The H&M Foundation has opened nominations for the Global Change Award 2026, running from 1 September to 6 October, to identify changemakers with early-stage solutions that can support fashion in halving its greenhouse gas emissions every decade until 2050.

Since its launch in 2015, the challenge has backed 56 innovations with €10 million in seed funding, including TextileGenesis and Ambercycle, helping them scale with major brands and attract further investment.

Changemakers are the beating heart of the Global Change Award

The award focuses on four categories: responsible production, mindful consumption, sustainable materials and processes, and wildcards – system-shifting ideas that do not fit traditional categories but have the potential to transform the industry.

Annie Lindmark, Programme Director for Innovation at H&M Foundation, said: “The biggest climate breakthroughs often start as fragile, early-stage ideas in unexpected places, and that’s exactly where we can make a difference.”

For the second year, the competition is nomination-based, with partners including Ashoka, Textile Exchange, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and The Mills Fabrica helping to uncover new talent. Innovators retain their intellectual property, with winners receiving a share of a €2 million grant and access to a yearlong programme of support.

www.hmfoundation.com/gca