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Mar Apr
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Tools / Higg Facility Tools

Higg Facility Tools

The Higg Facility Tools provide insights into social and environmental performance of manufacturing facilities so users can identify opportunities for continuous sustainability improvement.

From resource and energy use (Higg FEM) to working conditions (Higg FSLM), these tools provide insights that are critical to transforming the consumer goods industry into one that gives back more than it takes from people and the planet.

 

 

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Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM)

A 2024 Fast Company “World Changing Ideas” finalist. For over a decade, the Higg FEM tool has helped companies build sustainability strategies based on credible data, pinpoint hotspots, and make breakthrough improvements on a global scale; today, it is used by over 20,000 companies worldwide.

The Higg FEM is a transformative tool used to assess the environmental impact of product manufacturing at facilities. Every stage of the production process is captured through this tool: from water and waste management to chemical and energy use. The Higg FEM not only uncovers hotspot areas for improvement, but also reduces redundancy and mitigates risk.

    Focus areas:
  • 01
    Environmental Management Systems
  • 02
    Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • 03
    Water Use
  • 04
    Wastewater
  • 05
    Air Emissions
  • 06
    Waste Management
  • 07
    Chemical Management

Higg FEM 4.0

The most comprehensive assessment for environmental performance in the consumer goods industry.

Higg FEM Data Quality

High-quality data is critical to the value and credibility of the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM). Cascale and Worldly are continuously strengthening Higg FEM data quality across the entire process; from how information is entered to how it is verified.

Recent improvements include clearer guidance, updated emissions models aligned with the GHG Protocol, new validation rules to prevent common errors, and smarter platform features like automated outlier detection. We’ve also expanded our verification Quality Assurance program, reducing avoidable verification errors and increasing consistency across verifiers globally.

These updates help ensure Higg FEM results are more accurate, comparable, and reliable — supporting better decision-making for manufacturers, brands, and regulators.

Higg FEM Feedback

At Cascale, we deeply value the insights and feedback of our members, Higg Index users, and stakeholders, as they play a vital role in shaping and improving our tools. We invite you to submit your feedback on the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM). Your input, particularly regarding suggested improvements to the module, will help us enhance its functionality, usability, and effectiveness.

Share Your Feedback
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The Higg Facility Social 
& Labor Module (Higg FSLM)

The Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM) Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) fosters safe and equitable social and labor conditions worldwide by leveraging tracking management systems, operational controls, oversight, and engagement with workers and stakeholders. Developed based on the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) framework, the Higg FSLM CAF uses a universal scoring system to enhance social performance in manufacturing facilities globally.

This system provides valuable insights to guide better actions, decisions, and practices. It is utilized by brands, retailers, and manufacturers of all sizes to evaluate the working conditions of employees who produce billions of consumer goods annually. The scoring focuses on critical factors, including wages, working hours, health and safety standards, and the treatment of employees, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of social impact within facilities.

    Focus areas:
  • 01
    Recruitment and Hiring
  • 02
    Working Hours
  • 03
    Wages and Benefits
  • 04
    Employee Treatment
  • 05
    Employee Involvement
  • 06
    Health and Safety
  • 07
    Termination
  • 08
    Management Systems
  • 09
    Empowering People and Communities

Communicating Your Higg Index Performance

Cascale provides guidelines on sharing your Higg Index performance as part of any business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C) communications. Please review the Higg Index Communication Guidelines for more information.

Download the Communication Guidelines (How to Higg Website)

Accessing the Higg Facility Tools

The Higg Index Tools are owned by Cascale and exclusively licensed to Worldly, the leading platform for sustainability data and analytics in consumer goods supply chains. Although Cascale members benefit from exclusive community support, educational experiences, and collaborative opportunities, the Higg Index suite of tools can be accessed through Worldly without Cascale membership.

Access the Higg Facility Tools
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Frequently Asked Questions

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  • Why has there been a recent increase in Higg FEM data quality concerns?
    With the rollout of Higg FEM 4.0 in 2023, Cascale and Worldly have observed an uptick in data quality concerns raised by Higg FEM users. These concerns are due to new and enhanced questions which, in some cases, surfaced inaccurate data, new data points, and increased scrutiny over quantitative data.
  • How are Cascale and Worldly improving Higg FEM data quality?
    Cascale and Worldly are rolling out a series of measures across the Higg FEM ecosystem to enhance data quality. These measures cover the full life cycle of the data process, from preventing inaccurate data from being entered into posted Higg FEMs, to ensuring verification delivers higher confidence in data quality in posted vFEMs.
  • What is the SLCP and Converged Assessment Framework?
    Launched by Cascale in 2015, the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) aims to reduce audit fatigue and improve working conditions in the apparel industry. In 2018, Cascale updated the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM) to incorporate the Converged Assessment Framework (CAF), a data collection tool that was built by SLCP. In addition to incorporating the CAF question sets into the Higg FSLM,  the tool also utilizes SLCP’s verification methodology. In February 2024, the SLCP separated from Cascale and became an independent Dutch non-profit foundation; at that time, the CAF had been implemented in more than 60 countries at 11,000 facilities. Recognizing that harmonizing efforts through the CAF reduces the quantity of social and labor audits – eliminating audit fatigue, facilitating data comparisons, and freeing up resources for improvement programs – the organizations pledged continued collaboration to expand the reach of the CAF into adjacent product categories and industries.
  • How does module sharing work?
    Manufacturers can share their modules directly with any account and request to view modules from accounts that have filled out a module; brand and other account types can request modules from manufacturing facilities.

Resources

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