Time is running out. Subscribe to Cascale’s Better Buying by March 31 to manage supply chain risk, strengthen supplier relationships, and advance responsible purchasing practices.
The industry is not short of pressure right now: margins are tight, climate expectations are rising, regulation is getting sharper, and geopolitical uncertainty hasn’t exactly calmed down.
Through it all, brands have asked suppliers to move faster, invest more, and absorb volatility. Yet many overlook one simple but powerful step: providing an opportunity for suppliers to share how those purchasing decisions are experienced in practice. This is what Cascale’s Better Buying provides – and now is the perfect time to get involved.
Brands that subscribe to Better Buying empower their suppliers to provide valuable information that can strengthen how they manage risk. It starts with becoming a Better Buying subscriber today – not tomorrow. The Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) survey is now open to suppliers April 1–May 31.
Purchasing practices are no longer just an operational nicety tucked away in sourcing teams. No, they are a strategic lever deployed across organizations that can either stabilize performance or quietly undermine it. With sign-ups closing next month for brand and retailer subscribers, the BBPPI, a comprehensive, anonymized survey, exists to shine a light on how buying practices are working in reality for suppliers. It’s not polished policy statements or investor slide decks, it’s the quantitative truth of a company’s day-to-day commercial relationships. And it’s all sourced confidentially and securely – providing a safe, credible way to understand what is happening on the ground across your supply chains. As we know in consumer goods, when supply chains span dozens of countries and hundreds or thousands of suppliers, being everywhere is an impossible feat.
Here are five reasons why relationships matter more than ever in 2026, and why Better Buying needs to be part of your supply chain strategy.
When lead times shrink without warning, when orders shift late in the process, or when payments are delayed – the impact is immediate. It shows up in production schedules, workforce stability, cash flow, and long-term planning. That instability does not just affect suppliers; it increases risk across the value chain and makes disruption more likely at the worst possible moment. For years, Better Buying surveys have captured these knock-on effects, drawing on confidential supplier insights to hold a mirror up to industry practices.
More companies are starting to treat purchasing discipline as part of their broader risk management framework. The BBPPI provides structured feedback on where friction exists and where improvements are taking hold. That visibility is not about blame – but rather about mutual accountability. It is about reducing surprises, strengthening relationships, and understanding where commercial practices may be creating unintended exposure.
In volatile markets, predictability becomes a competitive advantage.
We talk a lot about decarbonization targets: Scope 3 reductions, supplier-level investments in cleaner energy, and efficiency improvements. But suppliers cannot invest in emissions reduction if margins are constantly under pressure or planning cycles are unstable. In reality, both capital and innovation follow confidence.
There is a direct connection between decent work and climate action, which is at the heart of Cascale’s work. In fact, last year’s BBPPI report noted that 2025 was “marked more by setbacks and emerging risks than by advancement.”
We know the phrase, “it’s not rocket science.” With commercial predictability comes space to invest in long-term decarbonization. If climate ambition sits on one side of the table and purchasing pressure sits on the other, something eventually gives.
The BBPPI helps highlight where those tensions exist and where they are being resolved. It provides a clearer picture of whether commercial models are reinforcing sustainability goals or quietly working against them.
Across key markets, due diligence expectations are expanding.
It is no longer enough to have a policy in place; companies are increasingly expected to demonstrate how commercial practices align with social and environmental commitments. Make no mistake, that is a governance question.
Structured feedback mechanisms, credible benchmarking, and documented improvement plans are becoming part of the toolkit for demonstrating oversight. Participation in the BBPPI can support those internal conversations by providing comparable quantitative data and a clearer evidence base. Evidence travels well to Boards, investors, and regulators alike.
This is not about optics. It is about being able to show how commitments translate into day-to-day practice, especially when external scrutiny intensifies.
Many organizations have ambitious sustainability strategies, while sourcing teams operate under intense cost and speed pressure. Those tensions are real, and they do not disappear simply because a strategy has been approved.
Essential for any executive dealing with material sustainability and operational risks, BBPPI data pinpoints where misalignment exists and where collaboration is improving. It gives sustainability leaders and procurement leaders a common reference point built on real supplier feedback, not anecdotes or assumptions.
As well, it sharpens and flags potential risks for operations and finance leaders. That shared visibility can shift conversations internally, moving them from “who is responsible?” toward “what can we improve together?”
That is usually where meaningful change begins.
The 2025 BBPPI results showed something important: even in a disrupted market, progress is possible. Some practices improved, while other areas remain stubbornly challenging. That is the reality of systemic change.
Improvement, however, only happens when feedback is structured, comparable, and acted upon. Supplier voices matter, as does the willingness of brands and retailers to listen and respond. The stronger the dataset, the clearer the signal for the industry as a whole.
But brands and retailers have to take that first courageous leap to subscribe by March 31 (now closed).
Resilience is not built on good intentions alone. It is built on disciplined feedback loops that allow companies to course-correct before pressure turns into crisis.
Participation is not about ticking a box. It is about understanding how commercial practices are performing under pressure and where there is room to strengthen them. In 2026, responsible purchasing is not a values debate; it is a business continuity strategy.
Brands and retailers, do not miss your chance to learn more and subscribe. You will gain structured, confidential supplier feedback in a customized report detailing how your purchasing practices are performing in practice.
Better Buying Subscription Form for Buyers
In this guest blog, Jayanth Kashyap, investment lead at Good Fashion Fund, outlines the industry’s structural gaps and how Cascale’s “Source of Good” podcast dives deeper.
For years, industry focus was on cost, speed, and efficiency. That hasn’t gone away, but it’s no longer enough.
Apparel brands still don’t give suppliers sufficient notice periods and lead times. A due diligence approach should include better long-term planning and collaboration with suppliers.
