The Global Change Awards were presented again. The awards recognize innovative companies in the fashion and textile industry each year and are intended to serve as a catalyst to move the fashion industry from a linear to a positive model for the planet, according to the statement from the organizer H&M Foundation. Five winners were selected again this year.
The 2022 Global Change Awards winners are SaltyCo’s Biopuff, Biorestore, Wadhwani AI’s Cottonace, Re:lastane and Rubi. Saltyco’s Biopuff is an alternative to goose down. The alternative is made from plants that regenerate damaged soil. Biopuff has the same structure as goose down and offers the same warming, water-repellent and lofty qualities as synthetic and animal versions of down.
Biorestore is a washing solution that restores old clothes to like-new condition, the H&M Foundation says in a statement. The washing solution is a mixture of enzymes and minerals that reacts with water and the cellulose fibers of the clothes. The product improves colour, makes garments soft and supple and brings them back into shape. All of this happens in a single wash.
Cottonace uses artificial intelligence to reduce the use of pesticides and increase yields, thereby improving the income of small cotton farmers. Cottonace advises farmers on using pesticides and other effective pest control measures to minimize damage to crops.
Re:lastane is the fourth winner in the group. The innovation is a gentle process that allows elastane and polyester blends to be recycled. The new recycling process leaves the elastane threads intact and breaks down the polyester fibers into monomers.
And last but not least there is Rubi. Rubi is a viscose made from carbon emissions from the air. The carbon emissions are collected and sent to a bioreactor. Here, stabilized enzymes convert the gas into long, filamentous, microscopic polymers. These polymers are used to make viscose and lyocell, for example.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.