Creating a novel supply chain to connect potato farmers in the East of England to the textile fibre market.

Fibe is developing the world's first textile fibres out of potato harvest waste. Potato stems are without value and a nuisance to farmers during tuber harvest, but Fibe has shown that they are a source of fibre with spinning and weaving qualities similar to conventional textile fibres. By valorising stem waste, potatoes can become a dual-purpose crop: tubers for food, and a source of eco-fibre--both produced using the same land and inputs. The global demand for sustainable, sustainable textile fibres is growing rapidly and outstripping supply, creating a large potential market for this fibre grown locally. **It is a rare opportunity to invent a new industry with the entire supply chain, from farmer to processor facility, based in the East.** Therefore, Fibe is collaborating with Sentry in this project to develop supply-chain logistics across the East of England to deliver feedstock in a scalable, sustainable and cost-effective way. This paves the way to commercialisation.