710068Development of sustainable footwear manufactured using an innovative and patented injection moulding process significantly reducing manufacturing costs to lower Chinese costs made in EnglandClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKSince Capulet was formed in 2005 we have been manufacturing and selling dance footwear and clothing. In 2008 we developed and introduced a revolutionary ballet pointe shoe using a new polymer (d30) and production processes to update a traditional product which had not changed since the 17th century. The new shoe is more comfortable, reduces stress injuries and last many times longer (top dancers only get 40 minutes out of a pair of traditional pointe shoes). Within the dance industry our pointe shoes are widely known and are used by dancers in the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Cuban National Ballet, Paris Opera Innovation is key to our business development strategy. Our pointe shoe has raised considerable interest worldwide and has resulted in our shoes being featured on Sky and in the national & international press and our shoes are currently featured in an exhibition about innovation at Chicago Museum. As part of our innovation strategy we have spent considerable time investigating how we can significantly reduce the material, labour and overall manufacturing costs of our shoes, so that we can manufacture in-house in the UK rather than in China or India. We have identified an innovative approach to design & manufacturing which will enable us to manufacture our shoes in the UK at 55% less than China , which would allow us to compete globally & significantly increase our market share and profit margins. The process is also suitable for the manufacture of other types of footwear. This project will develop a sustainable shoe which combines the sole and upper into a single component, recreating a surface texture of synthetic leather, using an innovative footwear manufacturing & injection moulding process. The manufacturing process will eliminate the assembly, gluing, and stitching processes and their associated costs thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing costs, enabling Europe to compete with global competitors. The technology also has other applications outside the footwear industry.