The report titled "From Signals to Systems Change" centres on the Reimagined System Map, an open-source framework that visually represents the potential of early-stage innovations to create a fair and net-zero textile future.
H&M Foundation innovation programme director Annie Lindmark said: “By looking at the fashion system as it is today and reimagining what it could become, we visualised how scaling early-stage innovations might ripple across the industry.
“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.”
Grounded in insights from innovation, philanthropy and systems thinking, the study highlights the potential of early-stage ideas as catalysts for environmental change in textiles, spotlighting key elements, from AI and geopolitics to resource scarcity and biodiversity loss.
Additionally, it emphasises the need for industry leaders, investors, and policymakers to recognise their role within an interconnected framework.
Accenture implemented its 360-degree value approach to explore what early-stage innovation could achieve at scale by evaluating the possible impact of four Global Change Award (GCA) 2025 winners: Loom, PulpaTronics, Renasens, and The Revival Circularity Lab.
The findings demonstrate that small ideas, if nurtured early on, can yield substantial returns for both climate and communities.
By 2050, these innovations could save 570,000t of CO2 annually, conserve 160bn litres of water, create 30,000 designer jobs, and diminish 3,000t of electronic waste every year.
The GCA, managed by the H&M Foundation, annually backs 10 innovative teams with an aim to halve the fashion industry's greenhouse gas emissions every decade.
Since 2015, it has supported 56 pioneering teams by providing €200,000 ($231,891) each and access to a year-long Changemaker Programme to expand their ideas and impact.
The new report aligns with that mission by illustrating how preliminary ideas could unleash systemic opportunities and expedite transformation across the sector.
It is part of H&M Foundation’s ongoing effort to assist the textile industry in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by half every decade while advocating a fair transition for both people and the planet.
