Meet the winners of the Global Change Award 2026

The winning innovations of GCA 2026 tackle key pressure points across the textile industry: from materials to production to end of use.

Across the ten winners, one thing is clear: solutions are emerging along the entire value chain. Some are tackling materials, developing alternatives to fossil-based fibres, turning agricultural waste into textiles, or replacing chemical-heavy dyes. Others target inefficiency in production, with tools to measure and reduce factory impact or recover materials that would otherwise be lost. And some focuses on what happens after use, improving recycling of blended textiles and extending the life of garments.

Getting to know this year’s winners has been a real joy. I’m impressed not just by the strength of their ideas, but by the people behind them. Their drive, creativity and courage is really impressive. These ten teams are tackling pain points across the whole textile value chain, with solutions shaped by the realities and communities surrounding them.

Beatrice Oldenburg, Project Manager, H&M Foundation

Here are the winners of Global Change Award 2026:

Agro-Lyocell
Shreyans Kokra and team (India)

Alu
Donatela Bellone (US)

ArtSilk
Anna Rising & Benjamin Schmuck (Sweden)

EntroMetrix
Mohammed Ali & Iusiph Eiubovi (UK)

Fiberly
Bénédicte Quinta and team (France)

Keltex
Laetus Buberwa and team (Tanzania)

MicroBlues
Suchitha Raghunathan & Dr. Anjana Badrinarayanan (India)

RheaCycle™
Dr. Arzu Sandıkçı & Mert Topcu (US)

Tera Mira
Jeanne Begon-Lours & Lucy Dain-Williams (UK)

threadBridge
Md Ridwan Hossain and team (Bangladesh)

What’s next

Each winner receives a €200,000 grant and joins the year-long GCA Changemaker Programme. Through a combination of systems thinking, expert support, and industry connections, the programme is designed to help turn early-stage ideas into solutions that can be tested, refined, and brought into the real world.