Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM)

What is Higg FEM designed to do?

Setting Sustainability Standards

The primary goal of the Higg FEM is to set a global standard for sustainability in the textile industry. It achieves this by providing a common measure of environmental performance, which allows facilities to compare their performance against others and identify areas for improvement.

Encouraging Accountability

Another key purpose of the Higg FEM is to promote transparency and accountability in the textile industry. By measuring and reporting on environmental performance, facilities can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and build trust with customers and stakeholders.
The textile industry is known for its high environmental impact, making tools like the Higg FEM not only beneficial but also necessary. The industry contributes significantly to water and air pollution, high water and energy consumption, and waste production. By identifying and measuring these impacts, the Higg FEM allows facilities to take steps toward mitigating their environmental footprint.

Who is Higg FEM designed for?

Scope of Application
The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) is specifically designed for manufacturing facilities within the apparel, footwear, and textile industry. Its application extends to:

Textile Manufacturers: Facilities involved in the production of textiles, including spinning, weaving, knitting, and dyeing, can use Higg FEM to measure and assess their environmental performance.

Apparel Manufacturers: Clothing production facilities, from cut and sew operations to large-scale garment manufacturing factories, can apply Higg FEM to standardize their environmental impact measurement.

Footwear Manufacturers: Higg FEM is applicable to factories engaged in footwear production, providing a uniform approach to assessing their environmental sustainability performance.

Other Related Facilities: The application of Higg FEM is not limited to manufacturers alone. Facilities involved in other stages of the supply chain, such as processing, finishing, and packaging units, can also benefit from using the Higg FEM.

The broad applicability of Higg FEM across different types of facilities within these industries ensures a comprehensive and standardized evaluation of environmental performance, enabling organizations to identify areas of improvement and take necessary action to reduce their environmental footprint.

What does it measure? Is there a scoring system?

Measurement Parameters

The Higg FEM assessment environmental performance across seven categories: 
•    Environmental Management System
•    Energy/Greenhouse Gas Emissions
•    Water
•    Waste
•    Wastewater
•    Air Emissions
•    Chemicals Management

The Scoring System

It has a three-tier structure of good/better/best to evaluate facility’s environmental impact. An overall score will be provided to the seven environmental performance mentioned above. This score can be used to track performance over time and compare performance with other facilities.

What are the benefits?

For Businesses

The Higg FEM offers several benefits to businesses. It provides a standardized measure of environmental performance, which can be used to identify areas for improvement, reduce costs, and demonstrate commitment to sustainability. It also promotes transparency and accountability, which can build trust with customers and stakeholders.

For the Environment

The Higg FEM also has significant benefits for the environment. By promoting more sustainable practices in the textile industry, it helps to reduce environmental impacts such as water and energy use, waste production, and greenhouse gas emissions.

What are the steps of conducting a Higg FEM with InSpec by Bureau Veritas?

A 6-Step Guide

1. Registration: To use the Higg FEM, you will need to register for an account on the Worldly platform. This will give you access to the Higg FEM tool, as well as resources and support to help you complete the assessment.
    
2. Gather the Required Information: Completing the Higg FEM requires detailed information about your facility's operations and environmental impacts. You will need to gather data on areas such as energy and water use, waste management, and chemical management. This may require input from various departments within your facility.
    
3. Self-Assessment: Facilities then complete the Higg FEM self-assessment on higg.org, answering questions across the seven categories. Try to answer the questions as accurately and honestly as possible – the goal of the Higg FEM is not to achieve a perfect score, but to gain a clear and accurate understanding of your facility's environmental performance.
    
4. Verification: Once you've completed your self-assessment, it's time to engage a verification body. As an approved partner of Higg FEM, our company can provide both audit and training services. We will review your self-assessment results, verify the accuracy of the data, and identify areas for improvement. This step is crucial as it adds credibility to your results, and helps ensure the validity of your environmental performance measures.
   
   You can book the verification service here through InSpec by BV. Get in touch with us here and our team will support you on the booking.
    
   1. Bureau Veritas is able to provide 1) Onsite SAC Higg Index Verification Service and 2) Offsite SAC Higg Index Verification Service.
      • Choose onsite verification if the facility desires to publicly communicate Higg Index scoring. For onsite verification, verifier is required to visit the facility premises and 
      • For offsite verification, the verifier will conduct the verification from a distance by other means such as e-mail, pictures, web-conference, etc. The verifier is not required to go onto the facility site. Offsite Verification can be chosen if scores are only being shared with supply chain business partners inside of the Worldly platform, and NOT being communicated publicly.
   2. Facility need to choose whether General Verifier or Chemical Specialist Verifier will be needed. Bureau Veritas can offer both generalist verifier, chemical specialist verifier and trainers worldwide. 
      • A generalist Verifier can verify the full Higg FEM for a facility that does not use chemicals, or uses chemicals only in facility tooling and/or operations. 
      • Chemical Specialists Verifier can review the full scope of the Higg FEM including the chemical management.
         
5. Reporting: After verification, facilities can report their results on the Worldly platform. This promotes transparency and allows facilities to compare their performance with others.
    
6. Improvement: Sustainability is a journey, not a destination. After your results have been verified and necessary changes have been implemented, it's important to continue monitoring your facility's environmental performance and making improvements where necessary. Bureau Veritas supports you in identifying weaknesses through 3-tier risk level (high, medium, low) which you can use to regularly repeating the Higg FEM assessment can help you track your progress over time and ensure your facility is continuously improving its environmental impact. Based on the results, facilities can identify areas for improvement and implement actions to improve their environmental performance.

By following these steps, you can successfully get started with the Higg FEM and embark on your facility's sustainability journey. With the support by us and our global network, you can confidently navigate this process and work towards improved environmental performance.

Why Bureau Veritas?

•    BV has a large number of approved verifiers and several approved recognitions among American brands. And the numbers keeps growing
•    In-depth expertise and specialized experience of environment, ZDHC audit and chemical management, established protocols for the performance of collaborative visits
•    Efficient global network strategically positioned to seamlessly support a global program
•    Strong technical, operational & integrity program (Ethics, Independence  & Impartiality)
•    E-com solutions- InSpec By BV enabling real-time access to status, audit results, and supply chain trends
•    Insight leadership via seminars, trainings, publications and speaking forums

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in the Higg FEM?

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) developed the Higg FEM. The SAC is a global alliance of retailers, manufacturers, and NGOs committed to improving sustainability in the apparel and footwear industry.

How often should a facility complete the Higg FEM?

It's recommended that facilities complete the Higg FEM on an annual basis to track their progress and make continuous improvements.

Can the Higg FEM be used globally?

Yes, the Higg FEM is designed to be used by manufacturing facilities worldwide. It provides a global standard for measuring environmental performance in the textile industry.

How can a facility improve its Higg FEM score?

Improving a Higg FEM score involves identifying areas of poor performance and implementing actions to improve. This might involve reducing energy or water consumption, improving waste management practices, or enhancing the facility's environmental management systems.