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The Sustainable Apparel Coalition has launched a new transparency roadmap, which will allow members to roll out previously confidential Higg Index scores to the general public. The move comes as the SAC membership pushes for greater transparency on Higg, in a bid for the tool to become the harmonised textile industry standard of choice for social and environmental improvement. John Mowbray reports.

So far the Sustainable Apparel Coalition has remained relatively quiet about its future plans for releasing Higg Index scores for public consumption, which has prompted concerns that its members have been slow to collect information – or are not keen on releasing data that can be held up to further scrutiny.

But Jason Kibbey, CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, hopes these fears will now recede after an explicit decision was taken at last month’s annual SAC meeting in Copenhagen to rubber-stamp a new roadmap for the transparent release of all Higg data. The roadmap shows the first tranche of Higg facilities data will be released by mid-2018 and other data, from the brand tool and then the product tool, will be released afterwards, with 2020 seen as a final cut-off date for full public release of the Higg Index.

“We are committing to launch the Environmental and Social Modules for facilities in 2018, so that companies can release their own FEM (Facilities environmental module) scores and FSLM (Facilities Social Labour Module) scores,” Kibbey told Ecotextile News. “Before this happens, we need to do two things as part of the new roadmap – that is the next revision of Higg and also the verification steps. But we are firmly committed to that timeline and there will be a full data release by mid-2018.”

Data from the Facilities tool will be the first to be released since the SAC has more data on this part of Higg than the other two areas: the Brand tool slated for release in 2019 and the much more tricky Product tool, which will bring up the rear in 2020.

So what exactly will this look like? Kibbey says there is still room for experimentation in order to get it right. “It’s likely there will be some on-product information about scores, but facility data could be available in other ways. Perhaps some sort of interactive on-line map similar to the recently released sourcing map launched by Marks & Spencer.”

Until recently there was some trepidation about the release of Higg facilities data because there was no consistent way for it to be used by member companies, or the 6,000 facilities that have so far uploaded modules to the central Higg database.

Communication tool kit

Essentially, for each of the different assessments a ‘communication tool kit’ will be designed that will describe – and to some extent dictate – exactly how the released Higg scores will be used so that information is released in a consistent way. “We are in a position to provide a standardised, comparable way for the Higg scores to be used in public so data can all be used and interpreted in the same way,” said Kibbey.

But will be there a requirement to release all information ‘good and bad’? “We’re focusing on this in our guidelines,” he said, “An is why we are having governance around those guidelines so people do not just cherry pick the best and give a false impression of just one per cent of their supply chain. This will become part of the guidelines for use of the data.”

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    BRUSSELS – ReHubs, the Euratex-founded project aimed at upscaling textile waste recycling, has signed up as a strategic partner with AMI, organiser of next year’s Textiles Recycling Expo. The event, which will provide a platform for industry leaders…
  • Monday, 11 November 2024

    Leading MSIs 'failing to engage suppliers' Premium Article

    GLOBAL - Cascale, Textile Exchange, the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) are failing to engage fashion suppliers in their efforts to reduce the industry's impacts, according to a new report.…
  • Monday, 11 November 2024

    New shared risk model for fashion’s future Premium Article

    UTRECHT - The fashion system needs a new approach that emphasises collaboration between buyers and suppliers, which a new report terms “shared risk”. This involves buyers and suppliers sharing production risks and rewards by using data science for…
  • Monday, 11 November 2024

    Turning Ambition into Impact

    SPONSORED CONTENT – The LYCRA Company’s latest Sustainability Update The LYCRA Company has published its third annual Sustainability Update and its abridged Global Sustainability Scorecard for fiscal year 2023. These documents detail the company’s…
  • Friday, 08 November 2024

    Cascale launches updated Higg FEM tool Premium Article

    AMSTERDAM - Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, has launched the latest version of its Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) together with its technology partner Worldly. The updated Higg FEM tool aims to provide more…
  • Friday, 08 November 2024

    WRC accuses Shein over garment factory closure Premium Article

    GUATEMALA CITY - Worker rights campaigners have criticised Chinese-owned ultra fast fashion giant Shein for failing to protect workers at a former garment factory in Guatemala which supplied a brand it part owns. The US-based Worker Rights…
  • Friday, 08 November 2024

    Global roll-out for Teijin bio-based PLA Premium Article

    TOKYO – Japanese fibre manufacturer Teijin Frontier has confirmed the global roll-out of its Biofront polylactic acid (PLA) resin which, with applications in the textiles and nonwovens sectors, is said to biodegrade at a faster rate compared to…
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