How it works
We are looking for early stage innovations that present new circular approaches with the goal to reinvent the fashion industry.
This means changing the way garments are currently designed and produced, shipped, bought, used and recycled by adding disruptive technology, processes, or new business models.
Anyone (almost) can apply for the Global Change Award. Five winners are each year selected by our international expert panel, with extensive knowledge within fashion, sustainability, circularity and innovation.
The winners share a 1 million euro grant and receive access to a one-year Innovation Accelerator Program provided by the H&M Foundation, Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
Neither the H&M Foundation nor H&M Group will take any equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations.
We open for applications on August 29, 2018 and the last day to apply is October 17, 2018. The winners are revealed in April 2019 at a Grand Award Ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.
Early Bird
Applicants who send their application to the Global Change Award early, compete for an additional chance to win access to the Innovation Accelerator Program.
Anyone who applies within the first half of the application period will automatically have the chance of winning the Early Bird.
The Early Bird winner will be invited to join the five winners of the Global Change Award 2019 in one of the trips that is part of the one-year Innovation Accelerator Program. The trip offers exclusive industry insights, as well as opportunities to network and learn more about circularity and the fashion value chain.
Applying as an Early Bird does not affect your chances of winning the Global Change Award. The winner of the Early Bird winner is not required to travel to the ceremony in Stockholm.
Apply between August 29, 2018 – September 21, 2018 for your chance to be an Early Bird!
The five winners share a 1 million euro grant, and – perhaps more important than the financial contribution – get access to a one-year long Innovation Accelerator Program.
Each year, five winning teams and an Early Bird winner, are selected through a detailed scoring process. This is carried out by the H&M Foundation, our partners Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH), an industry sounding board, as well as the international expert panel.
All partners work pro bono, and they invest substantial time in their commitment to the Global Change Award.
The winners are revealed at a Grand Award Ceremony in Stockholm. This is also the first time the winners meet the team at H&M Foundation and our partners Accenture and KTH. From then on, we work closely with the winners throughout the year, to give support, pinpoint opportunities and connect the winners with the industry.
The H&M Foundation also stays in touch with previous winners, supports and follows their developments and successes with great interest.
The use of the grant is carefully followed up through discussions and reporting, to make sure it’s used in the way it’s intended.
“The Global Change Award helped us open doors to build a network and access such confidential information in different points in the supply chains, that has been critical for us to develop the concept from an idea to actual business case. It has also helped us to grow our minds to think much bigger than we would have dared otherwise,” Ann Runnel, Reverse Resources, winner of Global Change Award 2016.
The innovation accelerator
The Grand Award Ceremony marks the beginning of the Innovation Accelerator Program. The aim of the program is to take the innovations to the next level, bring them to scale and out on the market as quickly as possible, to maximise their impact on the industry.
In addition to the financial grant, the Innovation Accelerator provides the teams with tailor-made support, tools, access and exposure to leverage and develop their innovations in the best and quickest way.
Throughout the year, Accenture and KTH coach the teams based on their needs and goals, ranging from business development to communication training and management.
To connect the teams with the industry, boost their exposure and confidence, we take them on three intensive immersion weeks in Stockholm, New York and Hong Kong.
Through the H&M Foundation the teams get industry access across the value chain to fully leverage the momentum provided by being named a winner of Global Change Award.
The teams also support each other through the Innovation Accelerator, sharing key insights and experiences as they all have the common goal of reinventing the fashion industry.
“The Global Change Award is the first of its kind challenge for early stage innovation in fashion and we are impressed by the level of bold creativity and disruptive innovation shown by the award winners. We are passionate about helping them further develop their inspiring ideas through the Accelerator Program, to support them in driving the change towards a circular fashion industry,” says Jill Standish, Senior Managing Director of Retail at Accenture.
Closing date: 17 October 2018