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.
Cascale convenes stakeholders to define Foundational Environmental Performance (FEP) in order to improve compliance, reduce risk, and strengthen data consistency across consumer goods supply chains.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – May 19, 2026: Cascale announces it has convened stakeholders including World Resources Institute (WRI), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and ZDHC to establish an aligned industry definition of Foundational Environmental Performance (FEP). The milestone marks an important step towards industry alignment for baseline environmental management practices expected of all global manufacturing facilities producing consumer goods. Developed through engagement with 80 stakeholders at more than 30 organizations across the value chain, the initiative aims to improve consistency, strengthen comparability, support legal compliance, and reduce environmental risks across supply chains.
“For years, facilities and brands shared the same frustration: too many frameworks and not enough clarity on what actually matters. Foundational Environmental Performance answers that need by delivering a clear, globally aligned baseline for environmental management that can help facilities focus resources where they matter most. Aligning manufacturers, brands, NGOs, and technical experts required two years of difficult conversations and FEP is the result: The industry now has a clear, shared reference point that supports both compliance and continuous improvement at scale.” — Maravillas Rodriguez Zarco, vice president of tools & data, Cascale
“We are honored to have been trusted by stakeholders across the industry to convene this process and help build alignment on an issue that is fundamental to credible environmental performance. The development of Foundational Environmental Performance reflects the power of collaboration. This milestone demonstrates what is possible when manufacturers, brands, NGOs, and technical experts come together around a shared goal of improving environmental outcomes across global supply chains.” — Nikki Wood, director of governance and stakeholder engagement, Cascale
Key Takeaways
An aligned definition of Foundational Environmental Performance (FEP) was developed to address a fundamental gap: the absence of a clear, unified, industry-aligned definition of what baseline environmental performance should look like. While there is broad agreement that facilities must meet essential environmental management practices, the industry had lacked a consistent, shared understanding, creating reputational, regulatory, and credibility risks for brands, manufacturers, and suppliers, particularly as stakeholder scrutiny increases.
Given its scope, member reach, and stewardship of the Higg Index, which is implemented globally through the Worldly sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform, Cascale was uniquely positioned to convene the industry on a solution. The organization led a multi-phase consultative process that prioritized inclusivity and ensured balanced input from all key stakeholders including Cascale members (through the Higg FEM Strategic Council) and — critically — manufacturers and suppliers, as well as brands, retailers, and nonprofit organizations to shape an industry-aligned definition for FEP.
These consultations resulted in five guiding principles defining the baseline for FEP across all critical areas. Building on this, Cascale convened additional industry stakeholders — including WWF and ZDHC — to establish the FEP question set.
“Clear, consistent definitions are fundamental to driving credible environmental action. By aligning stakeholders around a shared framework for Foundational Environmental Performance, the industry can improve comparability, strengthen decision-making, and unlock more effective strategies to manage environmental risks across value chains.” — Eliot Metzger, director of sustainable business and innovation, World Resources Institute (WRI)
“Defining Foundational Environmental Performance helps ensure that all facilities are meeting a minimum standard to prevent environmental harm. This kind of alignment is essential to safeguarding ecosystems, reducing cumulative impacts across supply chains, and enabling more ambitious progress over time.” — Payal Luthra, global textiles lead, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
“Industry alignment on foundational expectations is critical to advancing sustainable chemical management and reducing environmental risk. We welcome the alignment with ZDHC’s frameworks and appreciate that all Foundational Environmental Performance (FEP) questions reflected in the Higg FEM are in scope for Level 1 of ZDHC Supplier to Zero V2 as foundational requirements. This reinforces consistency and clarity for suppliers working toward improved performance.” — Frank Michael, chief executive officer, ZDHC Foundation
Governance and Next Steps
The FEP question set addresses critical environmental performance areas that are central to sustainability progress in the consumer goods industry. As such, ensuring it is subject to the appropriate governance mechanisms is both a priority and a responsibility for Cascale. The FEP question set will therefore be directly governed by Cascale’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC). This structured approach balances stability and predictability with the need to remain aligned with regulatory changes, industry standards, and stakeholder expectations.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
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.
Please fill out the form to download the report.
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.
