The world's largest innovation challenge to transform the fashion and textile industry is now open for applications.
- The Global Change Award is part of transforming fashion and turning the entire industry planet- positive.
- Five winners share a grant of €1 million, provided by the H&M Foundation, and get access to the one-year long GCA Impact Accelerator.
- The organisers are calling innovators and entrepreneurs to apply for the GCA 2023.
The Award: The Global Change Award is one of the world's leading challenges for early-stage innovation, and the largest of its kind in the fashion industry.
- Since 2015, several former GCA winners have scaled up their innovations and are now helping drive the planet-positive development forward.
- Neither H&M Foundation or H&M Group take any shareholder equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations. The winners can collaborate with whomever they want, and the aim is to find innovations that allow major change for the entire industry.
- A panel of experts will select five winners who get to share a 1 million euro grant and get access to the one-year long GCA Impact Accelerator programme, which includes invaluable coaching and support from the H&M Foundation and its partners Accenture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and The Mills Fabrica.
- The programme is tailored to support each team in developing and scaling their innovation for impact.
- The application period runs from 20 October 2022 to 8 December 2022 and the winners will be announced in June 2023.
The Scope for 2023: For GCA 2023, the organisers are updating the scope to cover more ground, raise the bar on innovation and help shift the industry into a planet-positive one. The winning innovations or solutions should fall into one of three categories.
- Regenerate. Solutions towards positive effects
- Repurpose. Solutions towards circularity
- Reimagine. Solutions we have not even thought of yet
What they said:
The Global Change Award has become a force to support early innovation and accelerate the transformation of our industry. It attracts some of the most disruptive and creative people I have ever met, and following their development is really impressive. I am excited to see what game-changing innovations the seventh round generates.
— Karl-Johan Persson
Board Member / Chairman
H&M Foundation / H&M Group
Circularity isn't enough, we need to raise the bar and become planet positive. That's why we're looking for solutions that enable a planet positive fashion future where both people and the planet not only survive but also thrive. I am confident there are great ideas out there, ready to accelerate and scale - and we're here to support them!
— Christiane Dolva
Strategy Lead
H&M Foundation
