What was the European Social Innovation Competition 2020?
The 2020 Competition ‘Reimagine Fashion’ looked for ideas that seek to improve the environmental and social impact of the European fashion market through the development of new products, services and processes, and innovative business models. The Competition sought to reward the most innovative approaches to reduce the overall environmental footprint and improve the societal impact of the fashion market, helping to make it fairer and more accessible.
This was the eighth year in which Challenge Works has led the consortium delivering the European Social Innovation Competition. The competition is run by the European Commission’s DG GROW with the support of a consortium of partners: Challenges Works, Kennisland, European Network of Living Labs, Ashoka and Scholz & Friends.
Why did we run the Competition?
25 billion gallons of water is required for a single years’ worth of global textile production. To give a tangible example, it takes up to 2,720 litres of water to produce enough cotton for just one single t-shirt. That is the equivalent to almost three years of drinking water. And it takes 200 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans, the equivalent of approximately 285 showers.
We need to change the way clothing and textiles are designed, produced, used and handled at the end-of-life stage. Reversing the trend of higher sales, lower utilisation of clothing, and a single-use attitude towards fashion will require a concerted effort, prompted by bold and new social innovations.
What were we looking for?
This Competition rewarded the most innovative approaches to reduce the overall environmental footprint and improve the societal impact of the fashion market. It sought out innovation to change the way clothing and textiles are designed, produced, used and handled at the end-of-life stage, reversing the trend of higher sales, lower utilisation of clothing, and a single-use attitude towards fashion.
Impact of the Competition
- Six semi-finalists reached the final stage of the Competition, which was possibly due to the severe restrictions created by the global COVID-19 pandemic
- 13 of the cohort were still active after one year which, again, is a respectable figure considering the impact of the pandemic
- 95% of coaches agreed that the Competition has provided effective solutions to the proposed problem
- 15 of the semi-finalists attracted new investment or funding during the course of the Competition
- 100% of semi-finalists felt supported by being part of a peer network of social innovation in Europe, despite the academy being held digitally this year
Impact Prize Winner
The 2020 Impact Prize, worth €50,000, was awarded to Empower, from Norway. Empower was founded with a vision to empower people to create a cleaner and better world. It is based on the idea of using new technology to enable a circular economy. The project developed a digital plastic waste collection system through which plastic waste can be deposited and collected for a financial reward.
Watch this to learn more about the 2020 edition of the Competition
- Anita Hrast, – IRDO – Inštitut za razvoj družbene odgovornosti (Slovenia)
- Anna Fiscale, Progetto Quid (Italy)
- Bert Van Son, MUD Jeans (The Netherlands)
- Carrie Ann Moran, NCBI (Ireland)
- Federica Massa Saluzzo, EADA business school (Spain)
- Fredrik Timour, Swedish Fashion Council (Sweden)
- Jaan Aps, Stories for Impact (Estonia)
- John Pitsakis, 3QUARTERS (Greece)
- Jonas Eder-Hansen, Global Fashion Agenda (Denmark)
- Pavlína Louženská, Consultant (Czech Republic)
- Pirjo Kääriäinen, Aalto University (Finland)
- Sebastian Thies, NAT-2 (Germany)