H&M Foundation launches fifth edition of its Global Change Award
The H&M foundation has opened the fifth round of its Global Change Award
and is offering one million euros to five innovators with ideas
to make the fashion industry more circular.
The winners – who are each year selected by an international expert
panel, with knowledge working within fashion, sustainability, circularity
and innovation – will also get access to a one-year Innovation Accelerator
Program taking them to Stockholm, New York and Hong Kong.
In the accelerator H&M Foundation, Accenture and the KTH Royal Institute
of Technology – who collaborate with H&M on The Global Change Award – will
help the winners to develop and scale their ideas.
Winners must put forward ideas that “have the potential to make fashion
circular and to scale”, while other criteria include “novelty, that the
idea is economically sustainable and that the innovation team is committed
to making a difference.”
H&M seeks innovators to make fashion more circular
Karl-Johan Persson, H&M CEO and board member of the H&M Foundation, said
in a statement: “In its fifth year, the Global Change Award has proven a
great gateway for innovators to enter the fashion industry and transform it
from the inside.
“We’ve seen previous winners move from sketching table to market – but
more importantly, inspiring a new generation of creatives, scientists and
entrepreneurs to reduce the planetary impact of the fashion industry
through innovation. The next big idea that will change the game can come
from anyone anywhere. So, if you have an idea you believe in this is the
place to go.”
Erik Bang, Innovation Lead at the H&M Foundation, added: “This year we
look for innovations within three themes; ideas putting the consumer at the
center, digital ideas connecting the dots throughout the fashion value
chain, and design ideas with a circular mindset – from garments to the
packages we ship clothes in. The common denominator is the urgent
opportunity the themes provide for fashion to operate within the planetary
boundaries.”
Since its launch in 2015, the Global Change Award has received over
14,000 entries from 182 countries.
The submission deadline for applicants is 16 October 2019 and the five
winners are announced at the Grand Award Ceremony in Stockholm City Hall in
April 2020.