A biodegradable dye producer, a seaweed alternative to leather and a series of AI-powered startups are among the 10 winners of H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award (GCA) 2026.
GCA recognizes emerging changemakers behind breakthrough solutions for a more circular fashion industry. This year, the foundation said the winners bring “fresh perspectives to next-generation materials and biobased alternatives, alongside advances in textile-to-textile recycling and low-impact production.”
The foundation announced the winners on Monday.
Fiber and ingredient-focused winners include India-based Agro-Lyocell by Canvaloop, which transforms agricultural waste into forest-free textile fibers; Swedish startup ArtSilk, which creates spider silk-inspired fibers using microorganisms; Fiberly, a French company that turns textile waste into cotton-like fibers; KelTex, a Tanzanian startup that turns seaweed into biodegradable leather alternatives; India-based MicroBlue by Microbeworks, which produces biodegradable dyes that work in existing dyeing systems; RheaCycle by Rhea’s Factory, a U.S. company that uses AI-designed enzymes to break down polyester waste; and Tera Mira, a U.K. firm that turns seaweed into stretch fibers.
Technology-focused winners include Alu, a U.S. firm that develops behavior-driven digital product passports; EntroMetrix, a U.K. company that develops AI models to optimize energy and material use in manufacturing; and Bangladesh-based threadBridge, a climate-tech startup that provides real-time defect detection to factory floors using smart glasses.
Each winner receives a 200,000 euro (approximately $232,093) grant and joins the year-long GCA Changemaker Program, provided by the H&M Foundation in collaboration with strategic partners Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
“What stands out this year is not just the strength of the ideas, but the people behind them,” said Beatrice Oldenburg, project manager at H&M Foundation. “These changemakers combine deep understanding of real-world challenges with the drive to address them. A common thread across many of the solutions is resource efficiency, from reducing waste to making better use of existing materials and resources. Ultimately, transforming the textile industry will depend on both breakthrough technologies and the people determined to bring them to life.”
GCA launched in 2015 with the goal to accelerate early-stage, disruptive ideas aimed at making the fashion and textile industry more sustainable. The award is part of the H&M Foundation’s broader mission to support the textile industry in halving its greenhouse gas emissions every decade.
“The solutions we need already exist, what’s missing is speed and scale,” said Karl-Johan Persson, H&M Foundation board member. “By supporting changemakers at an early stage, we can help unlock the kind of innovations that don’t just improve the textile industry but transform it.”
Past winners have included Ambercycle, Textile Genesis and Unspun.
