Our projects
We support projects across the textile value chain that target high-emission areas where our strengths can make the greatest difference.
Leveraging our philanthropic strengths we focus on four key solution areas where we can drive the most impact:
- Innovation
- Research & Demonstration
- Collective Action
- Insights & Inspiration
We also drive change beyond our core focus. Through our Disaster Management & Special Projects, we support small, impactful initiatives that respond to urgent needs or have the potential to break new ground in creating a better world.
Learn more about our solution areas.
Full list of project
Below you will find all our projects. Use the filters to narrow down the search results.
Join us – be part of the change
At the H&M Foundation, we are committed to accelerating the textile industry’s journey toward halving emissions and achieving net-zero by 2050, while ensuring a fair and just transition for all. Together, we can make a lasting impact on both people and the planet. Do you want to be part of this journey? Become our partner.
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Planet First in partnership with HKRITA
In collaboration with our long-standing research partner, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), we run the Planet First programme, dedicated to researching and implementing practical solutions for the textile and fashion industry.
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Proactive funding to tackle climate disasters
The H&M Foundation supports Start Network’s flagship disaster risk financing programme, Start Ready. This three-year commitment aims to strengthen the capacity of eight countries to anticipate, respond to, and recover from crises.
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United to futureproof women garment workers in Bangladesh
Through the initiative “Oporajita” multiple partners are joining hands for a just transition, to equip women garment workers for a future defined by automation and digitalization. By working collectively, we can holistically address challenges to women’s future employment opportunities – and achieve transformative change for…
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Catalysing inclusive circularity in India – in solidarity with waste pickers
As the demand for recycled raw materials increases in the textile industry, and new circular value chains emerge there is an urgent opportunity to make the transition just and fair. We are funding Saamuhika Shakti, a holistic ecosystem of eleven organisations aiming to equip informal…
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Knit – accelerating inclusion in fashion
Knit is redefining how diversity, equity, and inclusion are approached in the fashion industry. Launched in 2023, Knit empowers changemakers from marginalised backgrounds to co-create solutions that foster empathy, representation, and inclusivity. Two tools have been developed to support industry leaders in creating inclusive workplaces.…
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AI-powered Smart Garment Sorting System automating textile recycling
Around 100 million tonnes textile waste is created annually, but the rate of recycling old textiles into new garments remains low. The Smart Garment Sorting System aims to change that by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and advanced image analysis techniques, including hyperspectral spectroscopy.
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Supporting tomorrow’s climate storytellers
New Zero World is a coalition of climate allies creating a global movement to shift public opinion and promote behavioural change through new climate narratives that positively reimagine our visions of the future. Through our partnership, the H&M Foundation supports New Zero World in developing…
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Decarbonisation through unified efforts in textile recycling
The textile and fashion industry faces a pivotal challenge in aligning with the 1.5-degree pathway. Decarbonisation is one of them, and to help drive this transformation, this programme has a multi-stakeholder approach to establishing infrastructure for textile recycling of post-industrial waste in key production markets. The…
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South x South – Aiming for equitable decarbonisation of the textile industry
Together with Catalyst 2030 we are investing in social entrepreneurs from the global south and the scaling of systems change collaborations, with a focus on equitable decarbonisation of the fashion and textile industry. Founded at the World Economic Forum in 2020, the aim of Catalyst…
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reProLeather – regenerating bio-based leather from leather waste
Traditional recycled leather is produced by combining shredded scraps and residual fibers of real leather with synthetic, non-biodegradable binders like PU and PVC. In contrast, the reProLeather project has pioneered a new approach. It employs bio-based binders and eco-friendly chemicals.
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Study to explore the power of community-driven change
This co-funded initiative together with The Bridgespan Group aims to reshape the philanthropic landscape and is centered around an in-depth study of community-driven change and its potential to shape sustainable societal impact, including systems change. Set against the backdrop of a shifting philanthropic landscape, this…
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Acousweep – sound wave technology that separates microplastics from water
Breakthrough technology developed by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) with the support of H&M Foundation, can separate microplastics from wastewater using soundwaves. If the technology is implemented at an industrial scale, it will have a significant impact on the fashion…
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The Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains
With women forming the backbone of global value chains, this initiative brings together companies, foundations and feminist leaders to invest in women’s economic resilience, safety and health and aims to flip the script on traditional, top-down philanthropy. Through an innovative model, the Resilience Fund for Women brings…
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Fashion Climate Fund – accelerating scale and implementation of climate solutions
By pioneering a collaborative funding model between philanthropy and corporate entities, the Fashion Climate Fund, initiated by the Apparel Impact Institute, is designed to unlock an estimated $2B in blended capital to help meet the industry’s ambition to halve carbon emissions by 2030. It will…
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Open Lab – enabling collaboration and research
We want to talk less and do more. Together with our partner The Hong Kong Research Institute for Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), we thought we needed a place where the entire value chain of the fashion and textiles industry could come together to collaborate, prototype…
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Carbon Looper – CO2 capturing textiles
Carbon Looper is potentially the start of a paradigm shift in how we think about textiles and the fashion industry. Traditionally, the production of garments and the unsustainable use of natural resources have gone hand in hand. But what if it could be the other…
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Absorboost – cellulose powder improving cotton quality
This project is a spinoff from the successful Green Machine developed in 2018 by HKRITA and H&M Foundation. The cellulose powder generated from the Green Machine is clean and toxic-free. We are currently investing two applications of the powder: making new garments and improving cotton…
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Planet Resilience Simulator – supporting research on Earth’s support systems
To drive real change towards a planet positive future, we need to know what we are targeting and why. Together with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), a leading research institution on global environmental change, the H&M Foundation invests in an advanced computer…
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Global Change Award – reinventing fashion
The Global Change Award accelerates the transformation of fashion and is one of the biggest innovation challenges in the world for sustainable early-stage innovation. Together with our partners Accenture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the Mills Fabrica, we find and support the brilliant minds…
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Green Machine – separating blend textiles at scale
The Green Machine, developed by HKRITA with support from H&M Foundation, is the world’s first technology that can separate blended textiles at scale, without any quality loss. The best part? It’s made available at cost-price basis to drive maximum change in the industry.
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G2G – a miniaturized recycling machine to change perception
Recycling old garments is still a fairly new habit, and while the awareness is increasing only a fraction of all textiles disposed are being recycled today. For the fashion industry to become fully circular, there is an urgent need to change people’s perception of old…
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Supporting young children with disabilities with UNICEF
During the earliest years of life, love, good nutrition, protection, and stimulating activities such as play, singing and early learning give young children the best possible chance of reaching healthy brain development. Yet, millions of young children around the world, in particular those with disabilities,…
Previous work
Since 2013, the H&M Foundation has been a catalyst for positive change. We have challenged the comfortable and looked outside the box to find new solutions. We have also challenged our partners to think innovatively, be courageous and try new methods to make a long-lasting impact. Our work has been focused on Education, Water, Equality, and the Planet.
Learn more about our previous projects and results.