Cascale remains committed to developing a Verification program that is credible, adaptable, and modular to uphold the highest standards as the program continues to grow.
Cascale remains committed to developing a Verification program that is credible, adaptable, and modular to uphold the highest standards as the program continues to grow.
Cascale shared MCAP and Higg FEM learnings at The Komar Supplier Sustainability Forum.
The Komar Supplier Sustainability Forum recently convened 70 participants from across the consumer goods industry in China. Cascale’s speakers included Nicole Lee-Kauer, manager, Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP); and Peony Tam, manager, Global Membership Development APAC.
Key Takeaways
With a global reach of 250 Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, Komar has made public decarbonization commitments, including to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 27.5 percent by 2030. In a dedicated decarbonization session, Cascale’s Lee-Kauer shared the importance of MCAP to help Komar’s Chinese suppliers get started in their decarbonization journey.
Lee-Kauer and Tam were joined by Tiffany Leung, customer success associate – Hong Kong at Worldly, and together they encouraged suppliers to transform data from the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), delivered through Worldly’s global technology platform, into business value, while empowering them to take greater ownership for their sustainability performance. The session highlighted useful resources like the Higg Index Learning Center, an open resource that shares practical guidance and operational examples for utilizing the tool. Rather than a tick-box exercise or response to brand-driven demand, suppliers were encouraged to understand that accurate data can support their own operational improvement and long-term business value.
The session also highlighted ongoing confusion. In a quick poll, the majority of attendees were unclear about the shared relationship between Worldly and Cascale. The speakers clarified their complementary roles within the ecosystem: The Higg Index frameworks, modules, and methodologies are stewarded and governed by Cascale and implemented globally through the Worldly sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform.
In the presentation, Lee-Kauer and Tam emphasized that Cascale offers both a like-minded and committed sustainability community and mutual support network for manufacturers. They highlighted the scale and relevance of Cascale as a community, showcasing a breadth of brand and manufacturer members.
This masterclass is designed for facilities and brands looking to build confidence in using Higg FEM 4.0.
Reflections from HowToHigg on guidance, interpretation, and where clarity matters most.
Most sustainability systems are designed with outputs in mind.
Scores, benchmarks, disclosures, reports.
But if you want to understand where things are actually working or breaking down, it’s often more useful to look one step earlier. Not at the data itself, but at the questions people ask when they’re trying to produce it.
Over the past couple of months, we’ve been looking more closely at anonymized user questions submitted through a support feature within HowToHigg, designed to help users navigate Higg Index guidance more effectively.
HowToHigg supports users across the full suite of Higg Index tools, which are built on Cascale’s methodologies and framework, with the tools themselves being exclusively available via Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform.
From a communications and engagement perspective, these questions are particularly useful. They don’t necessarily reflect the issues users encounter once inside the tools, or the detailed feedback captured through formal channels. But they do highlight where guidance, interpretation, and understanding may need to be strengthened, often before or alongside direct tool use.
Across more than 400 user questions, a number of consistent themes started to emerge. Taken together, they offer a useful lens into where users are seeking clarity, and where interpretation may begin to diverge.
A large share of questions focused on Higg FEM verification procedures. How to select Verification Bodies, what deadlines apply, how verifier rotation works, and the difference between self-assessment and verified scores. These are not edge cases. They sit at the core of how data becomes credible and comparable.
We also saw frequent questions around data classification and reporting methodology. How to distinguish between hazardous and non-hazardous waste. How to classify water use. How energy sources align with GHG Protocol scopes. These are the kinds of decisions that seem small in isolation but have a direct impact on consistency when applied across thousands of facilities.
Another cluster of questions related to cadence, deadlines, and module access, including reporting timelines and purchasing requirements. Again, not complex in theory, but critical in practice when companies are managing reporting across multiple teams and regions.
Questions around scoring logic and weighting came up repeatedly as well. Whether Level 2 and Level 3 questions are scored. How sub-questions contribute to final scores. What happens when zero-tolerance issues are identified. These are the mechanics behind the numbers, and understanding them is key to interpreting results correctly.
Some questions also pointed to platform access and functionality, reinforcing the importance of close coordination between Cascale’s methodologies and guidance, and Worldly’s platform delivery.
It’s important to be clear about what this is, and what it isn’t.
These insights are not a substitute for the detailed feedback gathered through formal channels such as Zendesk, direct user engagement, or module-specific support. Those remain critical for identifying and resolving specific issues within the tools themselves.
What this layer of questions offers is something slightly different. An earlier view into how users approach Higg Index guidance, and where additional clarity may be needed before or alongside engaging directly with the tools.
As the primary guidance platform for the Higg Index, HowToHigg plays a critical role in shaping how methodologies are understood and applied. And in that context, the questions users ask are often the first indication of where interpretation may begin to diverge.
If we want consistent, comparable data, that layer matters.
Because even the most robust methodologies rely on consistent understanding in practice. And every unclear definition, every misinterpretation, and every point of confusion has the potential to show up downstream.
So the takeaway is a simple one.
Pay attention to the questions.
They don’t just reflect what users don’t know. They point to where we can make the system clearer, more accessible, and ultimately more consistent in how it’s applied.
New report shows Cascale’s Higg FEM verification program delivers credible environmental performance data to inform decision making across global consumer goods supply chains.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – April 23, 2026: Cascale today released its Higg FEM Verification 2025 Annual Report, demonstrating progress in delivering consistent, comparable, and credible environmental performance data to help inform decision making across global consumer goods supply chains.
The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) is a core component of the Higg Index, which is stewarded and governed by Cascale and accessible through Worldly, the sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform. Verification is a critical component of the Higg FEM system. It improves the accuracy of assessments, reduces variability in how assessments are applied, and enables more consistent interpretation of results across facilities and regions.
As adoption of Higg FEM continues to scale across the consumer goods industry, data verification is increasingly important to help brands and manufacturers make more informed decisions. Cascale continues to evaluate and evolve the verification program to ensure it delivers value, supports increasing expectations on data quality, and enables more reliable performance tracking. In 2025, Cascale prioritized stabilizing operations, strengthening quality assurance systems, and reinforcing integrity mechanisms following the rollout of Higg FEM 4.0.
“Verification is fundamental to ensuring sustainability data can be trusted and used to drive meaningful decisions,” said Dhawall Mane, director of verification, training & insights at Cascale. “In 2025, we focused on strengthening the systems, processes, and oversight that underpin the Higg FEM verification program. These improvements deliver more consistent, reliable data at scale, supporting greater transparency and accountability across global supply chains.”
The report details significant advancements supported by enhanced quality assurance controls, introduced on the Worldly platform in 2025, which strengthened both error prevention and real-time issue detection. Strengthened monitoring infrastructure, paired with greater stakeholder engagement through integrity reporting channels, supported the timely identification and resolution of issues throughout the year. Protecting the credibility of the verification system remains a foundational priority.
Operational enhancements in 2025 included clearer verification requirements, expanded calibration support, improved data correction processes, and strengthened categorization standards. Together, these efforts are helping reduce variability and improve consistency across verification outcomes.
Cascale also advanced several initiatives to ensure evolution of the verification program remains fit for purpose, including introducing a multi-phase initiative to better align verification timing with how data is generated and used, as well as pausing expansion of verification of Level 2 and 3 questions in order to ensure the quality and practicality of the program by focusing on Level 1 questions. As the verification program continues to scale, Cascale remains committed to strengthening governance, enhancing transparency, and supporting stakeholders across the value chain.
Cascale members are invited to learn more and dive deeper into key report insights by registering for an exclusive member-only webinar on May 6.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
This new report shows Cascale’s Higg FEM verification program delivers credible environmental performance data to inform decision making across global consumer goods supply chains.
Like many brands, EILEEN FISHER operates within a complex supply chain while also managing environmental and social impacts at the corporate level. As a New York State Public Benefit Corporation and certified B Corp, the company aims to hold itself accountable through clear goals, consistent measurement, and transparent reporting. To do that, EILEEN FISHER needs:
To support these objectives, EILEEN FISHER uses standardized, industry-aligned measurement tools to evaluate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance across its business and supply chain. As a long-standing Cascale member, EILEEN FISHER relies on the Higg Index frameworks, modules, and methodologies – which are stewarded and governed by Cascale and implemented globally through the Worldly technology platform – to support consistent, credible sustainability measurement.
The company publicly discloses verified results from the Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg BRM) in its annual Benefit Corporation Reports and aligns broader social and environmental oversight with shared industry tools such as the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM) and the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM). For this case study, EILEEN FISHER provided Higg FSLM and Higg FEM insights.
The Higg BRM provides a structured framework that enables EILEEN FISHER to evaluate governance systems, environmental management, supply chain insight, and social impact using standardized criteria aligned with industry peers. By completing the Higg BRM annually, EILEEN FISHER establishes a recurring benchmark that informs internal decision-making, supports strategic prioritization, and enables public reporting backed by verified data.
According to its 2024 Benefit Corporation Report, EILEEN FISHER reported its verified Higg BRM score increased from 45.2 percent in 2022 to 52.7 percent in 2023 and 56.6 percent in 2024, representing a cumulative 11.4 percent increase year over year. The company attributed this improvement to:
This year-over-year score increase demonstrates how standardized, data-driven frameworks guide measurable performance improvements. By disclosing verified Higg BRM results alongside its B Impact Assessment, EILEEN FISHER reinforces transparency and demonstrates alignment between industry-specific sustainability metrics and broader ESG governance standards.
To complement brand-level governance measurement, EILEEN FISHER uses the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM) to evaluate working conditions across its supplier facilities. The company has demonstrated significant progress in adopting and verifying Higg FSLM assessments across its supply chain by rapidly scaling adoption of Higg FSLM self-assessments from 2020-2022.
EILEEN FISHER now maintains an 80-90 percent adoption rate for verified T1 suppliers and 20 percent adoption rate for verified T2 suppliers, with plans to scale further. Their progress includes both the Higg FSLM and Better Work in Vietnam and Indonesia, which aligns with the Higg FSLM via the Social and Labor Convergence Program (SLCP).
Approximately 80 percent of the assessments originate from five key countries – China, the United States, Peru, and Turkey – with China among the highest-adopted sourcing nations, and the apparel, accessories, and footwear sector remains at the forefront of the Higg FSLM adoption within the company’s supply chain.
These results reflect a structured approach to strengthen social and labor performance, expanding verified data across sourcing regions, and deepening supplier engagement over time. By embedding Higg FSLM assessments into supplier engagement, EILEEN FISHER enhances transparency, reduces duplicative audits, and supports measurable improvements in working conditions.
Advancing Environmental Performance Through Higg FEM
EILEEN FISHER also utilizes the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) to track environmental performance at the facility level. The tool plays an important role in informing the company’s Scope 3 inventory and broader decarbonization strategy. As of 2024, 88 percent of product (by volume) is made by Tier 1 facilities completing the Higg FEM and 55.5 percent of product (by volume) is made by Tier 2 facilities completing the Higg FEM.
These facilities provide verified environmental data that informs the company’s carbon footprint calculations and strengthens supplier engagement. By leveraging Higg FEM insights, EILEEN FISHER advances foundational environmental performance, supports science-aligned decarbonization efforts, and enhances data-driven decision-making across its value chain.
Why This Matters
EILEEN FISHER’s approach illustrates how standardized, industry-aligned tools enable sustainability to move from commitment to measurable action. By using the Higg Index:
This reflects Cascale’s mission to deliver credible tools built on strong frameworks and methodologies, as well as aligned standards and strong governance systems that enable collective progress across climate and decent work priorities.
By integrating brand-level and facility-level measurement into corporate oversight and supplier engagement, EILEEN FISHER demonstrates how social and environmental sustainability performance can be embedded into governance — advancing transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the value chain.
Refreshed Higg FEM 2025 delivers data-driven insights, sharper emission metrics, and enhanced verification to accelerate industry-wide progress.
Cascale’s Annual Environmental Tool Update Equips Manufacturers with Data-Driven Insights
Refreshed Higg FEM 2025 delivers data-driven insights, sharper emission metrics, and enhanced verification to accelerate industry-wide progress.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – November 6, 2025: Cascale has updated the latest Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), ensuring the tool evolves with real-world needs of the consumer goods industry while driving measurable impact across global supply chains. Part of Cascale’s Higg Index, the Higg FEM is available on Worldly, the industry’s leading sustainability data insights platform.
The Higg FEM enables shared measurement of environmental performance across key impact areas — from water and waste to chemical and energy use. By providing consistent, science-based data, it helps manufacturers, brands, and retailers identify improvement opportunities, align expectations, and take informed action toward science-aligned goals.
“The updated Higg FEM gives manufacturers like ITL Group a sharper lens on environmental performance; one rooted in data, progress tracking, and collaboration,” said Jimmy Christopher, Senior Vice President, Group Sustainability & Innovation at ITL. “By using credible insights to guide action, we can move beyond compliance toward measurable progress that supports both business resilience and environmental goals.”
Developed through a collaborative process guided by the Higg FEM Strategic Council, Cascale members, and users worldwide, each update reflects the organization’s commitment to continuous improvement and industry-wide collaboration. Expanding beyond apparel, the Higg FEM remains the most comprehensive environmental assessment tool for consumer goods production, supporting textile, apparel, footwear, home furnishings, sporting, outdoor goods, bags, and luggage.
Key Updates in Higg FEM 2025
The Higg FEM 2025 introduces targeted refinements that enhance relevance and usability while minimizing disruption. Updates include:
“The Higg FEM continues to be a catalyst for industry-wide sustainability progress,” said Jeremy Lardeau, Higg Index senior vice president, at Cascale. “Aligned with our mission to combat climate change, this update demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement, as we strive to empower organizations to make smarter, data-driven decisions.”
“Our collaboration with Cascale reflects a shared vision — to make sustainability data not just something the industry reports, but something it runs on,” said Scott Raskin, CEO, Worldly. “When data becomes intelligence that flows through both manufacturing and brand operations, real progress becomes part of the system itself.”
Additionally, platform enhancements introduced by Worldly help turn supplier data into decision-ready intelligence, including the Insights Hub dashboard to translate Higg FEM and Higg Facility Social & Labor (Higg FSLM) data into actionable insights.
For a complete list of Higg FEM 2025 updates, members and users can access the Higg FEM 2025 How to Higg Guide.
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 | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
ABOUT WORLDLY
Worldly is the leading sustainability data and analytics platform for the consumer goods industry, empowering brands, retailers, and manufacturers to turn primary data into strategic action. Trusted by over 40,000 companies across apparel, footwear, home furnishings, and sporting goods, Worldly provides deep visibility into environmental and social impact — from carbon and water to chemicals and labor — at the product, facility, and value-chain levels.
Built on the industry’s leading standards, including Cascale’s Higg Index tools, Worldly transforms raw data into actionable intelligence that helps businesses reduce risk, meet evolving regulations, and accelerate measurable impact.
EFRAG highlights Higg FEM among leading platforms supporting SMEs in meeting EU sustainability requirements.
In September, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) published its Mapping of Digital Platforms and Initiatives for SME Sustainability Reporting, a comprehensive review of tools helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) align with EU sustainability requirements, including the new Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standards for SMEs (VSME).
Out of 223 platforms and initiatives surveyed, Cascale’s Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) – available exclusively on the Worldly platform – was highlighted among a small group of platforms shortlisted for deeper review. This recognition underscores Higg FEM’s credibility and strong positioning within Europe’s sustainability reporting ecosystem, particularly the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standards for SMEs (VSME).
As EU policymakers explore ways to ease compliance challenges for SMEs, EFRAG’s findings highlight the critical role of industry-developed, data-driven solutions like Higg FEM in delivering practical and scalable pathways for environmental transparency and performance improvement.
Please note that the inclusion of a tool, platform, or initiative in these reports should not be interpreted as a form of direct or indirect endorsement or certification by EFRAG.
