Deadline: December 8, 2022
Applications for the H&M Foundation Global Change Award 2023 are now open. The Global Change Award is an innovation challenge that aims to find, support and scale disruptive ideas that can protect our planet and turn the fashion and textile industry into a planet positive one. They are looking for bright minds that can transform fashion and change the way it is seen, worn, and made.
About
The H&M Foundation is a philanthropic foundation for public good, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. It is privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the H&M Group. Their vision is to enable an inclusive and planet positive textile industry. To get there they explore new opportunities, collaborate with different partners, support innovation and use storytelling as a tool to inspire action. To contribute to real systems change, they openly share breakthrough innovation and solutions for anyone to adopt and scale. The H&M Foundation can also provide emergency relief.
Categories
For 2023, the GCA is turning it up a notch. They are updating their scope to cover more ground, raise the bar on innovation and help shift the industry into a planet positive one.
The winning ideas should fall into one of three categories:
- Regenerate – solutions towards planet positive effects
- Repurpose – solutions towards circularity
- Reimagine – solutions we have not even thought about yet
Award
Five winning teams share a grant of 1 million euros and venture into the year-long GCA Impact Accelerator programme which includes invaluable coaching and support from the H&M Foundation and our partners Accenture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and The Mills Fabrica.
- Accenture – Business & Technology Readiness. Accenture offers GCA winners support with business and technology readiness, while also providing access to a large network of experts. The global professional services firm has extensive experience in bringing innovations to market at speed, and also helps our winners articulate their multidimensional value, which is particularly valuable for early-stage start-ups.
- KTH – Innovation Readiness: KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, offers GCA winners science and technology legacy, a framework for innovation development and guidance in key commercialisation areas.
- The Mills Fabrica – Industry Access & Investor Readiness: The Mills Fabrica bridges the gap between innovators and industry players through their incubator programme, impact fund and innovation spaces. They provide the winners with investment readiness and peer portfolio synergies as well as industry exposure, ecosystem network and collaboration opportunities.
After the year is up, you will join the GCA Alumni and become an essential part in a network of brilliant minds that collaborate to develop disruptive solutions to some of the world’s most complex challenges.
Neither H&M Foundation nor H&M Group take any equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations as the aim is to benefit the entire industry.
Eligibility
- Open to any individual and groups of up to four people over 18 years of age anywhere in the world.
- It is also open for institutions, organisations and social businesses, as well as for joint ventures, consortiums and other types of partnerships.
- Your entry must be in English and all communication including the GCA Impact Accelerator will be in English.
- Only one entry per person is allowed.
Application
- Application period: They are open for applications between 20 October, 2022 – 8 December, 2022. Make sure to apply in time!
- Screening: The screening period stretches from January to March, 2023. The screening is done together with a broad network of industry experts and partners. The five winners will be notified in March.
- Announcement: The winners are announced publicly on 8 June, 2023 at an Award Ceremony in Stockholm.
- Innovation Accelerator: The year-long GCA Impact Accelerator programme commences in June, 2023.
For more information, visit Global Change Award.