Higg FEM Assessment

What is the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM)?

The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) is one of five tools that go together to form the Higg Index.

Brands, manufacturers and retailers in the apparel, footwear and home textiles industry can use Higg FEM to assess environmental performance at their factories and facilities. Higg FEM provides a standardised way to measure environmental sustainability in supply chains. Being able to work to a standardised system makes it easier for businesses to assess and compare performance levels and to identify ways to make improvements.

What is the Higg Index?

The Higg Index is a program launched in 2019 by Cascale (formerly known as The Sustainable Apparel Coalition), an alliance created to promote sustainable production in the apparel, footwear and home textiles industry. The Higg Index is a suite of five standardized measurement tools that are used to provide visibility into conditions in supply chains.

The tools that form the Higg Index provide clear, accurate ways of measuring the environmental and social impact of making and selling a particular product. They also provide a roadmap for continuous improvement.

Alongside the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM), the four other tools that make up the Higg Index are the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM), the Higg Brand & Retail Module (BRM), the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) and the Higg Product Module (PM).

What does the Higg Facility Environmental Module assess?

Higg FEM provides a system whereby an accurate, standardized assessment can be made of the environmental impact that facilities in supply chains have. It also identifies and prioritizes opportunities for improvement so that environmental standards can be improved.

The Higg Facility Environmental Module covers:

• Environmental management systems

• Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

• Water use

• Wastewater

• Emissions to air (if applicable)

• Waste management

• Chemical use and management

How does the Higg FEM verification (vFEM) program work?

A facility should conduct a Higg Index self-assessment at least once per year. The assessment will take around 3-6 weeks to complete and will require a facility to answer questions and provide data related to the sustainability of its operations.

Once completed, assessments can then be verified by an SAC-approved, on-site assessor under the Higg FEM verification program. During the verification process, the SAC-approved assessor will perform an on-site review of the facility’s answers to the self-assessment and verify that they are accurate. Undergoing verification is an optional step, but verifying a facility’s Higg FEM score will improve the credibility of the figures. On top of this, it will also improve the levels of consistency and comparability between different sets of figures, helping in the overall development of the Higg Index.

Here’s an overview of the process a facility will go through to complete the Higg FEM verification program:

1. The facility completes and posts their self-assessment and then purchases verification.

2. The facility selects a verification body from the available options.

3. The verification body confirms and assigns a verifier.

4. The verifier and facility arrange a time for verification to take place.

5. They then complete the verification process and the verifier completes the vFEM documentation.

6. vFEM is completed, and the facility has 14 days to review and dispute anything in the vFEM assessment before it’s finalized and posted. After this, the information will be available to view.

Once assessments are performed, the results are benchmarked by facility type so that factory management, brands and retailers can compare performance levels against similar facilities. Benchmarking also provides facilities with a baseline for performance to assess improvements over time.

Throughout the assessment process, facilities receive clear guidance on areas for improvement.

The Higg FEM verification program is currently available at scale in 100 countries.

Is Higg Index verification worthwhile?

Verification ensures that data captured and shared on the Higg platform is wholly accurate and can be trusted by external stakeholders. Official, verified results are captured on Higg.org and can be shared with business partners in lieu of having another verification conducted. This reduces or eliminates “audit fatigue”. In addition, results can also be tracked through time to allow companies to demonstrate year-on-year improvements.

How is QIMA involved?

QIMA is an approved verifying body for Higg FEM, enabling brands to verify that they are accurately measuring environmental impacts in manufacturing facilities all over the world.

All QIMA verifiers are:

• Vetted to ensure they have proper experience and knowledge of environmental laws, regulations and systems

• Highly trained in the Higg system and qualified to act as Higg FEM verifiers