At the award ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall, these five innovations were crowned:
- €300,000 – The Loop Scoop by circular.fashion: A digital system aiming to close the loop on every garment from design to wear to recycling (Germany).
- €250,000 – Sane Membrane by dimpora: A biodegradable and mineral-based membrane for outdoor wear (Switzerland).
- €150,000 – Sustainable Sting by Green Nettle Textile: Growing nettles to create sustainable fashion fibers and opportunities for farmers in Kenya to boost their livelihoods (Kenya).
- €150,000 – Clothes that Grow by Petit Pli: Outfits that expand with the child, while reducing environmental impact (UK).
- €150,000 – Lab Leather by Le Qara: Using microorganisms to create vegan biodegradable leather for the fashion industry (Peru).
Funding is the biggest hurdle
Among the thousands of entries to this year’s Global Change Award, 45% rank “funding” as their biggest obstacle.
Clearly, crowdfunding holds great untapped potential as a funding option as well as an opportunity for the whole innovation ecosystem to contribute and make a difference. This initiative with Indiegogo put consumers in the front seat, enabling them to take active part for a future for sustainable style. It has also been a great way to get real and honest customer feedback early on to help the teams develop the best solutions for the industry. There’s nothing like testing your wings in the real world.
“Every time we got backed by a complete stranger, it was an overwhelming feeling! The fact that we now have a bunch of backers also puts extra pressure on us to really power through and create great jackets.“
Anna Beltzung, dimpora
The money collected, which is an addition to the 1 million euro grant from the H&M Foundation, will help our winners to develop their innovations even further, try out new markets or expand their teams.
