Our MC will kick off the event day 2 with a warm welcome, setting the stage for Co-Creating Tomorrow: Unified Action for People and Planet—a shared journey of collaboration, innovation, and impact.

Tackling climate change and ensuring decent work are often treated as parallel pursuits—but in reality, they are deeply interconnected. As long as inequity persists across the value chain, progress toward meaningful climate goals will remain out of reach.

In this opening plenary, we’ll examine how systemic imbalances—such as unfair purchasing practices, limited access to financing, and lack of representation from manufacturing regions—are undermining industry-wide efforts to decarbonize. Together, we’ll explore how aligning environmental ambition with social responsibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the only way forward.

Rooted in Cascale’s strategic pillars of combating climate change and supporting decent work for all, this conversation brings together leaders from across the value chain to break down silos, spotlight barriers, and explore solutions that drive unified, equitable progress.

In a world where climate policies are rapidly evolving, sourcing countries are facing transformative regulatory shifts. This session will delve into the key regulations emerging in the EU, US, and Asia, and explore their broader impact on global supply chains. Through expert panel discussions, industry leaders will share actionable insights on how companies can prepare for compliance, navigate due diligence challenges, and implement sustainable sourcing practices.

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Data Quality within the Higg FEM ecosystem, where Cascale and Worldly share their approach and ongoing commitment to enhancing data usability. We’ll define what data quality means in our context and highlight key issues—from data entry and modelling to interpretation—while sharing recent insights. Next, we’ll outline ongoing improvements, including enhanced emissions modelling, better validation for facility data, and updates to historic records. Finally, we’ll discuss actionable steps that brands and facilities can take to ensure more robust, usable data.

Following on from our Industry Decarbonization Roadmap session on day 1, we will be going into further detail on the methodology of developing the energy and carbon performance benchmarks for the apparel sector project initiated by Aii where we hope to engage with manufacturers and interested stakeholders in the forum to shape this work.

Manufacturers are key drivers of industry transformation, yet their voices are often overlooked in sustainability discussions. This session shifts the spotlight to manufacturer environmental experts, providing a platform to share firsthand experiences with the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM)—its implementation, benefits, and challenges.Drawing from a recent GIZ-led project that gathered hundreds of problem-solving essays and facilitated co-creation workshops, this discussion will highlight the power of peer learning, the burden caused by the gaps between brands’ expectation and manufacturers’ reality, and practical pathways for solution-oriented professional conversations.

By amplifying manufacturer expertise and real-world insights, this session fosters an open and action-driven dialogue between manufacturers, brands, and other stakeholders—ensuring sustainability is not just a compliance requirement but a collaborative, cost-effective strategy for meaningful industry impact.

Join us for an inspiring Coffee & Connect session to explore how the Good Fashion Fund is leveraging catalytic capital to drive environmental and social impact in the apparel industry. Learn about their success to date and discover opportunities to partner with them as they launch their second fund.

This session will explore the key obstacles manufacturers encounter in implementing facility-level decarbonization solutions and discuss how industry partners are working to support factories in overcoming these challenges. Experts will share insights into practical strategies, financing mechanisms, and technological solutions that can help manufacturers accelerate their transition to lower-carbon operations. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of what’s needed to scale decarbonization efforts and drive real impact at the facility level.

Suppliers across manufacturing hubs must embrace the eventual goal of electrification to remain competitive. This session will explore a pioneering heat pump project in Vietnam funded by a grant from Aii , offering a proof of concept to how industrial heat pumps can be used to scale industrial decarbonization across manufacturing hubs, particularly in Vietnam. It will highlight the benefits to suppliers, including energy and cost savings, thermal efficiency, and meet brand demand for low emissions production.

Suppliers will learn how heat pump technology and other electrification solutions can be integrated into their own operations, and the business case for doing so, as market players, NGOs, and policymakers will be encouraged to consider their role in facilitating innovative financing and grant funding to make electrification projects more accessible.

With increasing global expectations to conduct supply chain due diligence on companies, this session will focus on the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the implications for manufacturers. It’s clear that while manufacturers themselves do not need to comply, there are opportunities and challenges created as a result of HRDD implementation. We will dive deeper into the legislation, and open the discussion around how we can leverage existing best practices to be well placed for future HRDD compliance.

In this training, we will explain how Science-Based Targets (SBTs) help manufacturers set emission reduction goals aligned with climate science. You will learn their importance, benefits, and steps to implement them for business sustainability.

Hands-On Target Setting Exercise – Gain practical experience in developing a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and setting emissions reduction targets using the SBTi target-setting tool.

Strategic Business Integration – Explore how aligning with SBTs enhances business resilience, meets stakeholder expectations, and strengthens positioning in an evolving regulatory landscape.

Types of Decarbonization Opportunities – Explore key decarbonization strategies like energy efficiency, renewable energy, and coal Elimination This training will provide insights on how to apply these strategies to reduce emissions effectively.

This interactive training includes expert-led presentations, guided exercises, and group discussions to ensure a practical learning experience.

To reinforce learning, the session concludes with an online assessment, and participants who achieve a passing score of 70% or higher will receive a course certification.Take the next step in your sustainability journey and contribute to a low-carbon future by mastering science-based targets.

Join us to explore how footwear manufacturers can leverage the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) to reach environmental sustainability goals. Through real-world case studies, we will showcase Cascale member companies that have successfully implemented the tool, discuss key challenges and opportunities, and work together on solutions to ensure Higg FEM continues to meet the needs of the footwear industry.

This session explores practical approaches to fostering worker engagement and dialogue in a way that supports business resilience and sustainable growth for manufacturers. Featuring examples like Better Work Viet Nam, CNV International and the LABS Initiative, we’ll discuss industry-led solutions that enhance workplace communication, build trust, and drive continuous improvement.

Discover how Vietnam’s Direct Power Purchase Agreement (DPPA) is unlocking renewable energy opportunities and accelerating decarbonization efforts across the supply chain.

In this session, we’ll hear a case study from a leading manufacturer on their ESG strategies—how they’ve navigated practical implementation and cost challenges, and successfully scaled their approach across multiple countries. Gain insights into real-world solutions that drive sustainability and business resilience from factory floor to global impact.

An introduction to Better Buying’s surveys and how brands and retailers can leverage the data with their suppliers to unlock shared value, strengthen partnerships, enhance human rights due diligence, and advance Decent Work for All.

What does ‘foundational environmental performance’ truly mean for the consumer goods industry? Starting with key apparel and footwear sector stakeholders, Cascale led a series of consultations to jointly define a set of principles that aims to establish a baseline for credible and scalable environmental action across the consumer goods industry. Join this session to learn about Casale’s approach to FEP and what’s to come.

This session explores practical approaches to fostering worker engagement and dialogue in a way that supports business resilience and sustainable growth for manufacturers. Featuring examples like Better Work Viet Nam, CNV International and the LABS Initiative, we’ll discuss industry-led solutions that enhance workplace communication, build trust, and drive continuous improvement.

Join us as we welcome industry experts from across the supply chain who will share real-world examples of responsible sourcing in action. They will showcase how embedding trust, fairness, and long-term commitment into business relationships strengthens their partnerships, enhances resilience, and delivers measurable financial and social benefits.

What happens when a technical training program transforms into a thriving learning community? To the Finish Line (TFL) began as a Higg FEM training but has since evolved into a collaborative platform where manufacturers, brands, and experts work together to drive continuous improvement. This session explores how TFL is scaling impact, equipping manufacturers with the tools and knowledge to leverage FEM data for ongoing environmental progress and regulatory compliance.

We will introduce Megaton, a new initiative born from the TFL platform, designed to support manufacturers—especially SMEs—in their GHG reduction journey through collective action. Beyond Vietnam, we invite the audience to engage in a discussion on how this model can be expanded to other countries, fostering industry-wide sustainability progress and strengthening global supply chains through shared learning and collaboration.

The apparel, leather, textile and footwear industries have long struggled with inefficiencies in sustainability efforts due to fragmented initiatives and audits. A collaborative effort to overcome these challenges saw Cascale, Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) and ZDHC introducing new initiatives: the Data Matrix and the Factory Improvement Journey.

Together, these initiatives aim to create a standardized, transparent and scalable framework for measuring and improving environmental performance across the industry. Join the session to learn more about the initiative and to be able to shape the future.

Join us as we bring the event to a meaningful close with reflections and final thoughts from Cascale’s CEO.

Close out the event with traditional Vietnamese entertainment.