News Updates / Cascale Hosts Lunch & Learn at Textile Exchange Conference 2025

Cascale Hosts Lunch & Learn at Textile Exchange Conference 2025

Partnership and Collaboration

Textile Exchange hosted its annual conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Cascale staff showed strong representation and support, even hosting a dedicated Lunch & Learn.

Cascale hosts Lunch & Learn at Textile Exchange 2025 Conference in Lisbon.

October 21, 2025

This year, Textile Exchange hosted its annual conference in Lisbon, Portugal from October 13 to 17 – convening hundreds of stakeholders in apparel, textiles, and fashion for insights on the global materials and fibers landscape. The event follows the inaugural “Climate and Nature Studio,” held in September in New York City for Climate Week NYC, jointly hosted by Cascale with the apparel alliance..

Cascale staff – among them Hamza Habib Hasan, senior manager of member engagement, brand and retail; Ellie Hackwood, manager of member engagement brand and retail; Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, senior director, public affairs; Carolina van Loenen, director of stakeholder engagement; Melissa O de León, senior manager of Higg Product Tools; and Erlinda Lee, director of global membership development – attended the week-long conference. Sessions reflected the urgency of the climate crisis and biodiversity, examining the broader market forces influencing how businesses adapt with a systems change-oriented viewpoint.

Along with programming and networking moments, the Cascale team hosted an invite-only Lunch & Learn with 30 members gathering in an intimate dialogue on convergence. The “Navigating Convergence: Exploring Manufacturer & Brand Realities” session began with Hasan welcoming attendees and sharing insights on Cascale, the Higg Index, and the broader consumer goods ecosystem. Then Hasan spoke with Sapphire Finishing Mills’ head of sustainability Raffay Bin Rauf and Teddy Group’s environmental specialist Eleonora Lepri about the challenges and opportunities facing convergence.

Afterwards, Cascale staff facilitated group discussions on overcoming internal silos, audit harmonization and aligning proprietary assessments, and strengthening buyer-supplier relationships. Each group explored challenges, successes, and solutions. At the end of the lunch, participants shared learnings with the wider audience. The key takeaways included that greater collaboration, consistency, and alignment is needed between brands’ sustainability and sourcing teams, with C-Level support as a necessary leverage. Additionally, attendees agreed that there are many opportunities for MSIs to support mutual code of conducts, to provide training for sourcing and sustainability teams, and to facilitate brand-manufacturer roundtables for honest feedback. Finally, the group agreed that communication, regionality, and context awareness underlie every interaction – helping craft a more complete picture of effective partnerships.

As with Cascale, the Worldly team also showed a strong representation at the event. Worldly participated in the Textile Exchange Conference as a Platinum Sponsor, along with hosting a networking breakfast on October 15 that included more than 20 guests representing Worldly Customers and top apparel and consumer goods brands, retailers, and manufacturers from across the globe. The Worldly team took advantage of this event to demonstrate its newest technology that makes Cascale’s Higg Index tools, exclusively available on Worldly, even more impactful for customers across textile and apparel supply chains.

Want More? Read Our Climate Week Recap

Blogs / How Cascale, Fair Wear and SLCP Activate Human Rights Due Diligence at the Annual Meeting 2025

How Cascale, Fair Wear and SLCP Activate Human Rights Due Diligence at the Annual Meeting 2025

Decent Work
Responsible Purchasing Practices
Partnership and Collaboration
Annual Meeting

Cascale, Fair Wear, SLCP will dive deeper on creating impactful human rights due diligence at the Annual Meeting 2025.

September 05, 2025

Cascale’s Annual Member Meeting, “A Movement for All,” takes place in Hong Kong September 15 to 17. The event will address how we, as an industry, can collectively address and solve two of the most critical challenges facing our industry today: Combating Climate Change and Supporting Decent Work For All.

It’s an outsized challenge but a shared commitment. Leaders today are those frontrunner brands, suppliers, policymakers, and non-corporate players that are doubling down on climate change and decent work as a business imperative. Together, they are confronting a dizzying array of duplicate initiatives, repeat data sources, and outdated auditing systems in place. By collectively refining the approach to measuring, verifying, and enhancing social and environmental performance, compliance and responsible purchasing practices becomes a nearer reality.

The State of Play

Compliance is a growing area of interest for industry players, and convening organizations have a role to play. In its background note on regulatory developments concerning due diligence for responsible business conduct, The Role of Sustainability Initiatives in Mandatory Due Diligence (OECD, 2022) recognizes Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) as playing a crucial role, acting as both facilitators, providing tools and guidance for companies, and verifiers, assessing and potentially certifying company practices. But the guidance also notes that, despite recent examples of initiatives converging and aligning approaches, the landscape is still complex and confusing, with 455 ecolabels and various environmental schemes listed in the Ecolabel Index at the time of writing.

In this playing field and true to this year’s event theme, Cascale, the Social and Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), and Fair Wear will come together to be greater than the sum of our already formidable parts to promote impactful Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) by brands and suppliers. We aim to support stakeholders on their journey through building and leveraging joint tools, best practices, and accountability mechanisms.

This joint work builds on discussions we originally held at our Annual Meeting in Boston, back in 2023, exploring the potential of HRDD as an organizing principle for the industry, and aims to be complementary – rather than additive. Because it’s only together that can we scale accountability in an actionable way.

Combining Unique Strengths

Between us, we believe we have all the tools a company needs to conduct impactful due diligence. Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index suite of tools, and since February, has owned the Better Buying toolset informed by surveys on brand and retailer purchasing practices. We have over 300 members and 40,000 Higg Index users. Fair Wear led the industry effort towards alignment on the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing, while its HRDD Academy supports brands to better understand the HRDD cycle and practically implement human rights due diligence both within the company and across the supply chain. SLCP now boasts over 250 signatories and its Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) forms the foundation of Cascale’s Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM).

It’s an executive priority. “Cascale, SLCP, and Fair Wear see great opportunities in driving impactful HRDD by working more closely together,” said Harsh Saini, interim chief executive officer of Cascale. “Together, we have immense convening power, expertise, and volumes of credible and actionable data. We are all speaking the same language on due diligence, and our tools fit together and complement each other, providing brands and retailers with everything they need for their due diligence journey.”

As well, the work becomes a shared responsibility. “We’re united around a shared vision,” added Annabel Meurs, executive director of Fair Wear. “This will set the tone in the industry on what impactful due diligence looks like, holding brands and retailers accountable in making progress and to scale up best practices that will have a real impact on workers.”

Steve Harris, COO of SLCP , underscored: “Our three organizations will work together to develop and cross-promote each bilateral partner’s tools, drive collective action, sharing HRDD knowledge and best practice across the whole of our membership and signatories, and advocating for decent work with policymakers.”

The next opportunity to hear more about our collective expression of deepened and more targeted coordination will be at Cascale’s Annual Member Meeting in Hong Kong, September 15 to 17. The event will feature presentations from Fair Wear and SLCP on key topics, including making responsible purchasing practices the norm within the industry, and what needs to happen next to drive real movement on audit fatigue. You can also visit the Cascale, Fair Wear, and SLCP booths in the exhibition area to find out more about the tools and guidance available.

Blogs / Beyond the Glamour: Making Sustainability More Than a Moment

Beyond the Glamour: Making Sustainability More Than a Moment

Partnership and Collaboration
Collective Action

Cascale’s Lee Green reflects on the role of events in driving meaningful change across our industry and shares how Cascale events create space for conversations that are grounded in action, and platforms that help participants connect, learn, and contribute meaningfully.

Lee Green

July 03, 2025

The lights, the music, the front rows filled with VIPs; there’s no denying fashion knows how to put on a show. Events have become a key part of the industry calendar, offering a stage for new collections, big ideas, and bolder ambitions.

And when it comes to sustainability, many events have started to follow suit: panel talks, public commitments, glitzy side dinners discussing the future of fashion. But amid all the excitement, one question often lingers: when the spotlight fades, what’s left?

Too often, what’s missing is substance. Ambitious targets are announced, but the “how” is vague. Big challenges are raised, but the answers remain surface-level. We celebrate vision, but skip over verification.

This isn’t to say events don’t matter. On the contrary, I believe in the power of convening. The best events do more than just inspire; they create space to co-build solutions, build capability, and push the industry forward. That’s what we aim for with Cascale events: conversations that are grounded in action, and platforms that help participants connect, learn, and contribute meaningfully.

But for the industry as a whole, we need to be honest: the path to 2030 isn’t paved with promises alone. It’s built on data, standardization, and a willingness to get uncomfortable about what’s not working yet. It’s about meeting people where they are and safeguarding spaces for voices that are often marginalized, like manufacturers – who are critical to achieving sustainability goals. That’s why Cascale joined with the International Apparel Federation to convene the Manufacturer Interview Group, providing opportunities to bridge the gap between manufacturers, brands, retailers, and policymakers. And it’s where tools like the Higg Index come in. They’re not always as headline-grabbing as a new campaign or a celebrity endorsement, but they’re essential. They help companies measure impact, report consistently, and track progress against targets – providing the kind of credible evidence that turns a sustainability claim into a sustainability journey.

Because in the end, it’s not enough to say you care. The companies leading the way are the ones showing their work – publicly, transparently, and year on year.

So let’s keep the conversations going at events – and raise the bar. Let’s ask the tough questions, celebrate real wins, and make space for the complexity that comes with meaningful change. We also encourage companies to explore our membership and learn about the collaborative opportunities available.

Because sustainability shouldn’t be a moment in the spotlight; it must be the work we’re doing every day, long after the applause and PR has ended.

News Updates / Cascale Elevates Collaboration in Accelerating Collective Action at ZDHC Event

Cascale Elevates Collaboration in Accelerating Collective Action at ZDHC Event

Partnership and Collaboration

Cascale was deeply appreciative of ZDHC for recently having Carolina van Loenen, director of stakeholder engagement at Cascale, participate in ZDHC’s Convention Week event in Amsterdam.

July 02, 2025

Cascale was deeply appreciative of ZDHC for recently having Carolina van Loenen, director of stakeholder engagement at Cascale, participate in ZDHC’s Convention Week event in Amsterdam. Celebrating a decade of ZDHC’s transformative progress in the industry, the event featured a week of sector-focused meetings, cross-industry collaboration, and technical deep dives. It brought together global changemakers to share insights on how to shape the future of responsible production and sustainable chemical management.

Van Loenen joined a panel to discuss how sustainability initiatives can better align, reduce duplication, and improve outcomes for suppliers, brands, and the planet. The panel was moderated by Janne Koopmans, collaborations director at ZDHC Foundation, and included Carolin Franitza, stakeholder manager at OEKO-TEX, Francesca Rulli, co-founder at Ympact, and Maria Pulido, global advisor, sustainable trade stakeholders and partnerships at Amfori.

Van Loenen emphasized the need to move beyond fragmented efforts, noting that some manufacturers undergo as many as 200 audits a year, an overwhelming challenge which can hinder real progress. Reflecting Cascale’s mandate to foster pre-competitive collaboration, she reiterated that most environmental and social challenges — such as factory emissions or excessive overtime — cannot be solved by one brand alone. Van Loenen noted that when competitors align on shared expectations, data systems, and improvement frameworks, it helps create a level playing field and clearer market signals for suppliers.

She shared that insufficient cooperation among numerous sustainability initiatives in the apparel and textile industry has slowed progress, leading to duplicative, overlapping, isolated, and at times contradictory audit and improvement programmes, resulting in fragmentation and suboptimal outcomes.

Highlighting the importance of collaboration and partnerships, a value proposition for Cascale members, Van Loenen delved into some real-life examples of collaboration in action, including a recent grant-funded pilot project with the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) and ZDHC. Developed under the umbrella of the apparel alliance program, the Factory Improvement Journey can help brands and supply chain partners clarify how different environmental programmes such as the Higg FEM, Supplier to Zero and Aii Clean by Design can optimize the use of existing tools without duplicating efforts. She shared how the project supported alignment by creating a Data Matrix, which mapped key data points across the three programmes – a first step toward a more open and interoperable data model, reducing audit fatigue, making environmental due diligence more efficient, and thereby consolidating sustainability programmes. She invited other sustainability assessment tools and improvement programs to join the initiative and industry stakeholders to join existing endorsers of the publicly available guidance.

Van Loenen’s concluding remarks reiterated the urgent need for collective action to achieve meaningful progress. She highlighted the importance of amplifying supplier voices, fostering industry alignment, and true collaboration to accelerate collective action to address complex issues facing the industry. She urged like-minded multistakeholder initiatives to take bold action on data sharing as well as companies to leverage the extensive data insights of tools such as Cascale’s Higg Index suite of tools, and The Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI). These tools offer actionable insights and are designed to drive efficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance both environmental and social performance, ultimately contributing to more resilient supply chains.

Blogs / The Collaboration Myth: Why Our Industry Still Struggles to Work Together

The Collaboration Myth: Why Our Industry Still Struggles to Work Together

Partnership and Collaboration
Cascale Forum

Lee Green’s latest blog explores why the collaboration gap persists, the tough questions our industry needs to answer, and how the Cascale Forum: Ho Chi Minh City 2025 is designed to turn conversation into action.

Lee Green

March 20, 2025

For years, we’ve talked about the power of collaboration. It’s become a buzzword in sustainability circles—an easy go-to in conference keynotes, annual reports, and panel discussions.

Yet, if we’re honest, true collaboration remains rare.

Too often, brands, manufacturers, policymakers, and even multi-stakeholder initiatives work in parallel rather than in true partnership. Everyone agrees that collective action is needed, but when it comes to the difficult decisions — how to share costs, align incentives, and rethink old power dynamics — we default to what’s comfortable. We continue working within our own lanes and protecting our own interests without challenging the status quo.

Difficult conversations happen daily—in conferences, boardrooms, factories, management offices, and brand meetings. The key is ensuring these conversations lead to real impact. Events can help us identify what’s working, what’s not, and crucially, how we drive greater equity in decision-making. But talk alone won’t move the needle. Our collective focus must remain firmly on translating these conversations into meaningful actions.

The Cascale Forum: Ho Chi Minh City 2025 aims to be a platform for these important, but difficult conversations. The program has been designed to specifically allow our extended community to sit at the same table and ask:

What does real partnership look like in practice?
Who shoulders the financial and operational burden of decarbonization?
How do we balance regulatory compliance with real, systemic change?

The Collaboration Gap: Why It’s So Hard to Work Together

Our industry doesn’t lack ambition. Many brands and retailers have set science-based targets (67 percent of brands and 46 percent of manufacturers, by Cascale’s count). Increasingly, manufacturers are making investments in sustainability. Policy shifts are pushing companies to act.

But intentions don’t always translate into action. Why?

Power imbalances still dominate the conversation, and we continue to explore the unique role Cascale can play in helping to alleviate tension, and drive progress. For example, one known tension is the buyer-supplier dynamic, where:

Brands drive sustainability expectations down the supply chain — but rarely share the costs or risks involved.
Manufacturers are expected to ‘comply’ rather than co-create the solutions.
Suppliers that take the lead on sustainability often don’t get rewarded for it.

More broadly, we also know short-term pressures often trump long-term sustainability strategies:

The industry still runs on quarterly earnings, seasonal demand, and cost efficiency—not long-term sustainability.
Even when companies want to invest in change, competing priorities get in the way.

Regulation is coming, but it won’t solve everything

Regulation is happening, but packages like the EU Omnibus might suggest governments are ready to abdicate their responsibilities. And, if compliance becomes a tick-box exercise rather than an opportunity for transformation, we’ll have missed the point.
Companies that only react to regulation — instead of shaping their own future — will be left scrambling.

Where Do We Go From Here?

At Cascale, we’ve been working on some of these challenges head-on,through initiatives like the Industry Decarbonization Roadmap (IDR), which is helping manufacturers scale emissions reductions with business-backed solutions.

But the reality is: no one organization can fix this alone. This is what true collaboration looks like, and it’s not at all easy.

So what will it take?

Shifting from transactional relationships to real partnerships. Brands and manufacturers need to share both accountability and investment in sustainability.
Bringing regulation and industry leadership together. The future isn’t just about compliance — it’s about shaping better, smarter pathways that work for business and the planet.
Taking responsibility beyond our own four walls. The leaders of tomorrow will be the ones who don’t wait for policy to force change but instead take proactive steps to shape more resilient supply chains, fairer business models, and scalable decarbonization efforts.

Now’s the Time!

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the disconnect between ambition and action in our industry, consider bringing this input and insight to our upcoming forum. It’s what the event has been designed to discuss.

I hope to see you there.

May 14–15, 2025
Thiskyhall Sala Convention, Ho Chi Minh City

Press Releases / Cascale and FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE to Accelerate Science-Based Targets for the Fashion Industry

Cascale and FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE to Accelerate Science-Based Targets for the Fashion Industry

Partnership and Collaboration

Cascale Collaborates with Industry Leaders to Advance Climate Action and Support Brands on Their Sustainability Journey

Rack with bright clothes on light background. Rainbow colors

December 20, 2024

Cascale Collaborates with Industry Leaders to Advance Climate Action and Support Brands on Their Sustainability Journey

Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – December 20, 2024: Cascale, the global nonprofit alliance formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, announces its collaboration with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE, an industry-leading initiative founded by ABOUT YOU Group, YOOX NET-A-PORTER, and Zalando in collaboration with Quantis. This joint effort aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based targets within the textile, apparel, and footwear industry and allows Cascale to better support its brand members in their sustainability and climate action journeys.

Climate Education for Industry Change

Launched in 2022, FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE is designed to elevate the fashion industry’s response to the inherent climate challenges it faces. It supports fashion brands to learn how to measure their own carbon footprints and set targets in line with climate science. Since 2022, over 85 percent of the brand partners that have participated reported an increase in their understanding of climate issues and science-based targets to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

Recognizing the vital role fashion retailers play in driving industry transformation, FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE’s co-founders have consistently focused on empowering brands, partners, and suppliers to accelerate their climate initiatives. Recently, ASOS, BOOZT, and Selfridges Group joined FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE as new members, extending the climate education program invitation to hundreds of fashion brands within their combined portfolio—further underscoring its growing impact.

Now, Cascale—uniting over 300 organizations across the global consumer goods industry—has joined forces with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE to accelerate science-based target adoption and deepen its members’ learning journey. This collaboration offers an immersive eight-week education program with step-by-step guidance on measuring corporate carbon footprints and submitting science-based targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), reflecting a collective, industry-wide commitment to meaningful climate action. A pilot program, launched on October 28, 2024, marked the beginning of this enhanced educational support for Cascale members.

Colin Browne, chief executive officer at Cascale, commented, “The climate crisis is here, and fashion’s supply chain feels it every day. There’s no time to waste. That’s why we’re excited to partner with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE to accelerate the adoption of science-based targets across the industry. The need for clear, measurable climate action has never been more urgent. By helping our brand and retailer members better understand and commit to these targets, we can make meaningful progress and drive the real, lasting change this moment demands.”

Cascale’s Decarbonization Program will benefit from the comprehensive educational offerings provided through FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE, further enhancing members’ capacity to reduce emissions. Since integrating SBTs into Cascale membership requirements in 2023, over 60 percent of Cascale corporate members have set or are actively working towards setting SBTs or science-aligned targets (SATs). Establishing these targets is critical to establishing effective decarbonization strategies and cutting emissions. Cascale’s collaboration with FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE serves as a key initiative in accelerating progress toward Cascale’s goal of 80 percent SBT or SAT adoption among its corporate members—including brands, retailers, holding groups, third-party retailers, and manufacturers—and reinforces the organization’s commitment to combating climate change.

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. LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

ABOUT FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE

The FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE learning platform is fully sponsored by ABOUT YOU Group, YOOX NET-A-PORTER, and Zalando and curated by sustainability consultancy Quantis, a BCG company. Brand partners of ABOUT YOU Group, ASOS, BOOZT, YOOX NET-A-PORTER, Selfridges Group, and Zalando interested in learning how to measure greenhouse gas emissions, set targets aligned with climate science, and submit them to the SBTi, as well as retailers interested in accelerating the adoption of science-based targets among their brand partners, are invited to get in touch: info@fashionleapforclimate.com.

For further information on FASHION LEAP FOR CLIMATE, visit: https://fashionleapforclimate.com/

News Updates / Cascale Joins The Industry We Want to Discuss Collaborative Approaches to Increase Climate Adaptation Efforts in the Garment Sector

Cascale Joins The Industry We Want to Discuss Collaborative Approaches to Increase Climate Adaptation Efforts in the Garment Sector

Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Partnership and Collaboration

December 09, 2024

Cascale team member Hanna Griesbeck Garcia, manager of stakeholder engagement and project manager of TIWW, recently moderated The Industry We Want (TIWW) Deep Dive webinar that focused on unpacking challenges related to stagnating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the garment industry.

Cascale team member Hanna Griesbeck Garcia, manager of stakeholder engagement and project manager of TIWW, recently moderated The Industry We Want (TIWW) Deep Dive webinar that focused on unpacking challenges related to stagnating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the garment industry. The discussion centered around climate vulnerabilities impacting workers and supply chains, including extreme flooding and rising temperatures, and the importance of increasing climate adaptation efforts across the value chain. Panelists explored the economic and human cost of action and how industry-wide collaboration can drive meaningful change.

TIWW, an initiative convened by Fair Wear, the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), and Cascale, “envisages a garment and footwear industry that realizes its full potential to ensure dignity for workers in decent jobs, thriving businesses along the supply chain, and a positive impact on the planet.” In addition to Griesbeck Garcia, the webinar featured Brian Wakamo, research support specialist at the Global Labor Institute at Cornell University ILR School, and Prakash Menakel Philip, global director of strategy and impact at Cotton Connect.

Griesbeck Garcia gave an overview of TIWW’s history and detailed the development of three industry-wide metrics – greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, wages, and purchasing practices – to annually measure progress and drive action across the garment and footwear sector. She shared a snapshot of TIWW’s dashboard and explained how it synthesizes feedback and data from over 1,400 suppliers across 63 countries. She highlighted this year’s GHG scores, noting varied progress across the garment sector, with improvements in some areas and stagnation in others.

Griesbeck Garcia referenced insights from 2022 data provided by Cascale, Worldly, Textile Exchange, and Apparel Impact Institute (aii), which showed that emissions from the garment sector stood at 0.879 gigatons of CO2e. She noted that the Tier 2 stage was the biggest contributor, accounting for over 50 percent of the industry’s total emissions. Comparatively, the raw material stage contributed 21 percent, intermediate processing 15 percent, and finished product manufacturing 9 percent. Garcia emphasized the data showed a stagnating decrease in emissions, primarily due to efficiency improvements within the value chain being offset by a rise in material demand and an increase in fiber volumes.

Highlighting the impact of the climate crisis on regions crucial to the garment sector, Griesbeck Garcia asserted that to remain within the 1.5℃ climate target, the sector must achieve a 45 percent reduction by 2030 (based on a 2019 baseline year) and carbon neutrality by 2050. Griesbeck Garcia noted that the 1 percent decrease between the first and third cycles of the GHG emissions metric was a clear indication of the industry’s limited progress in reducing global warming.

Griesbeck Garcia asserted that the garment industry’s current mitigation efforts have failed to recognize the impacts of the climate crisis on workers and their communities. She called on stakeholders across the value chain to work towards a shared vision to build trust and enable collective action. Finally, she noted the need for industry-wide collaboration to support a power shift and systems change across the value chain, emphasizing that this is only possible if stakeholders come together to share successful and scalable solutions that amplify reach and effectiveness.

TIWW will be hosting its final Deep Dive of 2024, which will focus on the living wages metric. The panel will discuss how to tackle barriers to achieving living wages for workers along the value chain. It will explore the critical role of data and social dialogue in closing the wage gap, as well as the importance of worker involvement in shaping solutions. You can register here to join the discussion.

News Updates / Cascale Highlights Role of Collaboration in Driving Transparency in Supply Chains

Cascale Highlights Role of Collaboration in Driving Transparency in Supply Chains

Transparency
Partnership and Collaboration

On a webinar hosted by Open Supply Hub, Andrew Martin explored the critical role of collaboration and data transparency in building ethical supply chains.

December 02, 2024

On a recent webinar hosted by Open Supply Hub (OS Hub), Andrew Martin, executive vice president Cascale, explored the critical role of collaboration and data transparency in building ethical supply chains.

OS Hub, which recently announced a strategic collaboration with Cascale, is a non-profit organization powering the transition to safe and sustainable supply chains by providing an open and accessible map of global production.

In addition to Martin, the webinar featured representatives from OS Hub, including Natalie Grillon, CEO and executive director; Hanna Lennett, stakeholder engagement director; Bruna Gomes, community manager; Francesca Romano, customer success manager; and Griffin Shay, growth and partnerships director, who moderated the session. Lekha Sridhar, research and special projects lead at WattTime, was also in attendance.

Martin began his presentation by highlighting the importance of transparency and why it is a critical part of Cascale’s work in the consumer goods industry. He noted the heightened pressure on brands and manufacturers resulting from new legislation, with decarbonization aims and the need for just transitions as a key driver. Martin shared how Cascale’s transparency efforts are evolving to not only underpin our policy and public affairs strategies, but to drive accountability, enabling us to scrutinize where progress is being made and where it is not, and crucially unblocking opportunities to drive positive impact.

Emphasizing how transparency removes barriers by revealing where members are active and best positioned to work together in order to create new efficiencies and support collective progress, Martin shared how the collaborative work between the OS Hub and Cascale underscores their aligned mission. First and foremost is the goal to enable accurate, accessible, and standardized data, empowering stakeholders throughout supply chains. He highlighted the two organizations’ shared commitments to openness, neutrality, and collaboration as key motivators for working together.

How does effective collaboration happen? Martin explained how OS Hub’s pre-competitive approach provides Cascale members with the agency to leverage the platform while continuing to work with the tech solutions that best meet their needs. He also shared how both organizations’ vision for sustainability through collaboration is empowering members to work more effectively within and beyond their current networks.

Another key element to the conversation was harmonization. Noting that the collaborative work also supports a vision for data harmonization across the consumer goods industry, Martin highlighted that harmonization is especially important for manufacturers because it reduces duplication of efforts. He also shared how Cascale supports OS Hub in democratizing supply chain data access by extending facility-level data visibility.

Speaking on the future of collaboration around supply chains, Martin shared how collaboration in supply chains will focus increasingly on harmonized solutions that allow for more efficient, coordinated efforts across the industry, noting how it aligns with Cascale’s approach to working with stakeholders. He highlighted the growing shift toward outreach beyond existing networks to engage new partners and stakeholders across the value chain, as well as how tools like OS Hub will enable Cascale to discover and connect with these groups. He also detailed how, through the adoption of OS Hub and other collaborative practices, members can shape a more just future for supply chains.

Martin noted Cacsale’s unique scope and scale in the industry, which can play a key role in both supporting OS Hub’s goal of achieving five million users by 2026 and enabling the integration of data and alignment on transparent standards between the organizations to set the foundation for a scalable, robust, and accessible global data platform that fosters industry-wide collaboration. As a clear demonstration of transparency in action, Martin foreshadowed a future where shared data fuels collective progress. He also gave special mention to the Brand & Retail Forum on December 4, which will include a planned session hosted by OS Hub and Fair Wear Foundation.

News Updates / Textile Exchange 2024 Conference Showcases ‘The Case for Change’

Textile Exchange 2024 Conference Showcases ‘The Case for Change’

Industry Event
Partnership and Collaboration

Cascale booth at the Textile Exchange conference 2024

November 20, 2024

The recent 2024 Textile Exchange conference, held Oct. 28 to 31 in Pasadena, California, highlighted the real-time process of industry transformation.

Joining forces with Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data insights platform, representatives from Cascale’s membership, business development, and communications teams participated. Attendees dove deep into supply chain resilience, sustainable practices, and the role of data-driven solutions like the Higg Index. Coming on the heels of Cascale’s recent updates to the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) and the Higg Facility Environment Module (FEM) 2024 update, and anticipating the policy-focused Brand & Retail Forum in Brussels in December, the discussions could not have been more timely.

Opening the conference, Claire Bergkamp, Textile Exchange’s chief executive officer, issued an urgent call for collective action. “We are not afraid here, and neither should you, to air the elephants in the room, to tackle the hard things, because it’s only in doing that that we can really come to true resolution and true solutions,” she said. “In this room we have farmers, growers, producers, recyclers, brands, consultants, non profit and so many others. The diversity in this community is our strength.”

An opening plenary moderated by Sarah Kent, chief sustainability correspondent at The Business of Fashion, brought together Liz Ricketts, from the Ghana-based Or Foundation, with Matt Dwyer of Patagonia, a founding Cascale member, to explore waste and circularity. “Ultimately, cheap commodities require cheap labor,” Ricketts said. “Everyone is being squeezed along this value chain because we are not making clothing with enough value embedded into it.” At the day’s final plenary, Textile Exchange released its Materials Matter Standard, which the organization called “a new precedent for more sustainable materials production.”

Presenters and speakers included Cascale members from the manufacturing, brand/retail, and affiliate sectors. Represented membership included CottonConnect, Laudes Foundation, GIZ, VF Corporation, Levi Strauss & Co, Patagonia, TAL Apparel Limited, H&M, U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, GM Integrity Systems, New Zealand Merino Company, Puma, Apparel Impact Institute, Primark, Woolmark Company, Columbia Sportswear Company, Zalando SE, Reformation, Recover, lululemon Athletica Inc., adidas, ZDHC, and Eastman. Cascale Board members, VF’s Sean Cady and TAL Apparel’s Delman Lee, were also in attendance.

The critical nature of “The Case for Change,” the event’s theme, was echoed by Whitney Bauck, a climate journalist who was the event’s host. “This is life or death work,” Bauck said. “You may not feel that in your everyday, but there are communities that do.”

Blogs / Why Higg FSLM, SLCP’s CAF Are Transforming Social Policy Frameworks

Why Higg FSLM, SLCP’s CAF Are Transforming Social Policy Frameworks

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Partnership and Collaboration
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As regulation evolves, so does SLCP and Cascale’s commitment to decent work using the Higg FSLM and CAF.

Woman working at a sewing machine in a factory

November 15, 2024

For the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) and Cascale, delivering on decent work means doing the work.

Today, that motivation necessitated creating a shared vision for policy.

“Regulatory efforts often run the risk of not taking sufficient account of the actual impact on the stakeholders concerned. In the case of our industry, we are seeing a huge disconnect between knowledge and needs for manufacturers, and thus workers are left in the fray,” shared Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, Senior Director of policy and public affairs at Cascale. “Especially in the area of human rights due diligence, policymakers are increasingly looking to our organizations, and those like Policy Hub, to help identify leading industry tools – such as SLCP’s Convergence Assessment Framework (CAF) and the Higg FSLM – into supporting policy implementation. By driving acceptance and advocating for the integration of such tools and data insights into broader regulatory frameworks, we are paving the way for a shared vision of social responsibility.”

Ever since global textile, apparel, and footwear industries began off-shoring production and out-sourcing labor in the late 1970s, the quest for fair wages, decent working conditions, and equitable treatment for millions of workers (the majority of whom are women) became increasingly fragmented and complex. Add to that transformation the recent push for legislation, and there is a sizable challenge ahead.

In this fight for social and labor rights, collaboration between industry players, policymakers, and other stakeholders to align on social responsibility standards has never been more important. It’s why SLCP and Cascale have strengthened ties.

“Through our joint work with Cascale, we are helping global supply chain actors prioritize social compliance and labor standards so that they are continuously adapting to new frameworks and legal requirements,” said Tom Mason, Senior policy and stakeholder engagement Manager at SLCP. “Our combined efforts are aimed towards keeping suppliers involved in the evolving policy discussions that impact them. Together with Cascale, we combine legislative analysis, gap analysis, expert feedback, and continuous updates to ensure SLCP assessments seamlessly adapt to evolving regulations, creating a more actionable approach to human rights due diligence.”

In February, SLCP and Cascale deepened their strategic collaboration to better align the tools and strategies for improved global working conditions. In their recent shared vision statement on public affairs, SLCP and Cascale outlined a collaborative strategy to enhance policy engagement and advocate for improved working conditions in the global textile, apparel, footwear, and consumer goods industries. Key initiatives include regular strategic touchpoints to align tools, regulations, and messaging, as well as educating SLCP signatories and Cascale members on social policy developments. This can include cross-participation in various webinars, meetings, or roundtable discussions. Overall, the collaboration aims to amplify co-developed positions, promote joint events and engagements, and advocate for the adoption of CAF–Higg FSLM data in social policy frameworks.

The framework is already making a difference for data collection efforts and a positive impact in reshaping power imbalances. More than 13,000 facilities across 50 countries adopted the CAF, unlocking an estimated $26 million annually in savings by reducing duplicative audits and alleviating excess burden on manufacturers. In 2023, over 9,000 facilities reported legal non-compliance data to CAF, with 94 percent of assessments identifying at least one non-compliance. The most common issues related to health and safety, working hours, and wages and benefits. While the data showed year-on-year improvement, smaller facilities faced higher instances of non-compliance due to resource constraints.

Outlining their support for greater policy alignment, one CAF–Higg FSLM user shared how the framework has paid off for their business.

Reflecting on the task ahead, Cascale’s von Reitzenstein summarized, “Everyone has a role in ensuring policy evolves with decent work as a priority. Through this strengthened collaboration with SLCP, we are standing by our commitment to mutual learning, tools empowerment, and an equal share of voice in this endeavor.”

Read the full joint public affairs vision statement now

Download Joint Vision Statement