves fibre, technical hemp, recycled plastic and organic polymer. Technical hemp is mixed with potato leaves fibre to create the material’s base that is a non woven material and looks like a felt. We call this base BATWAFELT. Furthermore, the base is coloured with natural dyes and covered with a layer from organic polymer that gives the material its special texture, and also protects from water and dust.

What was the geographical scope of your concept?
Regional

Where was your concept implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
Latvia

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
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Does your concept address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your concept refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your concept benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
Horizon2020 / Horizon Europe

Here you can provide more details about the name of the specific programme, strand/action line as relevant, and the year
Galactica Project

Has your concept won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
Yes

What was the prize?
Galactica prize

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): SIA BATWATEX
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Misela
  Last name of representative: Sehurina
  Age: 29
  Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
  IMG_2101.png
  
  By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Latvia
  Function: Director
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rupniecibas 22
  Town: Riga
  Postal code: LV-1010
  Country: Latvia
  Direct Tel: +37127455013
  E-mail: batwatex@gmail.com
  Website: https://www.batwatex.com
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/batwa.tex/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): @batwa.tex , #batwatex
In case my concept is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my concept in the channels of the European Commission
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Social Media

Description of the concept
Please provide a summary of your concept.
BATWATEX is a sustainable vegan leather alternative made from potato leaves fibre, technical hemp, recycled plastic and organic polymer. Technical hemp is mixed with potato leaves fibre to create the material’s base that is a non woven material and looks like a felt. We call this base BATWAFELT. Furthermore, the base is coloured with natural dyes and covered with a layer from organic polymer that gives the material its special texture, and also protects from water and dust.
Our material is more durable if comparing to other alternatives, that is why it can be used not only for the production of clothes, accessories, bags and footwear, but also for the production of interior pieces and car seats in the future. Our customers (businesses that are working with vegan leathers and other sustainable materials) will benefit from having a sustainable alternative material that will be durable. Moreover, our project addresses the challenge of waste management and especially circulation of plastic waste in the economy.

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with 5 key words.
sustainability

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
circular fashion

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
vegan leather

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
recycling

Please indicate the main themes of your concept with key words
zero waste

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the concept can be exemplary in this context.
There are two issues that we are addressing in terms of sustainability with BATWATEX:

1.First of all, we are recycling such raw material as potato leaves fibre, that is not used in any other value chain. Potato leaves are cut 2-3 weeks before the potatoes are picked up from the ground. These leaves cannot be used as an animal food, because they contain toxic elements, and potato leaves cannot be used a compost, because they degrade in 3 years, while all the other leaves degrade in 1 year. So the leaves are usually thrown away as a waste or burned. In either cases this is either associated with excess waste or CO2 pollution. There are approximately 50,000 tones of potato leaves thrown away yearly in Latvia alone. It is estimated that approximately 1133 kg of CO2 emit in the atmosphere, when burning the leaves. Which means that there is a potential to reduce CO2 emission by 56 650 tones in Latvia yearly.

 2.Secondly, we are collecting plastic and putting it into material, which contributes to the circular economy. Moreover, because our leather is plant based, we are reducing the use of PU and PVC in the industry, thus making the industry more environmentally sustainable. There is a total of 71 220 tones of plastic that can be recycled in Latvia yearly. Right now only 1/3 of this amount is recycled.

We have estimated that each meter of batwatex produced offsets 7.76 kg of carbon dioxide emissions.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the concept can be exemplary in this context.
Besides composition and material properties, our material also differs by its appearance. Most of the eco leathers existing on the market imitate the texture of natural leather, which we believe is wrong, because it doesn't add positive emotions to the feelings. That is why our material’s texture looks like a zoomed in leaf – it is made from natural raw materials and it looks respectively. As well as it is coloured with natural dyes only.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the concept can be exemplary in this context.
There are health benefits associated with the implementation of our project that is associated with the decrease of leaves burned yearly, as this process is associated not only with emission of CO2 , but also with emission of heavy metals and other toxic elements in the atmosphere, that consequently cause cancer, allergies and other diseases.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the concept and civil society have been / will be involved in the concept and what has been / will be the impact of this involvement on the concept.
The implementation of our project will also improve living standards of people who are growing potatoes in rural areas, because they will get an additional revenue source. As well as our project will create new work places.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and development of the concept. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was
We engaged local potato farmers in the implementation of the project and right now we have a network of farmers who are ready to sell potato tops once they have it.

Please explain which disciplines and / or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and development of your concept. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
The novelty of the approach in our project focuses on the application of existing technologies of non woven material production, but using alternative raw materials. As well as some parts of material production require an application of a disruptive approach, that was never applied before. More precisely, it concerns the production of the base part of the material that is made from the mix of technical hemp and potato leaves fibres.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the concept.
BATWATEX is a unique material, there is no such vegan leather made from similar raw materials. Though, there are various competitors who are making plant based vegan leathers from pineapples, grapes, apples, cactuses, coconuts, mushroom and other plants. However, these materials are not very durable, despite the price that is higher than the price for natural leather. There are also vegan leathers made from PU or PVC, these materials are durable, but their composition and production process is not environmentally sustainable, as well as these synthetic alternatives are not breathable. Our material in turn is as breathable and durable as natural leather, but more sustainable.

Please which elements of your concept could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
The approach to production can be transferred to other region – for example, to produce vegan leather from other raw materials that are currently wasted in the economy.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the concept addresses by providing local solutions
Because there is a huge problem with fashion industry. It is estimated that fashion industry generates about 92 mil tons of waste each year. With leather being one of the biggest sources of this pollution. Of course, there are many differrent alternatives. But as a fashion designer myself I worked with different leather substitues and I found out that the more material is natural by composition the less it is durable. This is why I created batwatex. Our material consists of 2 layers - the base that is made from hemp and potato leaves and the upper layer that is made from corn biopolymer. Our solution is more durable than existing alternatives, so it can be used for both fashion and interior industries.

Please attach the development plan of your concept. This plan should detail the plans you have for the further development and implementation of your concept, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application. The plan should also include envisaged results and benefits from the concept for direct and indirect beneficiaries. The results and benefits should be specified in relation to the objectives of the concept, and to what is expected in the context of the respective category

batwatex-plan.pdf
Please attach at least one high resolution image or visual representation of your concept to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed concept has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the concept, initiative, and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary.
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their concepts, concepts, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted concept, concept is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes