Fashion for Good

Fashion for Good is an Amsterdam-based innovation platform and accelerator dedicated to making the fashion industry more sustainable and circular. Launched in 2017 with backing from founding partner Laudes Foundation (formerly C&A Foundation), Fashion for Good runs a 9-month accelerator program for startups developing technologies or business models that improve fashion’s environmental or social impact. Focus areas include innovative materials (e.g. bio-based fibers, textile recycling), new dyeing and finishing processes, circular business models (rental, resale), and supply chain traceability solutions. Each batch (around 10 companies) receives coaching, pilot opportunities, and a small grant; uniquely, the program is venture client-oriented: Fashion for Good’s corporate partners – which include Adidas, Kering, PVH, Stella McCartney, C&A and other major brands – collaborate with the startups to test and implement their innovations. For example, early cohort member Ambercycle (USA) has partnered with Adidas on textile recycling pilots, and Pili Bio (France) worked with brands on microbial dyes. In addition to the accelerator, Fashion for Good runs Scaling Programs for more mature innovators to facilitate larger deals (often joint ventures or first-of-a-kind factory deployments). It also operates a public Experience Museum in Amsterdam showcasing sustainable fashion and educating consumers. By 2022, Fashion for Good had accelerated over 125 startups, helping many secure follow-on funding – alumni have collectively raised hundreds of millions. Notable graduates include Renewcell (Sweden, textile recycling, IPO’d), Natural Fiber Welding (US, plant-based leather, now partnering with Ralph Lauren) and Circular.Fashion (Germany, circular design SaaS acquired by Zalando). Fashion for Good’s success lies in its consortium approach: besides brands, it engages manufacturers and investors (like AccelR8, a fashion-focused VC) to ensure innovations can actually be adopted at scale. Its impact is tangible – alumni like Orange Fiber (Italy, citrus-based silk) have seen their materials used in collections by H&M and Ferragamo. As the fashion industry faces pressure to reduce waste and emissions, Fashion for Good has positioned Amsterdam as a key nexus of fashion tech and sustainability, proving that collaboration across the value chain can accelerate the transition to a Good Fashion future.