H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award 2026 (€200,000 Grant + Global Recognition)

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Applications open H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award 2026. Nominations for Global Change Award 2026 now open! Their call for bold, early-stage solutions to decarbonise fashion and promote equity across the textile industry is on.

They are excited to see ideas that:

Tackle high-emission areas in unexpected ways
Shift mindsets on how we produce, consume and value fashion
Put people at the heart of the innovation
Push boundaries

They use a nomination-based framework in their search to find changemakers they wouldn’t have otherwise found. There is a way to make a nominator aware of your idea.

The Mills Fabrica is once again a nominator for the Global Change Award 2026 – and the official entry point for changemakers who want to submit a proposal for potential nomination. As a contributing partner to the H&M Foundation‘s Global Change Award, we are excited to see which changemakers will help drive the textile industry towards net-zero emissions.

H&M Foundation was funded by the Persson family, founders and majority owners of the H&M Group, supports the textile industry in halving its greenhouse gas emissions every decade by 2050, while promoting a just and fair transition for both people and the planet. Its projects target high-emission areas along the textile value chain where the H&M Foundation’s philanthropic strengths can have the greatest impact.

The Global Change Award is a global innovation challenge launched by the H&M Foundation in 2015 to accelerate the transition to a circular and planet-positive fashion industry.

Global Change Award Focus Areas

GCA is looking for changemakers who fall into one of four overarching areas:

Sustainable materials and processes – such as low energy materials and new and recycled fibers, sustainable energy practices, alternative wet processes, treatments and finishes, new construction techniques and more.
Responsible production – such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, prediction modelling, on-demand, waste management, zero-waste solutions and more.
Mindful consumption – such as reshaping demand, garment care, extending garment life cycles, recycling solutions, circular business models and more.
Wildcards – unexpected impactful ideas we haven’t even thought of yet, or that amplify transformation within multiple areas.

Global Change Award Benefits

Every year, 10 winners will be awarded. Winning this prestigious award grants access to three key components:

A yearlong Changemaker Programme
- As a winner you get access to the Changemaker Programme, designed together with GCA’s strategic partners Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology and contributing partner The Mills Fabrica. It includes three immersive in-person weeks, expert sessions, and an extensive peer network.
€200,000 grant and global recognition
- Each winner receives a €200,000 grant, with no strings attached. You are free to collaborate with whoever you want – GCA exists to drive transformation for the entire industry. You’ll be celebrated at the iconic Stockholm City Hall, home of the Nobel Prize banquet, and introduced to the textile industry on a global stage.
Access to the industry and the GCA community
- You’ll gain access to GCA’s ever-growing, vibrant community of changemakers, researchers, brands, suppliers, investors and more. We actively facilitate connections across the value chain to help you test, grow and scale your solution.

TIMELINE 2025/2026:

Proposal period: The platform is open for submitting your proposal until 6 October 2025, 8.00 am CET. You will be informed by GCA if your idea has been nominated by The Mills Fabrica by the end of October 2025.
Screening: The screening period stretches from December 2025 to March 2026. The screening is conducted in collaboration with a broad network of industry experts, partners, and expert panel. The winners will be notified in April 2026.
Announcement: The winners are announced publicly in May 2026.
Changemaker Program: The yearlong GCA Changemaker Program commences in May 2026.
Award ceremony: The winners are crowned and celebrated at the Global Change Award ceremony in City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden in October 2026.