Five Global Change Prize Winners Announced by H&M Foundation Receive Euro 1 million in Grant in Totality For Planet Positive Innovations

Stockholm, Sweden based H&M Group’s non-profit H&M Foundation has announced five winners of its Global Change Award 2022 and given 1 million euros to the early-stage entrepreneurs striving to improve the fashion sector and bring sustainability to luxury fashion as well.

The winning breakthroughs for 2022 come from the United Kingdom, Sweden, India, China, and the United States and include a laundry solution that extends the life of garments, artificial intelligence that assists smallholder cotton farmers in increasing yield and income, an invention that enables circular recycling of elastane and polyester blends, carbon-negative viscose made from CO2 emissions, and regenerative agriculture that creates a planet-positive option to soft under plumage (a layer of insulation underneath feathers) that geese, ducks and other waterfowl have to keep them warm and dry.

H&M Foundation said they were swamped with submissions for the 2022 prizes, which they added:

“made it apparent that there is no lack of disruptive inventions out there”.

Karl-Johan Persson, board member of H&M Foundation and chairman of H&M Group, said in a statement:

“The winners of the Global Change Award hold the answer to the difficult issues we are facing and illustrate that it’s possible to reinvent fashion. 

Their game-changing technologies are incredibly inspirational and can help convert the fashion business into a planet positive one.”

The 2022 winners are:

BioPuff by Saltyco

 Situated in the UK, provides a world positive alternative to goose down, created from plants that mend damaged land.

Biorestore

A laundry solution that restores aged and worn textiles to immaculate condition from Sweden.

CottonAce by Wadhwani

 CottonAce by Wadhwani AI is an Indian AI solution that minimises pesticide usage, boosts output and enhances revenues for smallholder cotton growers.

Re:lastane from China

Re:lastane from China which has devised the first gentle technology to make elastane and polyester mixed materials recyclable.

Rubi

 A planet positive viscose and lyocell created from carbon emissions located in San Francisco in America.

Each of the five winners will split the 1 million euro prize and also have access to the one-year GCA Impact Accelerator programme given by H&M Foundation in cooperation with Accenture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and The Mills. 

The accelerator gives the winners mentoring and assistance to help expand their ideas at speed via business, technology, investor and innovation readiness, and industry connections.