Relive the highlights and explore key takeaways from the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026, held in Athens, Greece on September 15-17, 2026.
Lee Green reflects on the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026 in Athens: who pays, who profits, and what changes.
We went to Athens with a question instead of a position. Who Pays, Who Profits, and What Changes?
We chose this theme for Annual Meeting 2026 because it is the question members keep raising privately and the industry keeps deferring publicly. Over three days in September, 600 attendees and 75 speakers took it on across the Main Stage, the Impact Stage, the Worldly Stage, the Collaboration Stage, and a full slate of closed-door rooms.
What came back was more useful than consensus. It was a diagnosis.
Event emcee Isabelle Kumar put it plainly as she opened the meeting: “The question is no longer whether transformation happens. The question is how — how responsibility is shared, how investment is aligned, how value is created across the chain.” Nothing in the following three days contradicted her. The goals the industry set itself have not changed. Decarbonization, decent work, resilient supply chains; nobody in Athens argued for retreat from any of them. What has changed is the environment in which they have to be delivered: tariffs, trade fragmentation, thinner consumer wallets, regulation arriving faster than the systems built to answer it, and a macro climate that has made capital cautious.
The instinct in that environment is to assume the barrier is money. Athens suggested otherwise. On the finance panel, Kurt Kipka of the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) framed the constraint as coordination rather than capital: projects stall when the business case is solid for a brand’s CFO but not yet a win for the manufacturer or at the scale a bank needs. Clair Smith of HSBC was direct about what banks actually require — a plain business case, cash-flow visibility, workable risk-sharing. Manufacturers spend now and see returns later, and buyer signals matter because banks assess cash flow. Asif Khan of Mondetta made the same point from the other end of the chain: “If you have season-to-season buying, that doesn’t build confidence. If you have a long-term partnership, that gives you confidence to invest.”
That is not a financing problem. It is a misalignment between how long transformation takes to pay back and how short our commercial relationships are.
The heat-stress sessions took the argument further, and for me they were the sharpest hours of the meeting. Dr. Vidhura Ralapanawe of Epic Group showed how far the technical foundations have fallen behind: the meteorological data underpinning factory design in India dates from 2007 to 2011, and the standard assumed a peak of 39°C where 2024 reached 45°C. We are designing buildings for a climate that no longer exists. The commercial bind is just as real — heat now peaks in the same months that back-to-school and holiday orders do, and as Brian La Plante of YKK put it, manufacturers are rated on on-time supply while the breaks that protect workers can cut output by as much as a quarter.
Priydarshini Gouthi of Shahi Exports then dismantled the assumption underneath most of our climate adaptation conversations happening on the factory floor. Alleged productivity “gains” from heat remediation only recover output already lost to heat. “That’s why the premise that there’s a business case for addressing heat stress doesn’t inherently exist. That’s why we need shared responsibility,” she said.
Adaptation is a shared cost to carry. Treating it as a return-on-investment play sets manufacturers up to fail. That is an uncomfortable finding, and it is the most honest thing the meeting produced.
Underneath all of this sat a question about our own work: what the data is actually for. Logan Duran, who leads ESG and sustainability at Tapestry, gave the most concrete answer I heard. Tapestry uses the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) as the foundation for performance conversations with its manufacturing partners, and has put social and environmental metrics into the manufacturer scorecard. The weighting is small, but it moves allocation decisions. And weak environmental and social scores, he said, tend to track with weak delivery and quality. That is the Higg Index doing what it was built for: informing a commercial decision rather than filling a report. The next step in that work was on the Impact Stage, where the team set out the Foundational Environmental Performance Module — a question set drawn entirely from existing Higg FEM Level 1 questions, shaped with 80 stakeholders across more than 30 organizations, with a technical paper and member dashboard now available. As Ying put it on the Main Stage, the next chapter is about “turning measurement into insights, insights into investment, action, and measurable results.”
Honesty was something of a through-line. John Morrison, in conversation with Cascale’s Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, argued that the backlash against sustainability is partly self-inflicted — a movement that overextended, worked in silos, and leaned on awareness over delivery, opening a gap between claim and reality that opponents have been happy to exploit. Sandrine Dixson-Declève, whose keynote opened this year’s Annual Meeting, held the tension without resolving it too neatly: “There is too much bad news to justify complacency, but there’s too much good news to justify despair.”
And Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harry Theoharis, gave the policy version of the same thought. “Competitiveness and sustainability can no longer be treated as separate agendas,” he told the room. The work, as he put it, is making sustainability investable, measurable, and economically viable.
If there is a single organizing idea to take from Athens, it came from Rick Ridgeway in his closing plenary, borrowing Morrison’s line: what our organizations need is not a chief sustainability officer but a chief systems officer. Sean Cady of VF supplied the discipline that goes with it — if you cannot articulate the value an activity creates, reconsider whether it belongs on your list at all, and expect that the biggest wins will cost money rather than save it.
This was also Ying McGuire’s first Annual Meeting as our CEO, and she chose not to arrive with a finished strategy. Members were instead invited into a systems-mapping process — a revisit of the map this industry first drew in 2014 — that will inform Cascale’s ten-year vision and 2027 priorities, with the work concluding in December. “Cascale does not belong to a few,” she told the Main Stage. “It belongs to the community.”
Which brings me to Bangkok. The Cascale Annual Meeting 2027 will be held in Thailand, and from January at least half of the program will be shaped by members themselves through an open request-for-proposal process, with a host committee of senior leaders from companies operating in Thailand and the region. Taking the meeting to a major manufacturing region, with the agenda partly in the hands of members, is a reasonable test of the argument Athens made. If the costs and the decisions genuinely need to be shared, then the program should be too.
Ying’s closing line was the right one to leave with: “Between now and then we are going to execute. We’re not just going to talk about it.”
Thank you to everyone who made Athens what it was. We’ll see you in Bangkok.
In her first Annual Meeting as CEO, Ying McGuire casts Cascale as the “passage” for industry collective action — and commits to turning the sector’s shared measurement into action.
Harry Theoharis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, will deliver remarks at Cascale’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Athens, bringing a government perspective to discussions on building a more sustainable and resilient consumer goods industry.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – September 11, 2026: The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting in Athens will feature remarks from Harry Theoharis. On September 16, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, responsible for Economic Diplomacy and Extroversion, will address hundreds of leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain gathered in Athens to explore how the industry can accelerate meaningful, system-wide transformation. He has previously highlighted the growing importance of resilience, trade, investment, and integration into global value chains amid geopolitical and economic shifts.
“Greece is pleased to welcome Cascale and leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to Athens. At a time when trade, investment and global supply chains are being reshaped, international cooperation, resilience and sustainable growth are more important than ever. Greece is strengthening its role as a reliable partner, an attractive investment destination and a gateway to Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, while supporting innovation, competitiveness and stronger integration into global value chains.” — Harry Theoharis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece
“We are delighted to have Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Theoharis join us in Athens and open the second day of the Cascale Annual Meeting. His participation reflects the importance of bringing government and industry perspectives together as we work to build a more sustainable and resilient consumer goods industry. We look forward to welcoming him and our global community to Greece for three days of connection, candid conversation, and action.” – Ying McGuire, Cascale CEO
Key Takeaways
Theoharis’ participation comes at a pivotal moment for global supply chains. Geopolitical tensions, shifting trade policies, technological transformation, and the sustainable transition are reshaping how companies approach sourcing, manufacturing, investment, and resilience.
In his current role, Theoharis has emphasized the importance of strengthening Greece’s position as a reliable partner, investment destination, and gateway to Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. He has also highlighted the need for productive investment that supports innovation, quality employment, infrastructure, and stronger integration into global value chains.
His remarks will broaden the policy and economic perspective to the Annual Meeting’s discussions about how businesses and stakeholders can work together to navigate interconnected challenges.
The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting will focus on what comes next — bringing industry leaders together to explore practical ways to lessen the consumer goods industry’s environmental and social footprint while strengthening the people, companies, and communities that underpin global supply chains.
Across three days, attendees will connect with brands, manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, investors, and solution providers through keynote addresses, dynamic conversations, networking opportunities, and hands-on working sessions. The program is designed to encourage fresh thinking, build new connections, and turn shared priorities into meaningful progress long after the meeting concludes.
Greece’s role as the European Union’s leading cotton producer — responsible for approximately 80 percent of EU cotton production — will also take center stage through an optional field trip hosted by the European Cotton Alliance. The experience will offer attendees a closer look at sustainable sourcing, regenerative agriculture, and collaborative approaches to creating stronger, more resilient supply chains. Space is limited, and the field trip is open to all Annual Meeting attendees.
The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting is proudly supported by lead sponsor, Worldly; additional sponsors include VF Corporation, Nike Inc., TAL Apparel Limited, Target Corporation, Epic Group, Better Cotton, Fair Wear Foundation, European Cotton Alliance, GSCS International, HQTS, Inspectorio, Lenzing, Solidaridad, ZDHC, and many more.
Learn more and register for the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026!
To learn more about sponsorship packages, please contact Cascale’s events team.
This year, the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026 focuses intentionally on value chain transformation – guided by one question.
Every Annual Meeting starts with the same challenge. How do we at Cascale design a program that reflects where our industry is today, while also helping move it forward?
This year’s theme, “Value Chain Transformation: Who Pays, Who Profits and What Changes?,” captures the current reality we’re hearing from members across the value chain. Organizations are under increasing pressure to decarbonize, strengthen supply chains, prepare for new regulation, and improve outcomes for workers. At the same time, they’re navigating economic uncertainty, changing trade dynamics, and increasing pressure to remain competitive. The ambition is there, but many are trying to deliver it within commercial models that were never designed to support this kind of transformation.
Yet we must sustain the momentum in the movement that Cascale – and the Higg Index – were founded upon.
That led us to one question that became the foundation for this year’s program:
What commercial and partnership models will help brands and manufacturers prioritize, finance, and scale solutions for decarbonization, resilient supply chains, and decent work?
Every keynote, panel discussion, workshop, debate, and roundtable were developed with that original question in mind. We wanted the conversations to build on one another rather than exist as standalone topics. Whether we’re talking about financing decarbonization, responsible purchasing practices, artificial intelligence, digital product passports, sourcing relationships, or executive leadership, every session explores a different piece of the same challenge.
Once we had our problem statement, one thing became obvious. We couldn’t build another program that talked about sustainability in isolation. Many of the decisions that determine whether sustainability initiatives succeed are made outside sustainability teams. They happen in sourcing meetings, procurement discussions, finance reviews, executive boardrooms, and in conversations between brands and manufacturers every day.
One of the biggest shifts you’ll see this year is that we’ve intentionally brought those perspectives into the conversation. You’ll hear from leaders in sourcing, manufacturing, finance, innovation, technology, economics, and business. Sustainability remains at the heart of the discussion, but this year we’re exploring it through the broader business decisions that ultimately determine whether progress happens.
The program has been designed to build over three days, with each conversation building on the one before it.
On Day One, we’ll confront the tensions. We’ll explore the commercial realities, competing priorities, and systemic challenges that continue to slow progress across our industry.
On Day Two, the focus shifts to what is already working. We’ll hear practical examples of organizations finding new ways to finance decarbonization, strengthen sourcing partnerships, build resilience, and create business value alongside environmental and social impact.
On Day Three, we’ll look ahead together, exploring how leaders are responding to changing regulation, new technologies like artificial intelligence, evolving sourcing strategies, and the decisions that will shape the next chapter of value chain transformation.
Those conversations will take place across four stages, each designed with a different purpose. Our Main Stage offers the big-picture ideas that inspire a movement. Our CEO Ying McGuire will open by taking us back to our origins, exploring our founder’s original Systems Map. Alongside our Main Stage, attendees can dive deeper through ample workshops and capability-building sessions. These transpire on the Impact Stage, our Collaboration Stage, and the Worldly Stage, led by our Lead Sponsor, Worldly.
We’ve introduced several new session formats this year, including “Human Libraries” – or the peer-to-peer discussions which define a new kind of Collaboration Stage – and Open Seat Debates. This debate format offers extra reflection time alongside interactive workshops, peer exchanges, and executive-led roundtables. These formats were added very intentionally. Rather than simply listening to ideas, we wanted attendees to engage with them, challenge them, and learn directly from one another.
Ultimately, our goal is simple: we want people to leave Athens with more than inspiration. We want them to leave with practical ideas, new perspectives, and tangible takeaways they could apply in their own organizations and within their own partnerships; ones that lead to better business outcomes and greater impact.
Each year, we strive to raise the bar (evidenced by last year’s Hong Kong meeting being our largest yet). In pursuit of member centricity, our new additions show we are continuing to rethink how members experience the Annual Meeting.
Panels and keynote presentations remain an important part of the program, but these new tailored formats offer expanded opportunities for members to participate. True to our past, we also acknowledge the need for keeping a few things off the record. Some programming will take place under Chatham House Rules to encourage more candid discussion, while others are designed to share practical case studies and lessons that attendees can take directly back to their own organizations.
This year’s program has also been shaped by our member-led Program Advisory Group. Their willingness to challenge our thinking, share their experiences, and test ideas has helped ensure the agenda reflects the realities our members are facing across the value chain. I’d also like to thank my colleagues across Cascale, whose expertise across climate, decent work, policy, member engagement, and events has helped strengthen the program at every stage of its development.
People sometimes ask me what makes a good conference program. For me, it isn’t the number of speakers or the size of the stage. It’s whether people leave thinking differently than when they arrived.
As we’ve built this year’s program, one thing has become increasingly clear. The conversations have become much less about sustainability itself, and much more about the commercial and broader business decisions that determine whether sustainability can succeed.
That realization has shaped almost every decision we’ve made. It influenced the theme, the problem statement, the voices we’ve invited to the stage, and the formats we’ve chosen to encourage more open, practical discussion.
I don’t expect three days in Athens to solve every challenge our industry is facing. But I do hope people leave with a better understanding of one another’s realities, a few assumptions challenged, some practical ideas they can apply in their own organizations, and new relationships that help move this work forward.
If attendees leave thinking differently than when they arrived, I think we’ll have built a program worth having.
VF, TAL Group co-chair Cascale’s 2026 Annual Meeting this September.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – August 11, 2026: The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting, taking place September 15–17 in Athens, Greece, will convene leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to tackle one of the industry’s defining questions: how to accelerate meaningful, system-wide transformation. Guiding those conversations as this year’s co-chairs are Sean Cady, vice president, global sustainability, responsibility, trade, and government affairs at VF Corporation, and Dr. Delman Lee, vice chair at TAL Apparel Limited.
“At VF Corporation, we believe reducing the environmental impact of global supply chains requires robust measurement and analysis followed by collective action by all actors. At this year’s Cascale Annual Meeting we will continue to use our voice and scale to help align decision-makers across the industry to drive focused, systemic interventions for the betterment of the planet and its people.” — Sean Cady, VP, Global Sustainability, Responsibility, Trade, and Government Affairs at VF Corporation
“True transformation in consumer goods depends on deep collaboration across the value chain. We are committed to building a program that addresses the realities of the broader system and also helps scale the innovation and financing models needed to support a resilient and sustainable system for all.” — Dr. Delman Lee, Vice Chair at TAL Apparel Limited
This year’s program will move beyond historical discussions to identify and drive solutions that reduce the industry’s social and environmental impact while supporting those that work throughout global supply chains. Guided by the event co-chairs, sessions will examine the structural barriers that continue to slow progress on sustainability and emerging practical solutions to overcome them, as well as future opportunities that can help organizations scale impact together.
Attendees will have opportunities to engage with global brands, manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, investors, and solution providers through keynote presentations, interactive discussions, networking events, and collaborative working sessions designed to spark new ideas and accelerate action beyond the meeting itself.
Highlighting the fact that Greece is the European Union’s largest cotton producer – accounting for roughly 80 percent of EU cotton production – an optional field trip, hosted by the European Cotton Alliance, will showcase sustainable sourcing, regenerative farming, and collaborative approaches to building more resilient supply chains. The limited-capacity field trip is open to all Annual Meeting attendees, including interested media.
The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting is proudly supported by lead sponsor, Worldly; additional sponsors include VF Corporation, TAL Apparel Limited, Better Cotton, Cotton Council International, Fair Wear Foundation, GSCS International, HQTS, Inspectorio, Lenzing AG, and many more.
Learn more and register for the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026!
To learn more about sponsorship packages, please contact Cascale’s events team.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
Sandrine Dixson-Declève will deliver opening keynote; European Cotton Alliance will host a field trip at Cascale’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Athens this September.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – July 15, 2026: International climate action advocate Sandrine Dixson-Declève will keynote Cascale’s 2026 Annual Meeting on September 15–17 in Athens. The anticipated program foregrounds hard truths, including the gap between sustainability and commercial decision-making and structural misalignments that slow progress, while highlighting solutions, such as financing and partnership models, that help organizations strategically align to scale impact.
Key Takeaways
September 15 will offer a half-day of programming, beginning at 1 p.m. After an address by new Cascale CEO Ying McGuire, Sandrine Dixson-Declève will deliver the opening keynote, an internationally recognized sustainability and systems leader, Executive Chair of the Earth4All initiative and the Systems Transformation Hub, as well as Honorary President of the Club of Rome.
“Business is operating in a world defined by converging environmental, economic, and geopolitical challenges. Resilience will not come from optimizing the status quo, but from rethinking the systems that shape how value is created and shared. We need to move beyond short-term decision-making and embrace long-term collaboration, innovation, and investment that enables businesses and society to thrive within planetary boundaries. I’m looking forward to exploring how leaders can turn today’s disruptions into catalysts for lasting transformation.” – Sandrine Dixson-Declève, international climate action advocate
On September 16 and 17, Main Stage panels will also be viewable virtually, showcasing keynotes and discussions such as the “From Commitment to Capital Allocation: How Organizations Are Prioritizing Sustainability Investments Under Pressure” panel, which will include representatives from EY (formerly Ernst & Young), H&M, and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC).
“The challenge our industry is facing is no longer a lack of ambition; it is creating the conditions to deliver at scale. Many of the solutions needed already exist but progress is often slowed by fragmented approaches, misaligned incentives, and limited access to capital. As sustainability moves from ambition to implementation, we need financing models and partnerships that connect resilience, business value, and climate action. The next step is to translate shared ambition into shared investment, shared accountability, and measurable progress.” – Hampus Starre Friberg, Head of Sustainability Strategy & Controlling, H&M
“Organizations are under increasing pressure to balance financial performance with long-term resilience. The conversation has shifted from whether sustainability creates value to how leaders integrate it into capital allocation, risk management, and business strategy. The companies making the greatest progress are those that embed sustainability into core decision-making rather than treating it as a separate initiative. I’m looking forward to discussing how collaboration, data, and financing can help organizations make investment decisions that deliver both commercial and sustainability outcomes.” – Anna Ryott, EY Partner & Nordic Chief Impact Officer
European Cotton Alliance Field Trip
An optional field trip, hosted by the European Cotton Alliance and open to media, will offer a firsthand look at the cotton value chain, connecting production with manufacturing and revealing insights into sustainable sourcing, regenerative farming, and more.
“The future of cotton depends on stronger connections across the value chain – from the farm to the finished product. This field trip offers participants the opportunity to see firsthand how farmers, manufacturers, brands, and policymakers are working together to advance more resilient and sustainable cotton production. Europe has its own cotton and by bringing industry leaders directly into the field, we can move beyond discussion to a deeper understanding of the importance of nearshoring and transparency. This is where it all begins: farmers’ expertise and land management secure soil health and biodiversity. Then, scaling is possible with innovation, partnerships, and investments. We look forward to welcoming participants and sharing the work taking place across Europe’s cotton sector.” – Dimitris Polychronos, president, European Cotton Alliance (ECA)
Sponsorship
The event is proudly supported by lead sponsor, Worldly, alongside an outstanding group of industry partners, including TAL Apparel Limited, Inspectorio, GSCS International, TUV Rheinland, Better Cotton, and many more.
Learn more and register for the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026!
Organizations interested in elevating their presence and engaging directly with industry leaders can explore sponsorship opportunities. To learn more about sponsorship packages or to express interest, please contact Cascale’s events team through this page.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
Cascale will convene leaders in Athens this September to address cost, accountability, and scalable business value across supply chains.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – May 14, 2026: Cascale’s 2026 Annual Meeting will take place September 15–17 in Athens, Greece. Marking the 15th flagship gathering, the hybrid event will convene more than 700 leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to tackle the real cost of supply chain transformation — and how it is shared.
Held at the InterContinental Athenaeum Athens, the 2026 Annual Meeting will convene brands, retailers, manufacturers, policymakers, NGOs, and service providers to focus on a critical industry challenge: how responsibility, investment, risk, and value are distributed across the value chain, and what must change to make transformation commercially viable, operationally achievable, and scalable.
Speakers will include Cascale’s incoming CEO, Ying McGuire, who will assume the role in June 2026, bringing extensive global leadership experience in supply chains and nonprofit transformation. Curated C-suite engagement will include roundtables, confidential discussions, dedicated networking opportunities, and more.
“The next phase of transformation requires more than ambition — it demands clear decisions on how costs, responsibilities, and value are shared across the supply chain,” said Harsh Saini, interim CEO at Cascale. “This year’s Annual Meeting is focused on bringing the industry together to align on smarter investment models, stronger partnerships, and practical ways to turn sustainability into a driver of business performance, resilience, and long-term growth.”
The Cascale Annual Meeting program is shaped by the guidance and expertise of an Advisory Group that includes:
This dedicated group supports the development of a solution-focused, high-impact agenda that reflects diverse perspectives and deep industry insight.
Worldly, the sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform for consumer goods, is the event’s lead sponsor and will host a stage, sharing deep expertise on the Higg Index frameworks, modules, and methodologies. These standards, stewarded and governed by Cascale and powered globally by Worldly, are reshaping how companies measure and manage their impact. Worldly will also highlight its latest innovations to help consumer goods businesses use data to make strategic decisions, uncover hidden risks, surface new opportunities, and build resilient supply chains.
Registration is now open and early bird pricing is available through May 30, offering discounted rates for members who register in advance.
Organizations interested in elevating their presence and engaging directly with industry leaders are invited to explore sponsorship opportunities. To learn more about sponsorship packages or to express interest, please contact Cascale’s events team through this page.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
At the Annual Meeting 2025, collaboration proved integral across all policy sessions.
At Cascale’s Annual Meeting 2025 in Hong Kong, one theme rose above all others: the power of collaboration. From shifting regulations in Europe to emerging opportunities across the Asia-Pacific, our members face a complex and rapidly evolving policy landscape. No single company can navigate these challenges alone; no single government can rewrite the global sustainability story.
Through policy workshops, panels, and roundtables, our policy and public affairs team brought together policymakers, brands, manufacturers, and industry experts to exchange perspectives, share practical needs, and identify opportunities for joint action. These sessions captured member insights, created alignment on political priorities, and laid the groundwork for collective next steps.
In today’s complex trade environment, policy matters. Timely, authoritative, and practical policy matters even more, as is consistently proven by our members who tell us of the importance of our team and the work we do. I valued all connected dots along this policy-shaping journey, including a US manufacturer who shared his vision on brand engagement at the Manufacturer Interview Group then spoke again at our policy roundtable, a Cambodia-based regional industry association who inspired to drive policy advocacy together and invited me to join their Annual Meeting in November, a South Korean manufacturer shared his sustainability progress since we last met at the Cascale Forum in Ho Chi Minh City in May. As senior manager of public affairs for the APAC region, I’ve seen firsthand the growing involvement in the green transition by APAC members (also representing our largest membership growth from 2024 to 2025). We witnessed this enthusiasm in Hong Kong when we met for the Annual Meeting 2025. So without further delay, here are our team’s top insights and expectations from our four policy sessions.
The session opened with a welcome video from Harvey Rouse, Ambassador and Head of Office of the European Union Delegation to Hong Kong and Macao, who outlined the latest EU sustainability policy developments and emphasized that “maintaining the drive to foster sustainability must remain a top priority of the EU.”
During the interactive discussion that followed, participants shared their reactions to the latest developments in sustainability policies. The major keywords were “confusing,” “unrealistic,” and “complex.” A live poll revealed that over 57 percent of participants view the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and Digital Product Passport (ESPR/DPP) as the most relevant Green Deal Policy, followed by the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Moderated by GIZ’s Felicia Hoeer, the panelists, Li & Fung’s Jonathan Salmon, Marina Prados Espinola of Policy Hub, Sally Peng from FTI Consulting and AmCham, explored how recent adjustments to the EU Green Deal, such as strategic delays and the shelving of initiatives like green claims, are shaping the global sustainability landscape. The session unpacked the ripple effects of these regulatory shifts, including the growing influence and readiness of manufacturers and suppliers, especially in the APAC region.
Key Takeaways
What’s next: To address the uncertainty many members are facing, Cascale will continue essential knowledge-sharing initiatives to guide members on upcoming regulations. In order to advance on the Green Deal’s ambitions, Cascale works closely with Policy Hub to engage with policymakers.
We kicked off with a brief panel discussion with Eric Jen from Ren Energy and Trimco’s Mayko Tatsuyama Mathisen, an APAC Policy Member Expert Team (MET) member. They examined the evolving policy and legislative landscape across Asia-Pacific, focusing on energy transitions and Cascale’s strategic pillars: combating climate change and ensuring decent work for all. Members of the newly formed APAC Policy MET joined industry experts to identify opportunities, gaps, and pathways for collaboration.
Key Takeaways
What’s next: We will consolidate those valuable insights to facilitate the upcoming APAC Policy MET discussions and inform the development of Cascale’s regional policy priorities.
We aimed to bridge global policy and practical business conduct, focusing on how due diligence legislation, such as the CS3D, can drive fairer purchasing practices. Moderated by Solidaridad’s Tamar Hoek, with PDS Limited’s Buddhi Paranamana and Good Business Lab’s Renukaprasad B on the panel, the discussion explored how aligning tools like the Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) with regulatory frameworks can support implementation. Speakers shared concrete steps brands can take to close gaps between commitments and action, and encouraged continued engagement through follow-up tools, reports, and policy collaboration.
Key Takeaways
What’s Next: Cascale keeps elevating the suppliers’ voice in the policymaking process to unlock transformative change and leverage the Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) in the due diligence legislation to close industry gaps.
This invite-only roundtable brought together key Cascale members to discuss the practical realities of complying with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), supported by industry experts, Cascale’s Maravillas Rodriguez Zarco, SLCP’s Tom Mason, and Policy Hub’s Marina Prados Espinola. Members identified common CSRD pain points and reporting challenges. These will now be turned into recommendations for policymakers that will be helpful in providing greater clarity and support.
Key Takeaways
What’s next: In the coming months, Cascale aims to share these results with policymakers through appropriate channels, such as targeted briefings or stakeholder dialogues. For more insights, read the full Annual Meeting Executive Summary 2025.
The power of collaboration sparked in Hong Kong is driving our companies and governments to advance sustainable policies every day. Cascale remains committed to achieving our global public affairs strategic goals and policy priorities — through advocacy, knowledge sharing, and alignment of regulatory tools and industry positions. We will integrate valuable insights from this year’s Annual Meeting into our daily work, engaging closely with members — including the Public Affairs Strategic Council and the Policy Member Experts Terms in APAC and the U.S. — as well as Policy Hub and other key policy stakeholders.
Even though the road ahead is challenging, I’m excited by the opportunity for us to dive even further to build greater alignment, inclusion, and clarity into our collective policy work. The commitment I’ve witnessed from members at our Annual Meeting sent a strong signal of what’s to come. As a marathon runner, there are no shortcuts, but what makes me thrilled is that we can run further, because we run together. We may not address all challenges at once, but we can run mile by mile. We are not only a partner, but part of each other. So let’s continue our Movement for All, the theme of the 2025 Cascale Annual Meeting, until we meet again: in Sri Lanka for the next Cascale Forum, as well as in Athens, Greece, for the next Annual Meeting, or in the many smaller gatherings that Cascale’s Public Affairs team will lead around the world.
Stay Connected
Subscribe to the Cascale Public Affairs Newsletter and join us for upcoming webinars and working sessions as we continue advancing policy and practice together.
In this guest blog, Sustainable Furnishing Council’s Scarlette Tapp outlines the organization’s leadup to its 19th anniversary this fall, including the transformative announcement for the global home furnishings industry: Cascale is acquiring SFC’s key assets.
Nearly two decades ago, leading furniture manufacturers founded the Sustainable Furnishings Council with a simple but powerful vision: to transform the home furnishings industry through sustainability.
Today, on behalf of our Board of Directors and SFC voting members, I am proud to share that our mission is stepping onto the global stage.
By joining forces with Cascale — the global alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry — we are unlocking new opportunities for the furniture industry to lead in climate action and social responsibility.
This is not the end of SFC’s story — it is a powerful next chapter that evokes exciting new opportunities within the consumer goods industry.
SFC’s services will be delivered by Cascale, while SFC continues as a membership organization for a transitional period. This means SFC members benefit from the same trusted brand, but with expanded support from Cascale.
Our tools, programs, people and community are now part of a larger ecosystem where the impact will be broader, deeper, and global.
Since our beginnings in 2006, SFC has been the voice for sustainability in the home furnishings industry. What started as a grassroots effort by concerned furnishings stakeholders at High Point Market (one of the largest home furnishings markets in the world) has grown into a respected industry-wide coalition.
Together, we’ve:
Looking back, it is remarkable how far we’ve come — and humbling to see how our members’ leadership has transformed consumer awareness and industry standards.
Cascale is uniquely positioned to take our mission to the next level. Formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale rebranded in 2024 to reflect its expansion into consumer goods industries beyond fashion — including furnishings. With over 300 global members representing brands, manufacturers, retailers, and NGOs, Cascale is a proven force for systemic change, catalyzing collective action at scale.
Through tools like the Higg Index, and the Better Buying supplier surveys of buyer purchasing practices, which it acquired earlier this year, Cascale has helped companies worldwide measure their environmental and social impact. Now, by bringing SFC’s assets and expertise into the alliance, the home furnishings industry will gain access to these robust global frameworks — while Cascale gains the insights, relationships, and tools SFC has built over nearly two decades.
To emphasize, this marks a strategic fit for all organizations and comes at a prime moment, especially witnessing the momentum first-hand atCascale’s flagship Annual Meeting, where members get together to solve systemic challenges. While our industry’s sustainability challenges are complex, together we can accelerate solutions at scale.
I invite every one of you — members, partners, and friends of SFC — to stay ambitious and engaged with us in shaping this next chapter. Together, we are scaling our vision and impact in ways that will define the future of our industry.
As I reflect on 19 years of SFC’s journey, I am grateful for the passion and persistence of our founders, members, partners, and supporters. Together, we’ve proven that sustainability is not a trend — it’s the future of furnishings.
