Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, Cascale’s Senior Director of Policy and Public Affairs, highlights how Cascale and Policy Hub are partnering to shape the rules of the game in Brussels.
As sustainability regulation accelerates, Cascale’s members face an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.
Legislative frameworks are advancing faster than voluntary action, which means it is critical that Cascale’s Higg Index tools are aligned with evolving requirements and continue to serve as effective pathways to support compliance.
Our members expect more than just tools: they expect foresight, influence, and support in navigating new obligations. Our manufacturer members, in particular, need support in interpreting complex regulations into practical guidance and in ensuring their perspectives are well represented.
Cascale advances policy influence, alignment, and education through two complementary channels: The Cascale Public Affairs function and collaboration with the Policy Hub, a unique Brussels-based coalition for the textile sector. Cascale co-founded the Policy Hub in 2019 to help the textile sector speak with one strong, unified voice and to ensure that all stakeholders have an equal say in shaping ambitious yet practical EU legislation.
Today, Cascale continues to play a key role by bringing insights from the Higg Index tools and its global network of members into the Policy Hub’s discussions, bridging practical experience with policy action. By working together through these two channels, we give members a holistic view of global legislation and contribute to the mission of ensuring a stronger, more unified voice of the textile sector in Brussels and globally.
Cascale holds a unique position to shape industry practices, influence regulation, and provide members with effective tools to support their compliance obligations via the Higg Index, the most widely used standardized measurement framework within the apparel and footwear industry, developed and owned by Cascale and exclusively licensed to Worldly. Cascale is actively working to maximize compliance by aligning the Higg Index and other Cascale methodologies with global legislation. To continuously improve the relevance of the Higg Index, Cascale contributes to Policy Hub’s workstreams and position papers, ultimately providing greater clarity and simplification for members.
In Brussels, Cascale leverages the Policy Hub as its primary advocacy channel. The Policy Hub leads the sector-wide dialogue to build consensus across the entire textile value chain on EU policy priorities, while also engaging directly with policymakers on the technical details needed to make legislation both ambitious and implementable. Through its workstreams and position papers, Policy Hub provides collective credibility and efficiency, ensuring that its members, including Cascale, are meaningfully represented in EU discussions, avoiding duplication via advocacy for standardized industry tools, and amplifying their impact.
This collaboration allows Cascale to combine its technical and global leadership with Policy Hub’s Brussels-based mandate, ensuring members have both the tools and the policy engagement necessary to thrive in a fast-changing environment.
Over the next few months, we will keep the industry informed about how we are working to influence forthcoming EU legislation and highlight ways in which Cascale members can get involved in shaping the regulatory environment of the future.
Also, look out for more content from me and the team on how Cascale is supporting members globally to understand better the global policy landscape and what it means for them specifically.
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