H&M Foundation Names 2026 Global Change Award Winners Driving Fashion’s Net-Zero Transition
The H&M Foundation has announced the ten winners of the Global Change Award (GCA) 2026, recognizing early-stage innovators tackling some of the fashion industry’s most emissions-intensive challenges. This year’s cohort includes solutions ranging from agricultural-waste-based fibers and seaweed-derived materials to AI-powered manufacturing optimization, digital product passports, biodegradable dyes, and advanced textile-to-textile recycling technologies. Together, the innovations aim to address key environmental hotspots across the textile value chain while accelerating the industry’s transition toward net zero.
Each winner will receive a €200,000 grant and participate in the year-long GCA Changemaker Programme, delivered in partnership with Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The initiative reflects a growing emphasis on systems-level innovation, supporting ideas that can transform entire value chains rather than individual processes alone. Since its launch in 2015, the Global Change Award has supported 66 innovation teams from 24 countries with €12 million in funding, helping scale solutions that advance circularity, resource efficiency, and climate action across the global fashion industry.
