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H&M Conscious Foundation: HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded the winners of the first Global Change Award

On 10 February, HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded the winners of the first Global Change Award, an annual innovation challenge for circular fashion initiated by the non-profit H&M Conscious Foundation. Most votes, and a grant of €300,000, were awarded to the Finnish team behind Making waste-cotton new; conversion of waste-cotton into new textile. To further accelerate the transformation towards a circular fashion industry, the Foundation now launches the Global Change Award Network, an open-source database for innovations.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2016-Feb-12 — /EPR Retail News/ — The online vote was held 1-7 February and the results are:

  • €300,000: Making waste-cotton new – conversion of waste-cotton into new textile. Innovation team lead: Michael Hummel, Finland. (31% of the votes)
  • €250,000: The polyester digester – using microbes to recycle waste polyester textile. Innovation team lead: Akshay Sethi, U.S. (22% of the votes)
  • €150,000: An online market for textile leftovers – a marketplace for industrial upcycling of spill in production. Innovation team lead: Ann Runnel, Estonia. (18% of the votes)
  • €150,000: 100 percent citrus – creating new textile out of citrus juice production by-products. Innovation team lead: Enrica Arena, Italy. (15% of the votes)
  • €150,000: Growing textile fibre under water – utilizing algae to make renewable textile. Innovator: Tjeerd Veenhoven, the Netherlands. (14% of the votes)

“This prestigious grant will allow us to lift our technology closer to an industrially viable level. Now we will focus on the further development of technical details, in particular the solvent recovery to ensure economic competitiveness and complete environmental friendliness of our process, says Michael Hummel, spokesperson for the Finnish team behind Making waste-cotton new – conversion of waste-cotton into new textile.

Inspired by the response from the global innovation community, and to spark impact beyond the five winners, the Foundation now launches the Global Change Award Network, a public digital space where teams and ideas can grow.

“When the application period closed, we sat with thousands of amazing ideas. So we decided to create the Global Change Award Network. You can look at it as a matchmaking site, where innovators can present their ideas, get feedback, make contacts and maybe investors can even find the next big thing. A digital greenhouse for innovative ideas,” says Karl-Johan Persson, board member of the H&M Conscious Foundation and CEO of H&M.

The award ceremony on 10 February marked the beginning of a one year innovation accelerator, provided by H&M Conscious Foundation, Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. The program will help the winners develop their ideas, focusing on three main areas; circular economy, innovation and fashion industry connection.

“The level of innovation that we have seen throughout this process is truly inspiring and we aim to advance the strategic business growth of the five Global Change Award winners by guiding and coaching them through the Innovation Accelerator to develop their ideas further”, says Jennie Perzon Strategy Program Lead, Accenture.

“For KTH, it is a matter of both urgency and privilege to be a partner to Global Change Award, as we are facing extreme environmental challenges. Supporting this effort and being part of a better future is the obvious course for KTH to take. We are excited to kick off the accelerator program and get to know the five winning innovators,” says Lisa Ericsson, Head of KTH Innovation.


IMAGES AND FILM FROM CEREMONY

Download images and short films from the grand award ceremony here (supports Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Opera).

More information about the Global Change Award Network

More information about the challenge


NOTES TO THE EDITOR

Selecting the five winners
The Global Change Award was introduced in August 2015 by the non-profit H&M Conscious Foundation. Between 25 August and 31 October the challenge was open for anyone to apply. Over 2,700 innovators from 112 countries contributed. The H&M Conscious Foundation reviewed the applications with the help of innovation collaborators KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Accenture and the Expert jury. The five ideas considered to have most potential in helping close the loop for fashion was selected as winners.

Online votes
A total of 22,500 online votes were placed to split the €1 million grant between the five winners. Most votes came from Germany, U.S, The Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Russia, France, China, U.K and Finland.

About the Innovation Accelerator
Starting off, KTH Innovation invites the winning teams to a one week intensive immersion program at KTH campus in Stockholm. This will be followed by a one year training and coaching program, provided by Accenture Strategy. The winners will get individual coaching and tailored learning sessions and assignments in order to take their ideas to the next level. Through the H&M Conscious Foundation and H&M, the Innovation Accelerator will also provide exclusive fashion industry access and offer possibilities to build networks and try out the ideas within the fashion value chain.

The funding
The H&M Conscious Foundation is funded by the Stefan Persson family – founders and main owners of the Swedish fashion company H&M. Since 2013, the family has donated SEK 900 million to the H&M Conscious Foundation.

Members of the Expert jury

  • Dr. Michael Braungart: Academic Chair “Cradle to Cradle for Innovation and Quality” at Erasmus University Rotterdam; Professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg; Scientific Director of EPEA Hamburg.
  • Prof. Rebecca Earley: Professor in Sustainable Textile and Fashion Design at University of the Arts London and Director of its Textile Futures Research Centre.
  • Mr. Ma Jun: Director, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, China.
  • Ms. Eva Kruse: CEO, Danish Fashion Institute; CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week.
  • Prof. Johan Rockström: Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Professor in Environmental Science with emphasis on water resources and global sustainability at Stockholm University.
  • Mr. Ellis Rubinstein: President and CEO, The New York Academy of Sciences.
  • Ms. Franca Sozzani: Editor in Chief of Vogue Italia.
  • Ms. Amber Valletta: Supermodel, actress & entrepreneur.


For questions, please contact:
Malin Björne, Communications Responsible at H&M Conscious Foundation
Telephone: +46 (0)70 796 39 75
E-mail: malin.bjorne@hm.com
Webpage: hm.com/consciousfoundation

 

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H&M Conscious Foundation: HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded the winners of the first Global Change Award

H&M Conscious Foundation: HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded the winners of the first Global Change Award

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H&M Conscious Foundation: The five winners of the first ever Global Change Award have been selected

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2016-Feb-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — The five winners of the first ever Global Change Award have been selected by the expert jury. The ideas range from creating new textile out of citrus juice by-products and an online marketplace for recycling of textile leftovers to using microbes to recycle waste polyester. Now, the global public is asked to allocate the €1 million grant between the winners in an online vote starting today at globalchangeaward.com.

The Global Change Award was introduced in August by the non-profit H&M Conscious Foundation, and is the first challenge for early stage innovation in the fashion industry. By catalysing bold, pioneering ideas the overall goal is to protect the planet by closing the loop for fashion.

“The response of the first Global Change Award is overwhelming. Over 2,700 innovators from 112 countries shared their ideas to help close the loop for fashion. The winning innovations are important contributions in the journey towards a circular fashion industry. Now, we invite the public to use their voice and influence how much funding each idea should get,” says Karl-Johan Persson, board member of the H&M Conscious Foundation and CEO of H&M.

The votes will have a real impact as they determine how the €1,000,000 grant will be distributed. The idea that gets the most votes receives €300,000, second most votes receives €250,000 and third, fourth and fifth most votes receive €150,000 each. Everyone can vote at globalchangeaward.com 1-7 February. The voting result and the people behind the winning innovations will be revealed at a grand award ceremony in Stockholm, February 10, and on globalchangeaward.com on February 11.

“The Global Change Award rewards truly out-of-the-box thinking in utilizing advanced technological approaches to make the fashion industry more sustainable – for example, creating less environmental waste and using less energy – while making fashion products that are even more appealing. In this sense, the five winning innovations all have the potential to be truly game-changing,” says Ellis Rubinstein, President and CEO, The New York Academy of Sciences and member of the Global Change Award jury.

For more detailed information about the innovations and to access visual material, visit www.globalchangeaward.com/press

THE GLOBAL CHANGE AWARD WINNERS 2015 IN SHORT:

The polyester digester – using microbes to recycle waste polyester textile
Polyester is the world’s most common fibre for making textiles and clothes and today it is difficult to recycle waste textile polyester effectively, since it is often mixed with other fibers. This innovation is developing a new type of microbe that eats waste polyester to create useful ingredients, which in turn can be used to produce new polyester without a loss in quality.

Growing textile fibre under water – utilizing algae to make renewable textile
Algae are organic sea-organisms that, when picked out, gives the opportunity to create a new type of raw material to produce renewable textile. Algae grow on energy from the sun and CO2; therefore it is a renewable resource. It also reduces the need for transportation of textile, since algae can be picked from coastal regions around the globe.

Making waste-cotton new – conversion of waste-cotton into new textile
A new technology is under development that dissolves textile waste and allows for it to be used as raw material in the production of new textiles, without loss in quality. It uses an environmentally friendly, solvent to dissolve the cotton in textile waste in order to spin new cotton-like textile fibres from the waste and create new textiles. This reduces landfill waste and saves natural resources.

An online market for textile leftovers – a marketplace for industrial upcycling of spill in production
A global online marketplace is being developed that gathers and gets textile spill data from manufacturers directly to designers and into the design process of new clothes. The software tool gathers real-time data on waste inventory tied to the production. It then connects manufacturers with designers to get textile leftovers into production and into the design process instead of becoming waste.

100 percent citrus – creating new textile out of citrus juice production by-products
The by-products left over from extracting citrus juice lend an opportunity to produce a new type of sustainable textile for conscious consumers. The yarn produced from the by-products can be used to create different types of textiles and addresses the demand for high quality sustainable textiles.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

Voting & Result: Everyone can vote at www.globalchangeaward.com 1-7 February. The voting site is available in 12 languages. The voting result, and the people behind the winning innovations, will be revealed at a grand award ceremony in Stockholm, February 10, 2016.

The grant: The idea that gets the most votes receives €300,000, second most votes receives €250,000 and third, fourth and fifth most votes receive €150,000 each.

The funding: The H&M Conscious Foundation is funded by the Stefan Persson family – founders and main owners of the Swedish fashion company H&M. Since 2013, the family has donated SEK 900 million to the Foundation.

The Innovation Accelerator: H&M Conscious Foundation, Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have developed a one year innovation accelerator to support the winners in developing their innovations.

Countries with the highest number of participants in the Global Change Award: Italy, India, USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, Netherlands, Indonesia, Germany and France.

MEMBERS OF THE JURY

Dr. Michael Braungart: Academic Chair “Cradle to Cradle for Innovation and Quality” at Erasmus University Rotterdam; Professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg; Scientific Director of EPEA Hamburg.
Prof. Rebecca Earley: Professor in Sustainable Textile and Fashion Design at University of the Arts London and Director of its Textile Futures Research Centre.
Mr. Ma Jun: Director, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, China.
Ms. Eva Kruse: CEO, Danish Fashion Institute; CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Prof. Johan Rockström: Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Professor in Environmental Science with emphasis on water resources and global sustainability at Stockholm University.
Mr. Ellis Rubinstein: President and CEO, The New York Academy of Sciences.
Ms. Franca Sozzani: Editor in Chief of Vogue Italia.
Ms. Amber Valletta: Supermodel, actress & entrepreneur.


For questions, please contact:
Malin Björne, Communications Responsible at H&M Conscious Foundation
Telephone: +46 (0)70 796 39 75
E-mail: malin.bjorne@hm.com
Webpage: hm.com/consciousfoundation

 

The Global Change Award is an innovation challenge, initiated by H&M Conscious Foundation in 2015. By catalyzing green, truly game-changing ideas the aim is to protect the earth’s natural resources and close the loop for fashion. The challenge annually selects five ideas that share a grant of €1 million and are supported with a one-year innovation accelerator provided by the H&M Conscious Foundation, Accenture and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The five ideas are nominated by an expert jury consisting of Michael Braungart, Rebecca Earley, Ma Jun, Eva Kruse, Johan Rockström, Ellis Rubinstein, Franca Sozzani and Amber Valletta. The global public is invited to distribute the total grant through an online vote. The result of the vote is revealed at a grand award ceremony in Stockholm, 10 February 2016. This is one of the world’s biggest challenges for early stage innovation and the first such initiative in the fashion industry. For further information, please visit globalchangeaward.com

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Head of Communications
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+46 8 796 39 08

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+46 8 796 39 95

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H&M Conscious Foundation: The five winners of the first ever Global Change Award have been selected

H&M Conscious Foundation: The five winners of the first ever Global Change Award have been selected

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The H&M Conscious Foundation launched the first-ever Global Change Award at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm

Sustainability is focus of H&M event at KTH

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 2015-8-27— /EPR Retail News/ — The H&M Conscious Foundation launched the first-ever Global Change Award (GCA) at an exclusive event in the main library at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm the 25th of August.

About 120 professionals within fashion, research and innovation were invited to the event, which began with representatives from H&M Conscious Foundation explaining the aim of the GCA: to use this competition, which is open to everyone, to catalyse bold, ground-breaking ideas to promote a circular economy for fashion.

Five winners, chosen by an expert jury, will share a grant of EUR 1 million. They will also receive a one year tailor-made innovation accelerator program provided by KTH and Accenture. The winners will be revealed in February 2016 at a ceremony in Stockholm.

The event proceeded with a round-table discussion on closing the loop for fashion, which featured:

Vigga Svensson – Entrepreneur and founder of Danish company VIGGA, which offers a circular subscription model for organic children’s clothing;

Rebecca Earley – Professor in Sustainable Textiles and Fashion Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of the Arts, London (also a member of the expert jury); and

Johan Rockström – Executive Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and a Professor in Environmental Science (also a member of the expert jury).

The discussion was moderated by the well-known Swedish environmentalist Anders Wijkman, who said: “We are at a critical time, where business models have to be turned upside down because the linear business models we have had – take, make and throw away – are not going to work in tomorrow’s world.”

Johan Rockström stressed that all nine planetary boundaries – a framework designed to define a safe operating space for humanity – were related to fashion in some way. “I think the fashion industry has all to do with the transformation towards a sustainable future,” he said. “That’s why I think this award is a very significant initiative.”

Rebecca Earley said that more and more emerging designers were passionate about sustainability, though they found it was not always easy to take their ideas forward in the workplaces. “But in the last few years that has really started to change and companies like H&M have taken a leadership role,” she said.

Vigga Svensson, whose company VIGGA offers organic children’s clothing via a circular business model for a fixed monthly subscription fee, stated that sustainability should be a matter of convenience. “We give parents easy access to organic, super-high-quality baby clothes at a very attractive prize,” she said.

All three panel members agreed that, although there was much left to do, sustainability was becoming a common concern within the fashion industry.

“It’s no longer a question of if we will have circular business models in the future or not, but if the transformation pace is fast enough to avoid catastrophic consequences,” Rockström concluded.

For further information and how to compete with your ideas, please visit: globalchangeaward.com

Benny Ritzén

MEDIA CONTACT:
press@kth.se

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At KTH Anders Wijkman, Rebecca Earley, Vigga Svensson and Johan Rockström discussed how to close the loop of fashion. (Photo: Benny Ritzén)

At KTH Anders Wijkman, Rebecca Earley, Vigga Svensson and Johan Rockström discussed how to close the loop of fashion. (Photo: Benny Ritzén)