 You've gotta have a little respect for companies that put their money where their mouth is. Since 2015, H&M has been dolling out 1 million euros to 5 lucky recipients who they've deemed innovators in pushing forward sustainable fashion. The leaders emerging as winners never fail to blow your mind with untapped possibilities. Here are the winners for 2018's Global Change Award. Crop A Porter/Agraloop Fruit is a big trend in the textile science these days and we can't get enough. After farmers have harvested their fruit crops, they can now sell the waste (which they would typically burn) as an additional source of income. The cellulose from this waste can be extracted to make new fiber and textile, not too mention it enables the finished garments to be compostable. Can you imagine burying your wardrobe as you finish using it? The Regenerator/Swerea Easily one of the biggest clothing recycling issue we face today is actually that most clothing is made out of a poly-cotton blend. Cotton being perfect for recycling, polyester being perfect for destroying the planet. Their mild, earth-friendly, chemical breaks down the blend leaving the cotton to be reused. Algae Apparel/Algalife Similar to fruit, this team is creating fiber from growing algae. They have also found a way to take another part of the algae to naturally dye clothing. Smart Stitch/Resortecs This hot start up is developing thread that melts away at 266 degrees to separate used clothing from it's binding zippers and buttons to more easily reuse post consumer textile waste. Currently, the disassembly of used clothes is too intensive to occur very often, making material recycling and repairing difficult, this team hopes to change that. Fungi Fashion/MycoTEX Not to be outdone, this team grows clothing from fungi (just hearing the word makes us want to tell a punny joke). Mycelium (mushroom roots) will not simply spin fiber but it actually grow into the pattern pieces needed for garment construction. TBD on it's durability through multiple uses and laundering but this grant will allow them to explore fungi's further possibilities. Want to be a changemaker yourself? We can connect you to ethical factories and help sell your fabric liability so you are increasing the standards in the fashion industry everyday. Email us to learn more. 
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