Higg Index (Cascale)

Issuer / operator

Cascale (formerly SAC)

Geography

Global

Sectors

Apparel, footwear, textiles

Scope unit

Product

Current edition

Higg FEM 4.0; Higg FSLM aligned to SLCP CAF v1.7

Edition status

Published

Next edition review

Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact

Access to standard text

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Recognised / referenced by

Norwegian CA ruled consumer-facing Higg-based claims misleading (2022) — precedent for score-based marketing

Output form

Rating

Assessment basis

Questionnaire

Must not be called

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Typically requested by

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Dispute / appeal route

Higg FEM verification disputes via the published Dispute Protocol (VRD status on the Worldly platform — for breaches of verification protocol or unprofessional/unethical verifier behaviour); QA escalations via counter-verification or shadow verification through Sumerra, the Verification Program Manager

The Higg Index, operated by Cascale (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition), is the apparel and footwear industry's suite of self-assessment tools. The Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM 4.0) captures facility-level environmental performance — energy, water, waste, chemicals, emissions — and the Facility Social & Labor Module is now aligned with SLCP's Converged Assessment Framework (v1.7) rather than a separate questionnaire. The tools are questionnaire-based self-assessments with optional third-party verification of submissions, and scores are shared with brand customers through the platform. The claim discipline is foundational: a Higg score is a self-reported, optionally verified assessment, not a certification, and Cascale itself restricts public marketing use of facility scores. Results flow to brand members through the Worldly platform, and Cascale positions the Index as an industry-common measurement system rather than a consumer label — public-facing Higg product labels were suspended in 2022 after criticism of their substantiation. That history is the essential context for any Higg-based claim. A rating or validation does not by itself certify every product or substantiate claims beyond the assessed scope.