Lab-grown cotton and polyester made from air were among the 2020 winners of H&M Foundation’s Global Change Awards. Galy was the grand prize winner of for its Incredible Cotton innovation. The US and Brazil-based startup engineer cotton in a lab, which in turn lessens the burden placed on farmers. This lab-manufactured cotton takes 18 days to produce and releases 80 percent less water and gas emissions.
The program, which is in its fifth year, provides grants and educational resources for entrepreneurs establishing the future of sustainable and innovated fashion. This year, the Foundation received 5,893 entries from 175 countries. The five winners were selected by a panel of experts.
French fashion startup Fairbrics earned €150,000 ($164,000) for its Airwear product that converts greenhouse gas into sustainable polyester. Using literal air, it’s able to produce carbon negative synthetic fibers. Like Galy, the startup was also selected to participate in Fashion For Good’s Accelerator Program this year.
Other Global Change Awards winners include Feature Fibres by Werewool, a US-based startup that creates fabrics from protein DNA with natural colors, stretch and other performance properties. The team was awarded €250,000 ($273,000) for its compostable materials that have a circular life cycle.
