Non-profit H&M Foundation and prominent photography museum Fotografiska use the power of visual communication when joining forces for a two-year collaboration to inspire action connected to the urgent issues addressed in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The partnership began with the recent opening of the museum’s scenographic media exhibition The Changing Room by visual artist and multimedia pioneer Tobias Gremmler. It now continues with the unveiling of an online tour that makes it possible for anyone to learn more about seven examples of planet-positive solutions that can shift the fashion industry — from their own home, through the 3D inspiration room The Future is Here.
— We want to create awareness of the powerful impact sustainable fashion innovation can achieve if given the opportunity to scale. In the innovation space, you can experience a t-shirt made of trapped carbon dioxide from the air, shoes crafted from wine-making leftovers, and jeans made of lab-grown cotton. These solutions exist and are giving back instead of taking from the planet, which is one of the keys to turning the fashion industry planet positive, says Diana Amini, global manager at H&M Foundation.
— It’s crucial to implement and scale sustainable innovation for fashion to operate within the planetary boundaries. Both The Changing Room and The Future is Here highlight this opportunity, Karl-Johan Persson, board member of H&M Foundation and chairman of H&M Group, adds.
The seven solutions come from across the globe and represent different parts of the fashion industry’s value chain. They are examples of H&M Foundation’s open-source collaboration with The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel as well as former winners of the annual innovation challenge Global Change Award.
In addition, consulting company Accenture has estimated the positive impact each of the innovations can have on the planet in 2030 if given adequate support and opportunity to scale. One of the innovations could save 80,000 million litres of water — the same amount 115 million people drink during a year. Another solution could reduce 720,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, comparable to the total life-cycle emissions of 120 million polyester T-shirts.
— Together we want to increase awareness of environmental and social issues and inspire positive change, Elin Frendberg, executive director, Fotografiska Stockholm, concludes.
Related Stories
