Cascale collaborates with Modaes’ Move! to break down EU PEF and guide Spanish brands on actionable steps for aligning with product-level environmental measurement standards.
Highlights from Move! PEFCR Webinar:
Cascale recently collaborated with Modaes, Spain’s leading fashion business journal, to deliver a webinar on the European Union’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) framework. The session, titled “PEF or How to Measure the Environmental Footprint According to the EU,” was livestreamed on LinkedIn, engaging professionals across the Spanish consumer goods industry.
The webinar trails a recent collaboration between the organizations, with Cascale participating in a PEFCR launch event in Madrid earlier this month.
Introduced by Sònia Flotats, director of Modaes’ MOVE! platform, Melissa Ortuño de Leon – senior manager, Higg Product Tools – reinforced Cascale’s role as a technical contributor and coordinator of the Apparel and Footwear PEFCR. By translating complex regulatory developments into actionable guidance, the webinar aimed to support Spanish brands and industry-wide stakeholders in navigating evolving sustainability requirements.
Ortuño de Leon provided a clear and accessible introduction to PEF and the Apparel and Footwear Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR). She shared practical insights on how brands can prepare to assess the environmental impact of their products, including key requirements and implementation steps aligned with EU expectations.
Engagement was clear throughout the webinar. Attendee questions spanned the similarities between PEF and France’s mandate on Environmental Cost, the potential inclusion of traceability information, and product differentiators between organic and non-organic fabrics.
A recording of the webinar is now publicly available through Modaes’ MOVE! platform, extending its reach to a broader audience.
Looking ahead, Cascale will continue to explore opportunities to collaborate with Modaes to support industry alignment, strengthen understanding of sustainability frameworks, and enable credible, consistent measurement across the value chain.
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.
Cascale’s new refinements maintain the module’s credibility while supporting benchmarking and long-term strategy development.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – March 4, 2026: Cascale today announced the 2025 cadence of the Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg BRM), reaffirming the commitment to continuous improvement and member-driven evolution. The Higg BRM 2025 cadence will run from March 3 through June 30, 2026.
The Higg BRM supports brands and retailers in measuring environmental, social, and governance performance across their operations and value chains. For the 2025 cadence, key updates include:
Cascale will support members throughout the cadence, including through a member-only webinar on April 7 – members can click here to register!
“The Higg BRM remains a strategic module for sustainable and responsible business operations,” said Adrián Branco, Sr. Manager, Higg BRM at Cascale. “Each year, we refine the module to reflect member feedback, the latest trends in our industry, and evolving regulatory landscapes. Our goal is to support brands and retailers in assessing impacts, benchmarking performance, strengthening governance, and moving from measurement to meaningful action.”
The Higg BRM is a core component of the Higg Index framework and methodologies stewarded and governed by Cascale, and is delivered globally through Worldly’s technology platform. Collectively, the Higg Index is the leading sustainability measurement framework for the consumer goods industry. Through aligned governance, consistent methodology, and global collaboration, Cascale continues to strengthen the foundation for credible industry transformation.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
The ESRAP Educates session connected students and faculty with Cascale, the Higg Index, and Worldly to build career-ready sustainability skills.
Cascale recently joined a new educational workshop series led by Educators for Socially-Responsible Apparel Practices (ESRAP), creating a direct connection between industry tools and the next generation of fashion and sustainability professionals.
Facilitated by Andrea Kennedy, fashion department lead at Berkeley College, a Cascale member, and Tasha Lewis, a fashion and retail studies professor at The Ohio State University, the session marked an early installment of ESRAP Educates. The speaker-panel series is designed to equip fashion faculty with practical insights and resources they can bring back to their classrooms. More than 45 students and educators participated, representing programs in sustainable fashion, apparel, and footwear.
Speakers from Cascale and Worldly explained how the two organizations work together to support credible sustainability education and real-world application. Cascale’s communications director Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff shared an overview of Cascale’s mission as a global nonprofit alliance and steward of the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly. Then, Charlie Gustafson, product marketing manager at Worldly, shared the organization’s role as the comprehensive data and analytics platform that helps scale the Higg Index tools.
Together, the directors illustrated how industry-aligned standards, trusted data, and scalable platforms work in tandem to turn sustainability goals into measurable action. The discussion focused on how educators and students can use these tools to develop practical, career-ready skills aligned with current industry expectations.
The workshop also explored opportunities for students and academic institutions to engage with Cascale and Worldly, including access to resources, learning pathways, and membership benefits that support teaching, research, and workforce development.
By participating in ESRAP Educates, Cascale continues to expand its engagement with the academic community, supporting educators as they prepare students to navigate sustainability challenges with clarity, consistency, and credible data.
The Principles on the Frequency of Environmental Data Reporting, reflects the growing recognition that while environmental data and disclosure are vital for progress, the industry must also ensure reporting is efficient, purposeful, and actionable. The goal is to strike a balance — collecting the right data at the right frequency to drive measurable impact without unnecessary burdens on manufacturers.
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.
Cascale’s global membership manager, Peony Tam, represented Cascale at two events in Asia focused on advancing sustainability in consumer goods supply chains through collaboration, data, and education.
Last month, Peony Tam, Cascale’s global membership manager, represented Cascale at two events in Asia focused on advancing sustainability in consumer goods supply chains through collaboration, data, and education.
Hosted by Huali Group, one of the world’s largest footwear manufacturers and a key supplier to brands such as Nike and Puma, Tam joined more than 90 strategic material suppliers to discuss the future of sustainable manufacturing.
In her remarks, Tam introduced Cascale and the Higg Index — the industry’s leading suite of tools for measuring environmental and social impact, exclusively available on Worldly — and highlighted Cascale’s role in empowering manufacturers to improve their ESG performance.
She emphasized Cascale’s commitment to combating climate change, aligning closely with Huali’s sustainability priorities, and underscored how Cascale provides guidance, programs, and a platform for manufacturers’ voices to be heard. The session fostered new understanding of how collective data-driven approaches can strengthen transparency and resilience across global supply chains.
In a separate event, Tam returned to her alma mater, Hong Kong Baptist University, as a guest lecturer in the university’s course on corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement.
Building on her professional journey from student to sustainability practitioner, Tam spoke to over 40 undergraduate students from the School of Communications, about how Cascale and its partners — including Textile Exchange, ZDHC, and the Apparel Impact Institute — work together to transform the consumer goods industry through the Higg Index tools and capacity-building programs.
During an interactive exercise, students mapped industry stakeholders using Cascale’s membership network, exploring how collaboration among brands, manufacturers, NGOs, and solution providers can drive measurable progress. The session concluded with a call to action, encouraging students to stay engaged in the sustainability field and explore careers that connect purpose with impact.
The Higg MSI v3.11 update strengthens data accuracy and transparency across the consumer goods industry.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – November 3, 2025: Cascale has released version 3.11 of the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI), introducing new cotton datasets and expanded material categories for home furnishings. The update enhances data accuracy and supports more informed, science-based material choices across the consumer goods industry.
Part of Cascale’s Higg Index suite, the Higg MSI is the industry’s most widely used standardized framework for measuring material impacts – from raw material extraction through manufacturing and finishing. Updated twice yearly, the tool ensures users have access to the most credible, current data available. The Higg MSI is exclusively hosted on Worldly, the leading sustainability data and analytics platform.
“With this update, we’re advancing a more comprehensive, data-driven understanding of material impacts across sectors,” said Jeremy Lardeau, vice president of Higg Index at Cascale. “The improved cotton datasets address a long-standing data gap and represent the power of collective work to strengthen the industry’s access to credible, comparable information.”
New Materials Categories and Updated Datasets
To enhance accuracy and material diversity across the tool, the Higg MSI v3.11 introduces new materials categories that are especially relevant to home furnishing manufacturers, including mineral-based materials such as stoneware, natural stone, glass ceramic, porcelain, and container glass.
“Reliable data is the foundation of responsible sourcing,” said Scarlette Tapp, Scarlette Tapp, Executive Director, Sustainable Furnishings Council, where key assets were acquired by Cascale in September. “Continued evolution of the Higg MSI represents progress toward a stronger value chain for the home furnishings and wider consumer goods industry.”
MSI v3.11 also includes updated modeling for nylon and polyester and expanded data for cotton and leather. Its new cotton datasets were modeled according to Cascale’s industry-aligned Cotton LCA methodology, which was published in October 2024. The cotton methodology was the product of over three years of collaboration between Cascale and key industry stakeholders in order to:
“Improving access to farm-level data supports hotspot analysis and can help key stakeholders, especially brand members, in their science-based reporting and evaluation of their selected materials,” said Miguel Gómez-Escolar Viejo, Head of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) at the Better Cotton Initiative. “Working with Cascale to increase data availability following an industry aligned methodology, particularly from smallholder contexts, strengthens collaboration with our brand partners.”
Updated Midpoints and Scores
Additionally, all midpoints and scores were changed to align with the updated LCA for Experts (formerly GaBi) database. Because background datasets such as raw materials and energy were updated, score changes of around ±10% can be expected.
Cascale members and Higg MSI users can learn more about the latest updates by visiting the Higg MSI Change Log.
ABOUT CASCALE
Cascale is the global nonprofit 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.
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.
Leading cotton programs have released a joint LCA position paper raising awareness on data use and misconceptions, with Cascale contributing additional expertise.
In the latest effort to make cotton data more accessible and available, cotton programs have released an LCA position paper, with Cascale contributing additional expertise.
Together, Better Cotton, Cotton Australia, Cotton Incorporated, and U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol commissioned the report, with Cascale, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, and Textile Exchange as contributors. EarthShift Global, LLC prepared the report, “From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right” which zeroes in on the importance of proper use and interpretation of cotton LCA data, especially in the context of differing growing regions and methodological parameters.
Cascale’s Joël Mertens, head of Higg Product Tools at Cascale, outlined the problem. “What can I really claim in terms of making change happen?” It is one thing to say, “This is my footprint,” and another to claim that switching from cotton to another fiber or blend has helped improve climate change or water scarcity. This last piece in particular is the one that is misleading. The approach that moves the sector forward is fixing the supply change instead of ignoring the problem by going somewhere else without moving the state of play.”
The work followed a joint workstream within Cascale: the Higg MSI Methodology Cotton Expert Team, to help collaboratively address cotton data gaps. The 40-page report captures a number of nuances, challenges, and positive indicators for change, hoping to help guide sustainability managers, policymakers, cotton programs, and growers.
”Real progress will come from investment in farmer-centered improvements backed by science and transparency, aligning around responsible use of LCAs,” read a line from the report’s summary.
Readers can find the report and press release on Better Cotton’s website.
