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Mar Apr
30-01
Cascale Forum: Colombo

Register Now! March 30-April 1! Join 500+ manufacturers, suppliers, brands, and industry partners for two days of learning, capability building, and collaboration at the Cascale Forum: Colombo.

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News Updates / Cascale Opens Member Applications for the Technical Advisory Council

Cascale Opens Member Applications for the Technical Advisory Council

  • Membership

New advisory council to strengthen expert input into Cascale tools governance

January 08, 2026

Cascale has opened applications for its Technical Advisory Council (TAC), a new advisory body being established as part of the organization’s governance evolution.

The TAC will provide strategic recommendations on the maintenance and evolution of Cascale’s tools, including the Higg Index, and offerings from Better Buying and the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC).

As a global multi-stakeholder nonprofit, Cascale brings together diverse voices from across the consumer goods value chain to help shape decisions that support industry transformation and collective action. The TAC is designed to provide structured technical and expert input on high-impact, complex, or sensitive topics — supporting the continued credibility, effectiveness, and regulatory alignment of Cascale’s tools.

Evolution of Advisory Councils 

The TAC is one of two new advisory councils Cascale is gradually phasing in, the other being the Membership & Stakeholder Advisory Council (MAC) to be established in Q3 2026. Both are designed for more targeted, timely, and structured engagement, with the TAC providing strategic recommendations on the maintenance and evolution of Cascale’s tools (e.g., Higg Index, Better Buying, SFC), including responses to emerging regulatory requirements, and MAC focused on membership engagement, impact programs, and collective action across stakeholders.

To complement these two new advisory councils, governance will also form time-bound task forces. Together, the TAC, MAC, and task forces are part of a phased approach designed to clarify and transition existing governance models. Certain existing elements, like the Board of Directors, will remain in full force on decision-making. Based on ongoing member consultation, the new governance bodies will provide clearer pathways for recommendations to reach Cascale’s Executive Team and Board of Directors.

Members, Apply Now to the TAC 

Members have the opportunity to become part of the front line of experts guiding some of the most formative tools in our industry.

TAC applications are now open to Cascale members in good standing with relevant technical, regulatory, or implementation experience. As with the other advisory council updates, TAC will include member representative seats and invited external expert seats. This ensures balanced perspectives, structured guidance, and a wide breadth of experience and skills.

After applications close January 31, Cascale will formally establish the TAC in Q1 2026, convening quarterly, with three virtual meetings and the first in-person meeting planned for Cascale’s Annual Meeting in Greece.

Learn About Our Governance Evolution

Cascale will host two member-only Governance Information Webinars on January 15, 2026, to walk through the evolution of the TAC, its role, and how members can get involved. See the Events Calendars on Cascale Connect for details and registration.

Key Details

Cascale members can view current governance updates, outputs, and related resources on Cascale Connect, Cascale’s member platform.

This application launch marks an early milestone in Cascale’s phased governance evolution, with additional opportunities for members and industry experts to engage through advisory councils, task forces, and consultations rolling out through 2026.

For questions, contact governance@cascale.org.

News Updates / Cascale Hosts Greater Bay Area Manufacturer Roundtable

Cascale Hosts Greater Bay Area Manufacturer Roundtable

  • Membership

Cascale held Manufacturer Members Roundtable, with 13 participants from nine Casale manufacturer members based in Hong Kong and South China Greater Bay Area.

Greater Bay Area roundtable in APAC 2025
December 15, 2025

Cascale recently held a manufacturer members roundtable, with 13 participants from nine Cascale manufacturer members based in the Hong Kong and South China Greater Bay Area.

The session aimed to explore how decarbonization conversations between brands and retailers, and manufacturers could be better balanced to achieve mutually-beneficial decarbonization goals.

Exploring Two-Way Decarbonization Conversations

Cascale identified this roundtable topic in a previously held manufacturer and brand event. During this event, several manufacturers urged the importance of exploring their decarbonization viewpoints in deeper nuance, utilizing their unique expertise and perspectives to implement real supply chain solutions.

The roundtable uncovered a wide variety of win-win solutions and best practices for both sides.

For both sides, mutual trust and an open mindset is a critical starting point for any decarbonization discussion. The session underscored the need for brands to communicate their reasons, rationale, benefits of priorities, targets, and timelines clearly. Too, manufacturers need to share their own roadmaps – mapping out any technical, financial, and resource limitations.

Having the right stakeholders in the room is another key factor. Brands have a part to play in convening representative teams. By brands gathering both the sustainability and commercial teams together and aligning with manufacturers, a more coherent discussion unfolds.

And context is key. While decarbonization target-setting is a significant opportunity for mutual alignment, there is nuance involved. Manufacturers cited the tendency by their customers for generalized environmental assumptions and solutions that ignore local contexts and regulations. Manufacturers suggested decarbonization conversations need to urgently evolve to match the maturity and complexity of social and labor discussions.

Exploring day-to-day realities for manufacturers was another critical inclusion. The current reality is that a manufacturer supplying multiple brands often faces the duplicate challenge of trying to harmonize conflicting brand-specific carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction targets and timelines across all of their customers. This is on top of setting and achieving their own greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction roadmaps.

Manufacturers need to be consulted first when it comes to goal-setting. Otherwise, there is risk for a mired landscape leading to frustration and stalled progress. It’s why convergence of data requirements, tools, and data collections across brands offers an opportunity to reduce workloads and administrative costs for manufacturers.

This engagement demonstrated how manufacturers are often on the front lines of implementing climate solutions while navigating evolving regulations, brand requirements, and investment needs. Through these dedicated spaces for open dialogue, Cascale looks to continue surfacing real-world challenges and opportunities that might not otherwise reach decision-makers, ensuring that decarbonization strategies are grounded in operational realities.

Press Releases / Cascale Announces 2025 Board of Directors Election Results

Cascale Announces 2025 Board of Directors Election Results

  • Membership

Cascale members elect new and returning board directors

July 08, 2025

Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – July 8, 2025: Cascale, the global nonprofit alliance of more than 300 members across the consumer goods industry, has elected a new board director and re-elected two incumbent board directors to serve on its Board of Directors. These elections to the organization’s parity-based Board ensure equitable representation across manufacturers, affiliates, and brands & retailers to guide Cascale’s aim of powering collective action for a more sustainable, restorative consumer goods industry.

Cascale is pleased to welcome the following new board director:

Mallory McConnell, VP, Corporate Responsibility Operations, PVH Corp
McConnell is a seasoned sustainability executive at PVH Corp, where she leads global programs in ethical sourcing, social compliance, and environmental impact, integrating human rights and environmental stewardship across the apparel supply chain. With over a decade of experience, she has designed and implemented ESG strategies that boost operational efficiency and drive long-term business value. A strategic, solutions-driven leader, McConnell excels at building cross-sector partnerships, enhancing transparency, and delivering measurable impact. She will join Cascale’s Board as the representative for the Brand & Retailer member caucus.

Cascale also congratulates the following individuals on their re-election to the board:

Tamar Hoek, Senior Policy Director, Sustainable Fashion, Solidaridad and Cascale Board Chair
Hoek serves as senior policy director, sustainable fashion for Solidaridad, where she leads global advocacy on climate action, decent work, and responsible purchasing in fashion supply chains. She collaborates with public and private stakeholders to advance sustainable practices and effective regulation. Hoek has served on Cascale’s Board representing affiliate members since 2021, and contributes to multi-stakeholder initiatives including Better Cotton and the Policy Hub. At Solidaridad, she aligns industry actors to drive measurable improvements and impact in fashion production worldwide. Hoek will continue to represent Cascale’s Affiliate member caucus.

Krishna Manda, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, Lenzing Group and Cascale Board Vice Chair
Manda is Vice President of Corporate Sustainability at Lenzing Group, where he embeds responsible practices into core business functions and fosters culture change anchored in sustainability values. He leads executive-level strategy for TENCEL™, ECOVERO™, and REFIBRA™ fibers—advancing circular-economy solutions in fashion, home textiles, and hygiene products. Since 2022, Manda has served on Cascale’s Board representing the Manufacturer member caucus. He previously co-chaired the Policy Hub from 2020–2022 and holds a Ph.D. in Sustainability from Utrecht University. He will continue to represent the Manufacturer member caucus.

“The 2025 class brings both continuity and fresh insights,” said Harsh Saini, Cascale Board Director, Governance & Nomination Committee Chair, and interim CEO (as of August 1). “Tamar and Krishna’s ongoing service, together with Mallory’s operational expertise, will strengthen our Board’s ability to steer Cascale’s strategic plan and drive transformative industry change.”

“Strong governance is the backbone of Cascale’s impact,” said Colin Browne, Cascale CEO. “With this mix of experienced directors and new talent at the helm, I’m confident we’ll accelerate our mission—leveraging data, driving collective action, and continuing to build an industry that gives more than it takes.”

The newly-elected directors will be officially seated at the Q3 Board meeting in Hong Kong on September 15, 2025, which will be held in conjunction with the 2025 Cascale Annual Meeting.

Cascale also extends its heartfelt thanks to Sean Cady, vice president, global sustainability, responsibility, trade and government affairs at VF Corporation, whose dedicated service on the Cascale Board concludes this September 2025. Sean’s steadfast leadership has laid a strong foundation for the organization’s continued progress. The Board is grateful for his many contributions and looks forward to building on the momentum he helped create.

For more information about Cascale’s governance and to view the current Board of Directors, please visit our governance webpage.

 

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people.

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Blogs / Collective Action in Motion: Welcoming Q1 2025 New Members

Collective Action in Motion: Welcoming Q1 2025 New Members

  • Membership

Cascale welcomes new members in Q1 including GSCS International Ltd, Just Brands, Gokaldas Exports, Minerva Sustainability, Retraced, schuh, among others.

A horizon shot with lush foliage. Courtesy Benjamin Davies / Unsplash
May 21, 2025

As we reflect on the momentum from the first quarter of 2025, Cascale is proud to welcome a diverse group of new members to our global network.

Spanning manufacturers, brands, retailers, and service providers, these organizations represent the wide range of voices and expertise needed to scale sustainability solutions across the value chain. Their decision to join Cascale reflects a shared commitment to impact — an approach that turns ambition into measurable progress.

Meet the Newest Members of Our Global Network

We’re excited to introduce our Q1 2025 members, who bring a wealth of experience, innovation, and drive to the Cascale community. Each of these organizations is now part of a growing global movement to align on shared standards, leverage powerful tools like the Higg Index, and co-create solutions rooted in lived realities.

These new members strengthen Cascale’s global network and reinforce our belief that no organization can drive industry transformation alone. Through aligned tools, shared goals, and actionable data, we move forward — together.

Just Brands BV logo

Just Brands B.V.

  • Brands & Retailers
 Lijnden, The Netherlands
  Corporate Candidate Member
Schuh logo

Schuh Limited

  • Brands & Retailers
 West Lothian, Scotland
  Corporate Candidate Member

Retraced

  • Service Providers
 Düsseldorf, Germany
  Affiliate Member

ECCO

  • Brands & Retailers
 Bredebro, Denmark
  Corporate Full Member

Early Engagement, Long-Term Vision

Many of our new members are already beginning to explore Cascale’s tools, collaborative projects, and peer learning opportunities. While each is at a different point in their sustainability journey, they share a common intent: to make credible, lasting improvements and to contribute to a more responsible consumer goods industry.

 

GSCS International Ltd, a global certification and verification body operating in over 16 countries, sees Cascale as a strategic partner in elevating the role of service providers.

 

Cascale has always been instrumental in the growth of fellow service providers, by supporting us in elevating our role in a positive direction. Joining hands with Cascale shall uplift GSCS’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices.

— Fairooz Shahana, chief sustainability officer, GSCS International Ltd.

 

For Just Brands, joining Cascale marks a deepening of their environmental and social accountability across the supply chain.

 

We’re working towards comprehensive monitoring up to Tier 2 and beyond, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other key impacts—such as wastewater, production waste, and chemical use. The Higg Index tools are instrumental in tracking our progress and driving credible, data-backed improvements.

– Suzanne Wolfert, corporate responsibility coordinator, Just Brands

 

Gokaldas Exports, one of India’s largest apparel manufacturers, is beginning to integrate Higg Index tools across its 31 facilities to reinforce its commitment to measurable sustainability.

 

This membership will enable us to enhance transparency, drive accountability, and collaborate on industry-wide efforts for a more sustainable future.

– Pranjal Goswami, chief sustainability officer, Gokaldas Exports

 

As a verification and training leader in Turkey, Minerva Sustainability brings regional expertise to the global stage through its membership.

 

We joined Cascale to support global collaboration and contribute our expertise in verification and training for a more sustainable textile industry. Through the network, we aim to help facilities and brands improve their environmental and social performance with credible assessments and actionable insights.

– Alaaddin Okur, sustainability director, Minerva Sustainability

 

For Retraced, a traceability platform helping brands bring transparency to their supply chains, membership offers a space to drive digital innovation through industry-wide cooperation.

 

We joined Cascale because we believe collective action is the key to driving real, scalable change in the fashion industry. We’re excited to connect with and learn from like-minded organizations within the Cascale network, and we look forward to working together to help brands and suppliers accelerate their sustainability efforts and create a positive, lasting impact.

— Lukas Puender, Co-Founder and CEO, Retraced

 

UK and Ireland-based footwear retailer schuh sees its membership as an opportunity to expand collaboration and strengthen environmental efforts across its operations and supplier base.

 

We hope that joining Cascale will further our ambition to make schuh a leader in fashion footwear, in its journey working towards a more sustainable and ethical world. It offers us real possibilities for additional collaboration with our many brand partners and the chance to improve the environmental health of our company and that of our suppliers, in the process.

— Colin Temple, president, schuh

 

These early perspectives show that while each member brings something unique to the community, their values are aligned: credible data, responsible progress, and meaningful collaboration.

 

Membership as a Platform for Progress

Cascale is more than a network — it’s a platform for collective action. We bring together stakeholders across the value chain and provide tools, partnerships, and guidance to help members make real progress on today’s most urgent sustainability challenges.

What Members Gain:

  • Industry Convergence and Collaboration: Cascale supports the alignment of tools, initiatives, and standards — helping reduce duplication and accelerate progress across the industry.
  • Value-Driven Solutions: Members receive discounted access to Higg Index tools to support credible, measurable improvement.
  • A Thriving Global Community: Through events and peer learning, members connect with others facing similar challenges and goals.
  • A Voice in Tool Development: Members contribute to the evolution of the Higg Index and other resources to ensure they meet real-world and regulatory needs.
  • Policy and Advocacy Support: Cascale helps members stay informed on emerging regulations and amplify their voice through collective action.
  • Credible, Verified Data: We support members in strengthening data quality and trust through guidance and robust verification processes.

Whether you’re a manufacturer aiming to reduce audit fatigue or a brand preparing for incoming regulation, Cascale provides the infrastructure, expertise, and global network to support your journey — every step of the way.

Together, we’re building a stronger, more sustainable industry. And this is just the beginning.

 

Looking Ahead

Our Q1 2025 new members reflect the growing momentum we’ve seen across the first part of the year while setting the tone for the months ahead. While their paths vary, they share a vision of transparency, improvement, and collaboration that strengthens the entire Cascale community.

We are honored to support their journey and look forward to the impact we’ll achieve together.

 

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News Updates / Cascale Launches 2025 Board of Directors Nominations Period

Cascale Launches 2025 Board of Directors Nominations Period

Shaping a sustainable future through inclusive leadership

  • Membership

Accepting nominations for the 2025 Board of Directors election from April 21 to May 9, 2025

April 21, 2025

Cascale has officially opened nominations for its 2025 Board of Directors Election. The Board plays a critical role in charting the organization’s strategic direction and ensuring its financial integrity through rigorous oversight and fair representation. Committed to inclusivity and balanced representation, the nine-member Board is structured to include three directors each from Cascale’s brand & retailer (including holding groups), manufacturer, and affiliate caucus groups.

The nomination window is a three-week period from April 21 through May 9, 2025. Senior leaders with a proven record as executives or board members and strong financial acumen are invited to submit their candidacies during this time. Candidates should also be committed to Cascale’s strategic pillars—combating climate change and supporting decent work for all..

Key Dates for the 2025 Board Election Process:

  • Nominations Period: April 21 – May 9, 2025
  • Proxy Voting Opens: May 27, 2025
  • Proxy Voting Closes: June 26, 2025
  • Election Results Announcement: Early July 2025
  • Seating of Newly-Elected Directors: Q3 2025 at the Cascale Annual Meeting in Hong Kong, China

The election process is overseen by the 2025 Governance and Nominations Committee (GNC), chaired by Harsh Saini, a global supply chain and sustainability/ESG expert. The committee also includes Dr. Delman Lee, vice chair of TAL Apparel and board director for the manufacturer caucus, and Fiona Sadler, global head of responsible sourcing at Marks & Spencer and board director for the brand & retailer caucus. Together, they ensure strict adherence to Cascale’s bylaws and maintain the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

Eligible candidates—both members and non-members—are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to shape Cascale’s future. Interested parties should review the nomination requirements and submit their application via the 2025 Board of Directors Nominations Form.

For further details on the nomination process or additional inquiries, please contact elections@cascale.org.

Press Releases / Cascale Expands Membership Engagement Team

Cascale Expands Membership Engagement Team

  • Leadership
  • Membership

Leadership appointments advance Cascale’s focus on more tailored, equitable member engagement and industry-wide collaboration.

Headshots of Alexandra Rieger and Joleen Ong, Cascale team members
January 31, 2025

Leadership appointments advance Cascale’s focus on more tailored, equitable member engagement and industry-wide collaboration.

Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – January 31, 2024: As part of the ongoing evolution of its member engagement and governance model, Cascale has expanded its membership engagement team to include Alexandra Rieger, senior director, manufacturer membership, and Joleen Ong, senior director, brand & retailer membership. This new structure reflects Cascale’s commitment to enhancing member engagement through a more tailored and equitable approach to serving the needs of its diverse membership. Alexandra Rieger and Joleen Ong bring extensive expertise in sustainability, supply chain dynamics, and human rights, and their appointments strengthen Cascale’s capacity to deliver meaningful support to members and drive impactful outcomes across the value chain.

The shift demonstrates Cascale’s ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and inclusive decision-making for all members, further elevating supplier and manufacturer voices while maintaining robust support for brand and retailer, and affiliate members. By fostering equitable partnerships and balancing the diverse needs of all stakeholders, Cascale is better positioned than ever to lead the consumer goods industry toward collaboration, regulatory alignment, and sustainability goals.

Andrew Martin, executive vice president at Cascale, commented, “We’re so excited to welcome Alexandra and Joleen to the Cascale team as we strengthen our commitment to more tailored and equitable member engagement. Their leadership will bring fresh perspectives, deepen our collaboration with members, and help us address the complex challenges facing the industry. With their vast experience and depth of expertise, Cascale is better positioned to empower members and advance meaningful progress across sustainability, innovation, and equitable partnership.”

Alexandra Rieger will oversee all aspects of manufacturer member engagement and impact, ensuring manufacturers are empowered with tools, resources, and support to drive industry transformation. She has cultivated over 20 years in global sourcing and supply chain leadership roles across the industry, leading manufacturers and brands like Brandix, MAS, Triumph, Gildan, and Levi Strauss.

“Joining Cascale represents an incredible opportunity to work alongside a vast membership base to advance sustainability and innovation across the value chain,” said Alexandra Rieger, senior director, manufacturer membership at Cascale.  “Each supply chain has the potential to create value and an urgent responsibility to address the challenges facing the planet and its people. I’m excited to engage with manufacturers to amplify their voices, empower their contributions, and collectively drive meaningful change—particularly in areas like decarbonization and responsible sourcing. Together, we can orchestrate solutions that balance complexity, innovation, and impact.”

Joleen Ong will lead all aspects of brand & retailer member engagement, helping members drive sustainability impact through the use of Cascale’s Higg Index tools and programs. She brings over 15 years of experience in sustainability and human rights within the apparel and footwear industries and has extensive expertise in operationalizing the Higg Index tools across brands. She previously served as the sustainability director at Fanatics, where she led the integration of sustainability practices and responsible purchasing initiatives across the enterprise, and led the sustainable manufacturing and licensing programs at Columbia Sportswear Company.

Joleen Ong, senior director, brand & retailer membership at Cascale shared, “I’m honored to join Cascale and work alongside such a dedicated team committed to driving collective action across the apparel and consumer goods industry. By equipping brands and retailers with the tools and resources needed to combat climate change and support decent work for all, we have an incredible opportunity to create meaningful change at scale. I’m eager to leverage my experience at two Cascale member brands to build robust, inclusive listening channels and partner effectively with our members on this crucial journey toward a more sustainable future.”

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people.

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Blogs / How Cascale’s Membership Requirements Can Mobilize Change

How Cascale’s Membership Requirements Can Mobilize Change

Building the Foundations for Change: Cascale’s Membership Requirements in Action 

  • Membership
Cascale's membership requirements mobilize action in the consumer goods industry. Here, a handshake between leaders.
January 14, 2025

Cascale’s membership requirements are driving accountability, alignment, and measurable impact across the global consumer goods industry.

At Cascale, we believe that meaningful progress toward sustainability is only possible when organizations align around shared goals and take collective action. That’s why, in 2021, we introduced our membership requirements. These guidelines are designed to unite our global members across brands, retailers, manufacturers, and affiliates – to address the industry’s most pressing challenges.

Three years later, we’re proud to share how membership requirements are laying the foundations for impactful change. While they are not the sole driver of progress, they serve as a critical reminder of the importance in aligning efforts, measuring impact, and creating accountability. The progress we’ve made together is proof that collective action is not just possible — it’s powerful.

Progress in Action

Since 2021, Cascale’s membership requirements have complemented industry ambitions, providing a unified framework to build consistency across the consumer goods industry and its supply chain. Actions that support reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving labor practices are required. This is critical to align with Cascale’s mission of transforming the global consumer goods industry into one that gives back more than it takes to people and the planet.

This shared commitment has helped our members deliver significant milestones:

  • Climate Action Leadership: Over 60 percent of corporate members have committed or have committed to set science-based targets or science-aligned targets (SATs), reflecting steady progress toward Cascale’s collective goal of a 45 percent GHG reduction by 2030. Initiatives like the Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP) and partnerships with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE are supporting members yet to meet this requirement.
  • Adoption of the Higg Index Tools: With over 40,000 users globally benefitting from their use of the Higg Index, exclusively available on Worldly, Cascale is reducing redundancies, fostering alignment, and enabling consistent supply chain performance. This vast, engaged network also significantly reduces administrative burdens on facilities. According to the latest Worldly data shared in a recent town hall, facilities save over 50,000 collective hours on auditing each year with these tools.
  • Increased Convergence in Social Frameworks: Collaboration with SLCP has driven significant adoption of the Higg FSLM. Based on the Converged Assessment Framework, this tool has helped reduce duplicative audits and fostered further alignment.
Text that says CHANGE in black bold font with cloud-cover and sunset.

Change is easy with Cascale membership requirements.

Supporting Members Along the Way

Sustainability is a journey, and every member is at a different stage. While we celebrate these achievements, we also recognize that progress comes with challenges. That’s why Cascale focuses on supporting our members every step of the way:

  • Tailored Programs: Initiatives like the MCAP and FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE offer members pragmatic pathways to set and achieve sustainability targets.
  • Insights and Collaboration: By working closely with SLCP, Worldly, and other strategic partners, we’re gaining a clearer understanding of the barriers members face and using those insights to improve tools and processes.
  • Positive Accountability: We’re committed to creating solutions that help members succeed, ensuring they have the tools and guidance needed to meet their goals.

Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond

In 2025, Cascale will focus on simplifying reporting processes, advancing supply chain transparency, and reinforcing alignment with strategic impact goals. Initiatives like supplier data disclosure through the Open Supply Hub will further empower members of all sizes to lead with accountability and innovation.

Collective Action, Collective Progress

The membership requirements framework represents more than a set of expectations. It reflects a shared commitment to building a better future for the consumer goods industry. Together, our members are showing what’s possible when we align around common goals and take collective action.

There’s still work to be done, but the progress we’ve made together inspires confidence in what lies ahead. Cascale remains dedicated to empowering our members to lead the way — because when we work together, we can create lasting change for both people and the planet.

To our members, thank you for being a part of this journey. To meet our members, visit our members page. For more information about Cascale membership and progress, explore membership here.

Blogs / Diving Into the Monthly Data Reporting & the Facility Data Manager: A Collaborative Discussion

Diving Into the Monthly Data Reporting & the Facility Data Manager: A Collaborative Discussion

  • Membership
  • Higg Index Tools
  • Manufacturing
December 11, 2024

At Cascale, we’re always looking for new ways to connect with the manufacturing community and tackle shared challenges, this is a crucial part of our value proposition to the industry.

That’s why I’m excited to announce an upcoming, facilitated discussion focused on monthly data reporting and the Facility Data Manager (FDM) — a chance to dig into its potential, address concerns, and explore what it means for the industry.

This isn’t your typical meeting. It’s a trial run of a new way to engage members in meaningful, focused conversations. Monthly data reporting is a hot topic right now, as some believe it is necessary for greater transparency, tracking impact reductions, and upcoming regulatory requirements. But we also know there are questions about relevance and effectiveness. Clearly there are different perspectives to consider, and this is our opportunity to talk it through together.

Why the Spotlight on Monthly Data Reporting?

The Facility Data Manager, rolled out by Worldly, supports monthly data reporting for greater visibility into facility operations. It has also sparked conversations about what this would mean for facilities in a practical sense. Here’s what we’ll dive into during the session:

  • Why are brands increasingly asking for monthly data reporting?
  • Can monthly data collection drive real impact reduction at the facility level? If so, how?
  • Do disclosure regulations actually require this level of reporting frequency?
  • What’s the role of the FDM in the Higg Index suite, and how does it align with Cascale’s goals?

A New Way to Engage Manufacturers

This session is an experiment—a way to test how we can better connect with members, both manufacturers and brands, and put their needs and perspectives at the center of the conversation. If you think back to Cascale’s origins, convening these kinds of discussions has always been part of our DNA. Manufacturers are critical to achieving sustainability goals, but adapting to evolving tools and regulations isn’t always straightforward. By creating this space, we hope to uncover what works, what doesn’t, and where we can improve.

Back in the early SAC days, we brought in outstanding facilitators who helped set the tone for some of our most impactful work. I’d like to channel that energy and facilitation into this discussion and see where it takes us.

What to Expect

To ensure a productive conversation, we’ll bring in an independent moderator to guide the session, ensuring balanced representation and an open, fair dialogue. The goal? Honest, participative discussions that surface real insights and perspectives.

This discussion is a trial. If it works, fantastic—we’ll explore how to build on it. If not, we’ll learn and try something else. Either way, it’s a valuable chance to address key questions about the FDM and its role in driving collective impact.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this takes us. Stay tuned for details—we’re aiming to host the discussion in January 2025. Let’s make it count.

Blogs / Building Balance and Equity at Cascale: A Look Ahead

Building Balance and Equity at Cascale: A Look Ahead

  • Membership

Cascale’s senior director of communications, Lee Green, reflects on a season of change and progress.

A look at building balance and equity.
Black and white headshot of Lee Green
Lee Green
November 12, 2024

Cascale’s senior director of communications, Lee Green, reflects on a season of change and progress.

As we head into the final weeks of the year, I’ve been reflecting on the role of communications in supporting our commitment to equity and balance across a diverse membership. We’re a multi-stakeholder initiative in every sense of the word, bringing together manufacturers, brands, and experts to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in sustainability. But in doing this, it’s essential that everyone feels their voice is genuinely heard, valued, and acted upon—a goal that can sometimes feel like an ambitious juggling act. And, as any juggler will tell you, sometimes you are going to drop a ball.

That’s why we’re making moves to keep this balance steady and sustainable. Recently, we made two significant updates that I believe bring us closer to achieving this vision. First, the annual update to our Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) aims to simplify and improve sustainability reporting for manufacturing facilities. Alongside this, we’re also making meaningful improvements to Higg FEM governance, ensuring that members have an even clearer and more active role in shaping the future of the tool. By refining the Higg FEM, we’re not only helping members generate more accurate environmental data, but we’re also cutting down on repetitive reporting processes that, frankly, can wear on anyone’s patience. Manufacturers especially have been asking for more efficient, impactful ways to report their data, and these updates are a step in that direction.

The second shift is our new membership engagement model, which has been designed with one purpose in mind: to ensure equitable representation. Our members are the driving force behind every initiative we undertake, and ensuring that their needs and perspectives shape our work is non-negotiable. This model lets us cater to different member types, making sure that no one feels left out or underrepresented in key conversations. As a showcase of this deepening motivation, we are exploring more diverse perspectives across our platforms. This includes the recent, “A Manufacturer’s Perspective: Busana Group’s CEO Sunil Shewakramani,” as part of a new manufacturer-led blog series. As you’ll see, it’s about breaking down barriers and making our processes more inclusive which is a shared passion across our organization. Our executive team exemplifies this passion, with both our CEO and EVP having both spent more than a month in Asia in the second half of the year, meeting with and listening to manufacturers.

Decarbonization is another cornerstone of our approach, and it’s an area where Cascale has committed to bold, industry-wide action. Our Industry Decarbonization Roadmap is guiding our members on a path to measurable, science-based targets that will align with 2025 goals. In fact, next week, our teams will be meeting in Hong Kong to map out this year’s progress and set an ambitious 2025 roadmap.

Looking ahead to our two main events next year in Asia, I’m especially excited about bringing our community together to share insights and discuss these updates in person. Hosting these gatherings in a region so integral to global manufacturing feels right, especially as we refine our tools, governance, and engagement processes. There’s nothing quite like face-to-face conversations to deepen understanding and build trust, and I can’t wait to connect directly with the people who make Cascale’s work possible.

Communications plays a vital role in this journey—not just as a function but as a bridge. By keeping our members informed, inviting their feedback, and, most importantly, listening, we’re creating a foundation for the kind of equitable and balanced collaboration that will carry us into the future. It’s my job to ensure that our stakeholders know exactly where we’re headed and feel confident in the role they play in that journey. Here’s to an exciting year of growth, together.

News Updates / Cascale Presents at Avery Dennison’s First Apparel Manufacturing Summit

Cascale Presents at Avery Dennison’s First Apparel Manufacturing Summit

  • Membership
  • Manufacturing
Close-up photo of a person's hands working at a sewing machine
November 12, 2024

Andrew Martin, executive vice president, Cascale participated in the inaugural global apparel factory summit hosted by Avery Dennison, a Cascale member at the forefront of sustainability and innovation.

Avery Dennison is a global materials science and digital identification solutions company that provides a wide range of branding and information solutions that optimize labor and supply chain efficiency, reduce waste, advance sustainability, circularity and transparency, and better connect brands and consumers. The event took place in Singapore in September and attendees included a select group of owners and CEOs of manufacturing facilities in Asia and Europe. Presentations and discussions centered around challenges in the supply chain, from traceability to circularity.

In a fireside chat, Martin began by sharing the main purpose of his attendance: to listen to the concerns and challenges of manufacturers—voices that need greater attention, especially in the context of traceability—and to explore how Cascale, in its role as a convener of the entire value chain, can support them. He examined how the supply chain must work together to unlock transparency and traceability. Both referenced data from Cascale’s Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) tool, which is exclusively available on Worldly. The Higg FEM is a transformative tool used to assess the environmental impact of product manufacturing at facilities, from water use to waste management, to chemical and energy use.

Martin’s presentation was especially relevant to attendees in showcasing how transformative Higg FEM data is for advancing facility improvements while reducing redundancy. He emphasized the value of the Higg Index tools in offering standardized approaches and highlighted Cascale’s crucial role in reducing duplication, increasing harmonization, and ensuring consistency, particularly in the context of data collection for traceability in response to upcoming regulations. Additional speakers included Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), among others.

Martin also shared learnings from Cascale members, noting that since much of the, legislation, —such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting & Due Diligence  Directives (CSRD & CSDDD), Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and Digital Product Passport (DPP), and the US’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA),—are still pending further clarification, and even aligned implementation, the focus of ESG data collection processes is still being focused just on compliance with specific data points. He emphasized however that the importance of the industry  shifting towards traceability, that enables more effective due diligence, risk identification, and opportunities for and verification of ESG progress.

Martin emphasized the importance of making sustainability information transparent at the site level, a core component of traceability, defined as “the process of creating visibility of materials, products, and the information in which they were produced through the supply chain, to ensure the accountability of environmental and social progress.” He characterized the burden that traceability places on manufacturers as “irrational” and called for rapid collaboration on pragmatic interventions to harmonize the ESG data reporting landscape, standardizing supply chain data points, align data collection templates and questionnaires, and harmonizing data requests and verification cycles.

He also mentioned initiatives like Cascale’s decarbonization programs, including the Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP), inviting attendees to consider their involvement.