The H&M Foundation – global retail group H&M’s division promoting just climate solutions for the textiles industry – is on the hunt for fashion decarbonisation innovators as part of its Global Change Awards (GCA).
Early-stage ideas for radically reshaping the fashion sector’s carbon footprint and advancing social equity are called for, as the GCA marks its tenth anniversary. Nominations will be accepted until 6 October.
To date, more than 50 projects worldwide have secured support and a share of €10 million in grants from the GCA, including blockchain-based traceability platform TextileGenesis and regenerative tech business Ambercycle. Several companies that have been through the awards have since scaled globally, partnering with major brands and attracting significant further investment.
Fashion is under pressure to halve its greenhouse gas emissions every decade until 2050 in line with the Carbon Law, so fashion decarbonisation has become an inevitable focus area for the industry.
Annie Lindmark, programme director for innovation at the H&M Foundation, said the urgent nature of the situation is why the GCAs back early ideas.
“This industry doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for perfect solutions,” she remarked.
“The biggest climate breakthroughs often start as fragile, early-stage ideas in unexpected places, and that’s exactly where we can make a difference as a philanthropic actor.”
Four focus areas – and room for wildcards
This year’s challenge seeks innovators working across four broad themes:
- Responsible production – rethinking how fashion is made
- Mindful consumption – shifting how people use and value fashion
- Sustainable materials and processes – reinventing fibres and production methods
- Wildcards – system-shifting ideas that don’t fit neatly into categories.
Lindmark stressed that the people behind the projects are just as important as the innovations themselves.
“We’re not only looking for entrepreneurs, we’re equally keen to find non-profits, researchers or community-based innovators who might not think of themselves as winners in an innovation challenge,” she explained.
“In ten years, I hope the changemakers we select today will have helped build a textile industry that thrives within planetary boundaries and supports human wellbeing. An industry where decarbonisation is a given, equity is embedded, and innovation is inclusive. Above all, I hope they will have shifted the industry’s mindset, redefining progress and transforming how we think, collaborate and lead.”
For the second year running, the challenge is nomination-based, drawing on a global network of partners including Ashoka, Textile Exchange, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which will help identify fashion decarbonisation innovators.
Additionally, The Mills Fabrica – with hubs in Hong Kong and London – is again serving as an official nominator, accepting direct applications and putting forward the most promising candidates.
The H&M Foundation and its partners say they take no equity or intellectual property rights in the winning solutions. Innovators remain free to collaborate with whomever they choose.
[image credit: H&M Group]
