Cascale’s MCAP program celebrates the graduation of 52 manufacturers advancing measurable emissions reductions across supply chains; Everlane lauds suppliers.
Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Oakland (CA) – April 29, 2026: Cascale today announced a major milestone for its Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP), celebrating the recent graduation of 52 textile, apparel, and footwear manufacturers, following completion of the program.
MCAP Graduation, At A Glance:
“Huge congratulations to these 52 participating manufacturers who have completed MCAP reaching this milestone is a testament to their commitment and ambition,” said Joyce Tsoi, senior director of the decarbonization program at Cascale. “These graduates are not only committing and setting science-aligned targets for their scope 1 and 2, they are now equipped with a range of climate capabilities to accelerate climate action as well as becoming more climate resilence. The MCAP Decarbonization roadmap lays out a clear pathway, a practical means of what and how they can tangibly achieve their emission targets by actively implementing interventions that will deliver measurable emissions reductions. The climate risk training and assessment has equipped them with knowledge and strategic foresight necessary to enhance their risk management and operational resilience. This is what meaningful climate action looks like in practice.”
“We are thrilled to celebrate two of our suppliers’ graduation from Cascale’s Manufacturer Climate Action Program,” said Michi Fried, senior manager of sustainability at Everlane. “Earning this recognition is no small undertaking, and it reflects the depth of commitment our suppliers have made to decarbonizing their operations. It also speaks to the kind of partnerships we strive to build at Everlane: ones rooted in a shared belief that a more responsible future for our industry starts within our supply chain. Knowing our suppliers have now validated targets to reduce their Scope 1 and 2 emissions is exactly the kind of concrete progress that raises the bar for the whole industry, and the momentum we need to meet the scale of the climate challenge.”
MCAP Impact
Over the course of the 18-month program, MCAP equips manufacturers with a comprehensive suite of tools, training, financing support, guidance, and climate risk assessments to accelerate meaningful climate action. The graduates are first to complete MCAP’s structured, science-aligned pathway to decarbonization.
The first two graduating cohorts, which celebrated in a virtual ceremony hosted by Cascale, included 52 manufacturers; eight Cascale Brand and Retailer members are actively supporting their manufacturers. Graduates have measured their emissions, set science-aligned targets for Scope 1 and 2, and begun implementing reduction strategies, demonstrating leadership in the transition to a low-carbon textile, apparel, and footwear industry.
Collectively, participating facilities are on a pathway toward approximately 1.6 million tCO2e in emissions reductions – equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 326,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles. The program also positions participants to continue advancing decarbonization efforts beyond graduation, annually measuring and reporting their decarbonization progress, strengthening long-term resilience in an evolving sustainability landscape.
New MCAP cohorts are launching soon! Manufacturers and brands can register for a free information session.
Media Contact: Forster Communications, cascaleforster@forster.co.uk
Learn more about MCAP today! Join one of our upcoming information session webinars.
Learn more about MCAP today! Join one of our upcoming information session webinars.
Learn more about MCAP today! Join one of our upcoming information session webinars.
Learn more about MCAP today! Join one of our upcoming information session webinars.
The Hong Kong event convened 130 senior executives from across the consumer goods industry highlighting shared supply chain risk and unmet manufacturer solutions.
Key Takeaways
Cascale recently contributed to Schneider Electric Perspectives Day Asia in Hong Kong, convening 150 senior executives from across the consumer goods industry. The event brought together leaders in sustainability, finance, energy, and supply chain to explore practical pathways to net-zero.
Nicole Lee-Kauer, manager of Cascale’s Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP), joined a breakout panel called “Advancing Supply Chain Decarbonization: Leveraging Data, System Interoperability, and Regulatory Compliance,” injecting learnings from the Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP), now in its fifth cohort.
The 18-month program is a pivotal initiative that unifies global manufacturers to combat climate change across the consumer goods industry, driving sustainable change through science-aligned targets (SATs). Engaging over 85 manufacturers to date, the program is open to all manufacturers looking to accelerate the adoption of science-aligned GHG reduction targets within their Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Manufacturers and brands can register for the informational webinar April 21 (register now).
Across the event, a clear theme was present: accountability. Organizations are increasingly integrating climate risk into enterprise-wide risk management, rather than treating it as a standalone sustainability topic. Companies such as Philippines‑based conglomerate Ayala and hotel chain Marriott are embedding climate considerations into governance structures, linking performance to executive decision-making and incentives. This reflects growing alignment between sustainability and financial accountability.
Discussions with brands and retailers, including Japanese beverage retailer Asahi, Henderson Land, and Hong Kong Land reinforced that manufacturers face similar decarbonization challenges across sectors. These shared barriers point to the importance of collective action, aligned tools, and consistent data to drive progress at scale.
A separate session offered insights from FairPrice Group’s supplier decarbonization program. There was strong alignment with Cascale’s MCAP, particularly in terms of the program’s approach to target-setting and capacity building. For example, FairPrice’s use of a supplier segmentation model and structured training offers a practical example of how brands can engage manufacturers more effectively.
At the same time, their experience underscores the role of enabling environments. Public funding, supportive policy frameworks, and cross-border partnerships are key accelerators for supplier decarbonization. These learnings present opportunities to further strengthen MCAP, including the potential development of a simple self-assessment tool to help manufacturers evaluate readiness for programs like MCAP or science-based targets.
In all, events like Perspectives Day Asia reinforce Cascale’s role not only as a convener, bringing diverse perspectives in consumer goods, but also as a contributor to cross-industry dialogue.
Cascale convened industry leaders to explore BBPPI 2025 insights, highlighting shared responsibility between brands and suppliers amid global market volatility.
Cascale recently played a convening role in a jointly produced webinar with Innovation Forum, “Better Buying 2025 Insights: Navigating Global Volatility and Defining the Next Steps for Better Purchasing Practices.”
The December virtual event brought together more than 250 executives and supply chain leaders from across the consumer goods industry to examine how responsible purchasing practices can be strengthened amid ongoing market uncertainty.
Grounded in both data and real-time industry feedback, the webinar underscored the need for shared responsibility between brands and suppliers, and the interdependent roles each plays in planning, sourcing, and purchasing decisions that directly shape environmental and social outcomes.
To set the stage, Katie Hess, head of product at Cascale’s Better Buying, delivered key insights on the Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) 2025. The survey is free to complete and maps anonymous supplier feedback across seven key indicators.
Hess highlighted how global pressures — including tariffs and fluctuating demand — are placing significant strain on purchasing processes, with the steepest declines seen in planning and forecasting. Supplier experiences, she noted, vary widely depending on buyer practices, sourcing contexts, and regional dynamics.
She emphasized that BBPPI is not intended as a static benchmark, adding: “When brands actually use the data with their suppliers, behaviors and outcomes change.”
Hess also reinforced communication as a recurring theme across Better Buying surveys, stressing that purchasing practices must be treated as a core business priority, not solely as a CSR initiative.
Following the data presentation, a panel of experts joined to discuss perspectives on the findings, while identifying areas for improvement.
Speakers included Mobeen Ahmed Chughtai, group head of CSR and corporate communications at Soorty Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.; Naurin Muzaffar, lead advisor sustainability strategy, operations, and transparency at Crescent Bahuman Ltd.; and Susan Scow, sustainability impact specialist at Eileen Fisher, Inc. As moderator, Tanya Richard, chief operating officer and head of stakeholder engagement at Innovation Forum, guided the discussion.
Scow highlighted the value of long-term supplier relationships, noting that Eileen Fisher’s average supplier partnership spans approximately eight years, with some relationships extending beyond 25 years. She shared how Better Buying data can inform product development and logistics decisions — such as shifting freight from air to sea — and pointed to the benefits of supplier-driven initiatives through Cascale’s Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP).
From the supplier perspective, Chughtai spoke candidly about the risks suppliers face when sharing feedback, noting their frequent fear of repercussions for speaking out. He emphasized the importance of suppliers being able to set boundaries and engage in honest dialogue with brand partners.
Muzaffar echoed these challenges, describing a “state of confusion” driven by paused orders and limited visibility that undermines planning. She also raised critical questions around growing regulatory demands and lagging progress on environmental and social goals.
Across perspectives, speakers aligned on the importance of clear communication, trust, and supplier inclusion. The webinar reinforced both the relevance of Better Buying insights and Cascale’s convening power.
Purchasing practices performance in Apparel, Footwear and Household Textile Supply Chains.
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.
