Amplifying voices from the textile value chain

Conferences and global summits are powerful platforms for influence and connection. Yet too often, the voices shaping the textile industry’s policies and innovation strategies don’t fully reflect those most impacted by them. At the H&M Foundation, we believe that creating a just transition means actively inviting those who are frequently left out, and removing the barriers that keep them out.

Our ambition is to support more diverse speaker representation across the textile value chain; from garment workers and informal waste pickers to smallholder cotton farmers, women entrepreneurs and young innovators. Many face structural barriers such as limited access to professional networks or funding for travel and accommodation. We’ve developed internal guidelines to help us ensure more inclusive attendance and speaker line-ups at the events we host or join. We’ve also committed dedicated funding and annual collaborations to support this mission.

Our first implementation took place at the 2025 Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen. With a donation of EUR 22,000, we covered travel and accommodation costs for nine speakers, most of whom work actively across the value chain and represent local communities. Among the speakers were David Yayra Agbofah, Founder and Creative Lead at The Revival; Nalini Shekar, Co-founder & Director at Hasiru Dala; and Dr Rohini Kamal, Professor and Research Fellow at BRAC Institute of Governance and Development. We also hosted a networking dinner that brought these speakers together with key players such as Fashion for Good, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Textile Exchange. This was a unique opportunity to build genuine, cross-sector dialogue.

“We talk a lot about systems change but we can’t get there if only a limited group is invited to speak”, says Clara Brook, Project Manager at the H&M Foundation. “This is about walking the talk. We’re proud to support leaders with critical insights who are often excluded due to geography, funding or format. When we include perspectives from across the value chain, the conversations get richer and the solutions more grounded. What we piloted at the Global Fashion Summit was just the start. We’re eager to build on this momentum and collaborate with more organisers to shift the standard for who gets a seat at the table.”

We talk a lot about systems change – but we can’t get there if only a limited group is invited to speak. This is about walking the talk.

Clara Brook

“The Summit really exemplified the importance of bringing different people involved in the supply chain and impacted communities to the same table”, says Dr Rohini Kamal. “At the heart of it were the connections made and conversations shared. As intellectually stimulating as the insights were, it was the drive and commitment of diverse groups of people from different parts of the world, from different vantage points, that was profoundly moving. It is essential to have honest conversations addressing the challenges, the barriers, to move the needle forward and to form real bridges.”

This autumn, the global conversation on textiles and climate will take centre stage at events like Textile Exchange, New York Climate Week and COP30. If you’re planning a panel, roundtable or major industry convening, ask yourself: who’s missing? At the H&M Foundation, we believe a just transition demands inclusive circularity. And that starts with who’s invited to speak. We’d love to hear from organisers who want to make room for the full spectrum of voices shaping our shared future.