H&M Foundation rallies top minds to select new Global Change Award winners

The Global Change Award (GCA), initiated by H&M Foundation in 2015, accelerates innovation that can decarbonise fashion. With the screening process in full swing, it is now time to bring together experts with extensive knowledge in fashion, business, investments, entrepreneurship and innovation to find the next generation GCA winners with the potential to transform the industry.

Sitting at the intersection of philanthropy, climate, and innovation, the H&M Foundation can fill a gap by taking risks and strategically place their bets on changemakers with solutions at idea-stage that align with the foundation’s focus on supporting the textile industry in halving its greenhouse gas emissions every decade while promoting a just transition.

The GCA aims to advance promising ideas to concept validation and to secure that the early-stage ideas have potential to scale and make an impact on the industry. To find the most groundbreaking innovations, the Expert Panel reviewing the final ideas must be diverse, bringing a range of expertise and perspectives to the screening process.

“The Expert Panel plays a crucial role in selecting the GCA winners. Their expertise, knowledge, and insights help us identify the ideas with potential to scale and make a real impact. I’m confident that together, we’ll discover the bright minds who can reimagine the future of fashion and support in decarbonising the industry." says Annie Lindmark, Programme Director at H&M Foundation.

Through 62 nominators, GCA received a total of 476 ideas from 69 countries spreading across 6 continents; ranging from cutting-edge textile sorting solutions to bio-powered textiles that generate electricity. Now, it’s time for the GCA Expert Panel to screen and score the top 20 ideas and bring forward the Global Change Award 2025 winners.

One of the panelists is Anant Ahuja, Director of ESG & Sustainability at Shahi Exports and Co-Founder & CEO at Good Business Lab. He brings extensive experience in driving sustainable practices and innovation within the textile industry, and his insights and commitment are valuable as GCA seeks groundbreaking solutions to decarbonize the industry.

"There are several critical areas where innovation requires immediate action, particularly in decarbonisation, next-generation materials, and overproduction. Equally important is driving progress in equity and worker well-being, ensuring a just transition for all. I see immense value in the work of innovators who think beyond traditional constraints. Their outside-the-industry perspective has the potential to unlock transformative breakthroughs that could fundamentally reshape how textiles are produced and consumed.” says Anant Ahuja.

The winners of Global Change Award 2025 will be announced on 20th May 2025.

About the GCA Expert Panel 2025

The GCA Expert Panel has extensive knowledge within fashion, business, investments, entrepreneurship and innovation. They are part of selecting the winners and they all participate pro bono.

• Claire Bergkamp, CEO at Textile Exchange
• Linda Greer, Environmental Scientist & Impact Advisor
• Miles Kubheka, CEO at Wakanda Food Accelerator
• Anant Ahuja, Director ESG & Sustainability at Shahi Exports, CEO at Good Business Lab
• Danica Kragic, Professor of Computer Science at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Board Executive and Advisor
• Helena Helmersson, Board Professional, Advisor, former CEO at H&M Group
• Walden Lam, CEO & Founder Unspun, GCA Alumni

About the GCA process

Global Change Award has moved away from open applications to a nomination-based system. The nominators, ranging from universities, research institutes, non-profits, brands, suppliers and GCA alumni, were asked to nominate between 1 -10 early-stage changemakers within four key areas; sustainable materials and processes; responsible production; mindful consumption; and wildcards.

Once nominated, the changemakers were invited into an application process where their ideas were first reviewed by a broad group of industry experts, as well as by H&M Foundation and the core partners of GCA. The screening was based on where the changemakers are in the innovation journey: whether they fall under one of GCA's four key areas; their capacity to embrace systems change thinking; and their commitment, capacity and initiative to solve problems. After the Expert Panel scores the top 20 ideas and suggests the winners, the final decision is made by the H&M Foundation board.