Driving Measurable Sustainability Performance Across the Apparel, Footwear, and Textile Industries
Apparel, footwear, and consumer goods companies are under growing pressure to measure, improve, and communicate their sustainability performance. Intertek helps organizations across the global value chain use the Higg Index™, a suite of tools developed by Cascale (formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition), to assess environmental and social impact, verify data, and drive continuous improvement.
Our global network of sustainability experts supports brands, retailers, and manufacturers in accurately reporting and improving their Higg Index results, helping you meet your sustainability goals and stakeholder expectations.
About the Higg Index
The Higg Index™, developed by Cascale, is a comprehensive measurement system for assessing sustainability performance in the apparel, footwear, and textile sectors.
It enables companies to evaluate the environmental and social impact of products, materials, facilities, and corporate operations.
The main Higg Index modules include:
- Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM): Evaluates water, energy, emissions, and waste performance at the facility level.
- Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM): Measures social practices and labor conditions.
- Higg Brand & Retail Module (Higg BRM): Assesses how brands and retailers manage sustainability across their operations and supply chains.
- Higg Product Tools (Higg PM and MSI): Analyze product and material sustainability impacts throughout the lifecycle.
These tools provide credible, comparable data to help businesses identify risks, reduce environmental impact, and enhance social responsibility throughout the supply chain.
Intertek’s Higg Index Assurance and Support Services
Intertek is an active Cascale member and a trusted partner to organizations implementing the Higg Index across global supply chains.
Our services include:
- Verification and Data Validation: Provide third-party verification of Higg FEM, Higg FSLM, and related modules to ensure the accuracy and credibility of reported data.
- Supplier and Facility Training: Build in-house expertise and understanding of Higg requirements, ensuring consistent and high-quality data submission.
- Performance Benchmarking: Compare results across facilities, suppliers, or regions to guide continuous improvement.
- Sustainability Strategy Alignment: Integrate verified Higg Index outcomes into ESG disclosures, corporate sustainability reporting, and compliance frameworks such as CSRD and GRI.
Why Choose Intertek
- Trusted Global Expertise: Intertek combines decades of sustainability and quality assurance experience across more than 100 countries.
- Recognized Cascale Partner: As a member organization, Intertek brings verified insights aligned with the latest Higg Index methodologies.
- Independent Verification: Ensure transparency and integrity of sustainability data to build stakeholder trust.
- Comprehensive Support: From gap analysis and training to assurance and improvement tracking, Intertek provides end-to-end support.
- Commitment to Continuous Improvement: Intertek helps organizations turn assessment results into actionable sustainability outcomes.
Benefits of Higg Index Verification with Intertek
- Gain independent verification recognized across global markets.
- Enhance transparency and accountability in sustainability reporting.
- Identify high-impact opportunities for resource efficiency and social improvement.
- Strengthen supplier engagement and performance visibility.
- Align results with international sustainability frameworks and investor expectations.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Higg Index is a suite of tools developed by Cascale to measure the sustainability performance of apparel, footwear, and textile products and facilities. It covers environmental, social, and labor impacts across the value chain.
The Higg Index is managed by Cascale, a global alliance of over 300 leading brands, retailers, and manufacturers focused on advancing sustainable industry transformation.
Verification ensures that self-assessed data is accurate and credible. Intertek’s verification process reviews documentation, facility data, and evidence to validate the results in accordance with Cascale guidelines.
Verification adds transparency and reliability to sustainability claims, allowing organizations to share trusted data with customers, regulators, and investors.
The most commonly used modules include Higg FEM (environmental), Higg FSLM (social and labor), and Higg BRM (brand and retail).
Intertek offers readiness assessments, training, and performance benchmarking to identify improvement areas and build stronger sustainability practices.
Yes. Intertek is a recognized verification body within Cascale’s global program, providing third-party validation for Higg Index submissions.
Yes. Verified Higg Index data supports ESG disclosures, sustainability reports, and compliance with frameworks like CSRD, GRI, and SBTi.
While primarily focused on apparel and footwear, the Higg Index is expanding to cover consumer goods sectors including textiles, home goods, and accessories.
Contact your local Intertek sustainability representative or submit an inquiry through our contact form
The Higg Index is designed for organizations across the apparel, footwear, and textile value chain. It supports brands and retailers seeking data-driven insight into supply-chain sustainability, manufacturers and suppliers working to meet customer sustainability requirements, product developers and designers evaluating material and product choices for lower environmental impact, and corporate sustainability teams integrating verified data into ESG and CSR reporting.
