The Higg Index measures environmental (energy/greenhouse gas emissions; water; wastewater/effluent; air emissions; waste; and chemicals management) and social impacts across the life cycle of an apparel and footwear product.

Across topics such as water use, carbon emissions, and labor conditions, consumer goods brands, retailers, manufacturers, governments, NGOs, and consumers can use the Higg Index to inform their individual sustainability strategies and drive collective industry transformation.

The Higg Index’s scoring system is designed to drive changes in behavior. Scores are only available if each issue has actions, decisions, and practices that may drive better sustainable outcomes.

The factory module consists of seven sections covering the environmental impacts of the life cycle of apparel and footwear products.

The plant module consists of seven sections: energy/greenhouse gas emissions, water, wastewater/sewage, exhaust emissions, waste and chemicals management. Each section includes a three-level structure (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3) that reflects the general threshold for environmental practices. Unless both Level 1 and Question 2 are answered, in general (but not all), the third level answer will not be “Yes”. However, when you want to give a positive answer to a question and need a prerequisite. In other words, if you have a Level 3 practice but don’t have Level 1 practice, you will still get a Level 3 score.

The tertiary structure is:

Level 1 = awareness, understanding, and benchmark performance.

Level 2 = Planning and Management.

Level 3 = Achieve sustainable development measures / Confirm performance and progress.

There is no performance threshold for the assessment of the facility’s scores (for example, the range is “Gold”, “Silver”, “Copper”). It is up to each agency to determine how to interpret the total score of the facility. After completing this module, you will have a better understanding of your environmental performance levels. It is recommended that you use the three-level structure of the module to guide your facility for continuous improvement in environmental management.

1. Transparency

Where and how a product is made in supply chains is a growing issue for retailers and brands. Being able to map a supply chain is hugely valuable in itself, to build up a profile of your network and where it is located.

The next step is to understand the impact of that supply chain as a steppingstone for significant change and improvement. The Higg Index asks the pertinent questions and uses the gravitas of its members to prompt responses. Anthesis has an established method of communicating on behalf of members to drive uptake of this industry-wide tool.

2. The Power of Big Data

Managing just the process of collecting big data can be very challenging. Collating and then analyzing these large datasets requires specialized tools. The Higg Index offers consistency in data collection which enables better analytics. Anthesis can alleviate the effort of starting from scratch by using a set of tried-and-tested email templates to drive uptake by facilities, along with an Excel-based tool to aggregate the data.

3. The Opportunity for Visualisation

Visualization is key to understanding your data. It is an invaluable communication tool, not just for you and your team, but for anyone who’s job includes the supply chain, as we explain in our big data visualization blog. Anthesis has peer reviewed dashboards which can be readily filled with your supply chain data at the drop of a hat.

4. The Benefit of Engagement

Engagement strengthens your relationship with your suppliers. There is a balance of course, but the more your suppliers see you taking an interest in their business, the more they are likely to take an interest in yours.

5. The Advantage of Convergence

Convergence is the antidote to communication overload. The beauty of the Higg Index is that each supplier only needs to complete it once and the results can be confidentially shared with all of their customers. Anthesis can streamline this process by communicating on behalf of multiple members at the same time.

6. Multi-functional Use

In addition to internal impact reporting, Higg Index data be used for:

• Scope three emissions calculations
• The basis of science-based targets
• Responding to requests from NGOs.