The H&M Foundation has announced the ten winners of the Global Change Award 2025 – early-stage innovations with the potential to halve fashion’s emissions every decade. Each winner receives €200K and joins a yearlong programme focused on systems thinking, personal growth and scaling impact for people and planet.
As the textile industry races to decarbonise, digitalise, and redefine itself through circularity, we face a critical question: will this transformation be fair for the people and communities most affected by it? That’s where just transition comes in – a concept that ensures that climate action and social justice go hand-in-hand.
Why this matters – and what we’ll unpack
A just transition is
Annie Lindmark, H&M Foundation, and Claire Bergkamp, Textile Exchange, explore why changemakers – not just ideas – are key to transforming fashion. The Global Change Award backs bold changemakers with early-stage ideas tackling emissions, helping reimagine a system where fashion is decarbonised while promoting the wellbeing of both people and planet.
The H&M Foundation gathers experts to select winners for the Global Change Award 2025, promoting innovative solutions to decarbonise fashion. The top 20 ideas from 476 submissions will be evaluated, with winners announced on May 20, 2025.
The System Map has been launched to guide the textile industry towards decarbonisation, facilitating collaboration among stakeholders. It encourages reflection on roles and systemic change, aiming for a net-zero future through innovative dialogue and shared insights within the value chain.
A groundbreaking report by Circle Economy, funded by the H&M Foundation, emphasises urgent action for the textile industry to enhance circularity and reduce its environmental impact through recycling, reuse, and sustainable practices to ensure a more sustainable future for the sector.
The H&M Foundation has launched a new Global Change Award to accelerate innovation towards a net-zero textile industry by 2050. The award seeks transformative ideas for reducing emissions, emphasising a just transition and fostering collaboration among various industry stakeholders.
Nine Indian startups received recognition for their innovative solutions enhancing inclusive circularity, transforming waste into value, and providing social upliftment through job creation and empowerment. The initiative, supported by H&M Foundation through Saamuhika Shakti, focuses on environmental sustainability and social responsibility in the textile industry.
The Open Lab in Hong Kong, launched by HKRITA and the H&M Foundation, serves as a global hub for sustainable innovation in textiles. Focused on climate action and collaboration, it showcases over 80 R&D projects to transform the fashion industry.
H&M Foundation partners with New Zero World to improve climate communication and promote behavioural change through innovative storytelling.
New Zero World, a coalition of climate allies, aims to shift public opinion and promote behavioural change by empowering the creative industry.
With the support of the H&M Foundation, our new partnership focuses on developing an interactive