A new report produced by the H&M Foundation in collaboration with tech company Accenture calls on the fashion industry to rethink its role in transformation and outlines a path to a net-zero textile future.
The “From Signals to Systems Change” report explores how key forces such as AI, geopolitics, resource scarcity, decarbonization pressures and biodiversity loss are reshaping fashion. The report calls on industry leaders, investors and policymakers to recognize their place in the interconnected system of fashion to advance the push for a decarbonized textile future.
Related Stories
Within the report, a reimagined System Map visually represents how early-stage innovations can drive a more equitable and sustainable textile value chain.
“By looking at the fashion system as it is today and reimagining what it could become, we visualized how scaling early-stage innovations might ripple across the industry,” said Annie Lindmark, program director, innovation at the H&M Foundation. “Our hope is that different stakeholders will explore the System Map and ask themselves where in the system they have the most power to influence change, and in doing so, ignite new sparks of transformation.”
To illustrate how early ideas can contribute to longterm change, Accenture applied its 360-degree value approach to estimate the potential impact of four of the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award winners—Loom, PulpaTronics, Renasens and The Revival Circularity Lab. Loom is a tech platform that connects users with designers to upcycle unworn clothes, PulpaTronics produces metal-free, chip-less RFID paper tags and Renasens creates waterless, chemical-free technology that turns blended textile waste into raw materials. The Revival Circularity Lab operates a creative hub in the Kantamanto Market in Accra, Ghana, that turns textile waste into value.
Accenture estimated that the innovations from these organizations could potentially save 570,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, equal to the life-cycle emissions of 170 million cotton t-shirts. Additionally, they believe these future-forward ideas could save 160 billion liters of water—enough for the annual drinking needs of 200 million people—while also creating 30,000 designer jobs and reducing 3,000 metric tons of waste each year.
The “From Signals to Systems Change” report builds on the mission behind the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award, which has supported 56 teams from 23 countries over the past decade with grants totaling 10 million euros. The grants fund winning organizations in their efforts to create more circular and decarbonized business models across the textile value chain.
The H&M Foundation concluded the report with a challenge to textile industry stakeholders to assess how their businesses figure into this path forward to achieving a more sustainable, ethical future.
“Change starts with understanding the system and the part you play within it,” the report said. “The Reimagined System Map is an open tool to explore where innovation and collaboration can make the greatest difference. Once you see your place in the system, the next step is to act.”
