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A look at building balance and equity.
Building Balance and Equity at Cascale: A Look Ahead

Cascale’s senior director of communications, Lee Green, unpacks recent changes and updates in store on all things tools, membership, and more!

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Tools / Higg FEM 4.0

Higg FEM 4.0

Higg FEM 4.0 is positioned as the most comprehensive assessment for environmental performance in the consumer goods industry. We strongly encourage members to submit their self-assessment before the April 30 deadline.

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Introduction

Built for users – and by users – Higg FEM 4.0 is a game changer for sustainable decision making. Here’s why:

  • Better data quality:  Higg FEM 4.0 provides more detailed and more relevant data. The changes within the Higg FEM tool were made as a direct result from member and user requests for more precise and accurate information, and a notable new feature is an anomaly detector, designed to identify errors in real time. 
  • Alignment with global industry standards:  Higg FEM 4.0 aligns with key industry standards, including the GHG Protocol, Science-Based Targets initiative, and ZDHC Roadmap to Zero. Additionally, the tool makes industry benchmarking a reality. It considers regulation in its design so members have an overview to support their alignment.
  • Expansion of environmental issues:  the update covers more relevant environmental impacts — such as groundwater contamination — to ensure the tool reflects key impact areas businesses need to evaluate and addresses current challenges.
  • Improved assessment relevance:  through improved applicability criteria, users will now only see questions relevant to their specific operations, so they can spend less time on assessment questions that are irrelevant to them. Suppliers also benefit from streamlined auditing.
  • Significant platform improvements:  in addition to the new anomaly detector, Higg FEM 4.0 also offers easier access to guidance, optimized data exports, and an expanded online training library.  
  • Verification updates:  to mitigate the expected verification cost increase due to a longer questionnaire, the 2024 FEM verification cycle will be narrowed to a core set of questions covering foundational practices and key impact metrics (GHG emissions and water use).

Higg FEM 4.0 isn’t just a sustainability tool. It’s a testament to what we can do together to build the industry – and future – that we want to see.

Are you ready to be part of this inspiring change? Learn more below about how you can be involved and dive into the exciting world of Higg FEM 4.0!

Webinar Recordings & Key Dates 

Cascale x Worldly Office Hours 

Cascale and Worldly will co-host weekly Office Hours, starting November 21, 2023. Register at HowtoHigg.org. 

Cascale FEM 2023 Verification Webinars

  • All-Member Webinar
    Tuesday, November 21, 2023 – 7:00 AM CET / 11:30 AM IST / 2:00 PM HKT
    Register now
  • Member & User Webinar
    Thursday, November 23, 2023 – 7:00 AM CET / 11:30 AM IST / 2:00 PM HKT
    Register now

Cascale All-Member Town Hall

EMEA / APAC Higg FEM 4.0 Town Hall – November 14, 2023

Watch the recording here (Password: 2$8NvZ1k) 

Cascale x Worldly Higg FEM 4.0 Launch Webinars

AMER/ EMEA Launch Webinar – November 7, 2023
Watch the recording here (Password: RS$H60.!)

APAC Launch Webinar – November 8, 2023
Watch the recording here (Password: 2geK^39C) 

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Training

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Higg FEM 4.0: Impact to Scores by Section

With the transition to Higg FEM 4.0 starting January 1, 2024, members and users alike are experiencing a major shift with the scores of Higg FEM: these scores are not comparable between the 3.0 and 4.0 versions. Scores are undergoing a reset in this transition year, and a re-baselining of scores and expectations is necessary.

Download now

Resources

  • Higg FEM
higg-fem-4-technical-paper-cover-publication
  • Higg FEM

Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) 4.0 Technical Paper

The purpose of this Technical Paper is for Higg FEM users to start understanding and preparing for the next version of the Higg FEM (“Higg FEM 4.0”), which will officially be released on the Higg platform in November 2023. Facilities will start reporting their 2023 performance using the FEM 4.0 framework.

December 12, 2022