H&M Foundation invites you to split 1 million euro between five innovations reinventing the fashion industry and protecting the planet
Imagine wearing a coat made of leftovers from harvests of flaxseeds, sugar cane and pineapples, or a t-shirt made of mushroom roots that you decompose in the ground once it’s worn out. Or garments that not only look good, but also nourishes and protects your skin due the nutritious algae it’s made of? These ideas are some of the winners in the third edition of Global Change Award. Now, the non-profit H&M Foundation needs your help to split the 1 million euro grant between the five winners in an online vote on globalchangeaward.com, March 12-16.
The Global Change Award winning innovations of 2018
Cast your vote on any of the five winning innovations:
- Crop-A-Porter: Making sustainable bio-textiles by using left-overs from food crop harvests.
- Algae Apparel: Turning algae into bio-fiber and eco-friendly dye that is also good for the skin.
- Smart Stitch: A dissolvable thread that makes repairing and recycling a breeze.
- The Regenerator: Recirculating fashion into new textile fiber by separating cotton and polyester blends.
- Fungi Fashion: Custom-made clothes made from decomposable mushroom roots.
The Global Change Award is designed to spur early stage innovations that can accelerate the shift from a linear to a circular fashion industry, with the aim of protecting the planet and our living conditions. The vote offers a unique opportunity to influence the fashion industry and contribute to a more sustainable future. With this year’s 2,600 entries from 151 countries it’s clear there’s no shortage of ideas out there. The applications explore the possibilities in a broad range of areas, from biomimicry, nanomaterials and robotics to connected supply chains, wearables and bio-based materials. Interestingly, most solutions are coming from innovators outside of the fashion industry.
"I congratulate the Global Change Awards winners who all have the power to help reinvent the fashion industry, enabling products and resources to be cycled instead of just having one single life."
Karl-Johan Persson
“How we manage and consume resources will be crucial for the lives of present and future generations. All industries need to re-think, innovate and challenge status quo. Creative innovations are key to make this shift, and I congratulate the Global Change Awards winners who all have the power to help reinvent the fashion industry, enabling products and resources to be cycled instead of just having one single life”, says Karl-Johan Persson, Board member H&M Foundation and CEO H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB.
The five winners were chosen by an international expert panel with extensive knowledge within fashion, sustainability, circularity and innovation.
“This year’s Global Change Award winners are about disrupting business-as-usual to help transition us to a low-carbon and circular economy. Whether it is fibers from organic waste or algae, or new approaches to recycling, the winners showcase potentially transformative approaches from sourcing to end-of-use management”, says Vikram Widge, Head, Climate Finance & Policy, IFC, World Bank Group and member of the Global Change Award expert panel.
"Whether it is fibers from organic waste or algae, or new approaches to recycling, the winners showcase potentially transformative approaches from sourcing to end-of-use management."
Vikram Widge
The teams behind the innovations and the results from the vote are revealed at the Grand Award Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on March 20. The winners also get access to a one-year innovation accelerator provided by the H&M Foundation in collaboration with Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The accelerator takes the winners to Stockholm, New York and Shanghai providing a toolbox of skills, networks and exposure to help them leverage their innovations and grant.
For more detailed information about the innovations, expert panel, previous winners and access to winner films and still images, visit globalchangeaward.com/media-library and the Global Change Award YouTube Channel.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Malin Björne
PR & Communications Manager, H&M Foundation
+46 70 796 39 75
malin.bjorne@hmfoundation.com
ABOUT GLOBAL CHANGE AWARD
Global Change Award was initiated 2015 by H&M Foundation, a non-profit global foundation, privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of H&M group. Through partnerships with organizations around the globe, the H&M Foundation aims to accelerate the progress needed to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It focuses on four areas; Education, Water, Equality and Planet. By catalysing early innovations that can accelerate the shift from a linear to a circular fashion industry, the aim of the Global Change Award is to protect the planet and our living conditions. Global Change Award is one of the world’s biggest challenges for early stage innovation and the first such initiative in the fashion industry. For further information, please visit globalchangeaward.com and hmfoundation.com.