H&M Foundation launches the latest Global Change Award to drive textile industry innovation, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. The award targets early-stage ideas and shifts to a nomination-based process.
The H&M Foundation has unveiled a new strategic direction focused on driving innovation for climate solutions in the textile industry, starting with the latest round of its Global Change Award (GCA). The foundation aims to help the industry halve its greenhouse gas emissions every decade until 2050 while ensuring a fair transition for both people and the planet.
The GCA, now aligned with this mission, seeks groundbreaking ideas addressing emissions throughout the textile value chain. Key areas include sustainable materials, responsible production, mindful consumption, and 'wildcard' innovations.
As Karl-Johan Persson, H&M Foundation board member, stated, "The textile industry needs all hands on deck to meet our climate goals by 2050. Innovation is key to decarbonising the industry, and the Global Change Award can play a role in identifying future changemakers."
Since 2015, GCA has supported 46 innovations with grants totaling €8 million. This year, GCA will continue to award 10 winners €200,000 each but will shift to a nomination-based selection process to identify early-stage innovators who might otherwise be overlooked. The winners will also participate in a yearlong Changemaker Programme with partners Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
The nomination process for the 2025 Global Change Award opens on 23 October 2024, with winners to be announced in April 2025.
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