FAQs: Higg Index Transparency Program

1. What is the Higg Index transparency program?
The Higg Index transparency program enables brands and retailers to provide information on a product’s environmental impact in a consistent and consumer-friendly way. Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Higg Index transparency program provides a consistent way for brands, retailers, and manufacturers to share trusted data on the environmental impact of their products. Transparency is essential to driving systemic change for a healthier planet, and is one of the four core focus areas in the SAC’s new strategic plan. By 2025, the SAC is aiming to achieve 100% member participation in public-facing ratings of sustainable performance that are credible and trusted. This program marks the beginning of a journey toward achieving that ambitious goal, providing a credible way to unify how sustainability information is shared.

2. What does the Higg Index transparency program measure?
At pilot launch, this first phrase of the Higg Index transparency program focuses exclusively on assessing the cradle-to-gate environmental impact of a product’s materials. Over time, future phases will be introduced to include additional dimensions of sustainability performance.

A product’s overall materials content is compared to conventionally produced materials in the following categories: 

• Global warming: the amount of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, from sources such as energy, soil emissions, and refrigerants
• Fossil fuels: the amount of non-renewable fossil fuel resources used in manufacturing, from sources like coal, oil, and natural gas
• Water use: the amount of water removed from local environments because of manufacturing, also factoring in differences of water availability between regions
• Water pollution: the amount of excess nutrient emissions, which can lead to harmful algal blooms and dead zones in bodies of water

A product is then scored as showing at least 12.5%, 25%, or 50% impact reduction, and assigned a rating of level 0 to level 3 for each category (level 0 meaning no significant impact reduction compared to conventional materials, and level 3 meaning at least 50% impact reduction in key categories). The thresholds were selected to ensure that a product achieving the highest achievement level (Level 3) shows impact reductions that are aligned with industry goals around climate change. Each of the other achievement levels represents the halfway point to the next higher achievement level. See question 16 for more information on the process to select these thresholds. To learn more, read about the Higg Index transparency program methodology here.

3. What is a Higg Index Sustainability Profile?
A Higg Index Sustainability Profile is a consistent scorecard for disclosing information on a product’s environmental impact. Brands will be able to create profiles for specific products by strictly following our Communications Guidelines. Complete profiles, once approved by the SAC, include the following information: 

• A general text description of the product’s environmental impact level, and an accompanying graphic comparing its performance to a conventional baseline.
• Additional performance details within specific impact categories, including global warming, fossil fuels, water use, and water pollution. 

A Sustainability Profile may be included on a brand or retailer’s product display ecommerce page to help shoppers make more informed purchasing decisions. All Sustainability Profiles will also be hosted on a public-facing section of the Higg platform, at profiles.higg.com, where additional information on the claim, including methodology and verification processes, can be found. 

The first phase of this program will focus exclusively on data related to the environmental impact of producing a product’s materials. However, it is our aim to provide comprehensive and scientifically sound methodologies to assess sustainability performance and create on-product claims beyond materials environmental impact. 

The future version of the Sustainability Profile we are working towards provides information on:

• Product design intent, as measured by life cycle assessment tools (cradle to grave)
• Facility traceability and environmental performance, as measured by Higg FEM
• Facility social/labor performance, as measured by Higg FSLM
• Brand corporate responsibility performance, as measured by Higg BRM

Each of these rubrics represent a different dimension of sustainability performance, and are based on science-based measurement tools in order to provide a truly comprehensive view of a product’s impacts.

4. What is the Higg Index Materials seal?

The Higg Index Materials seal offers an at-a-glance method for consumers to identify products with lower environmental impact when compared to products with conventionally-produced materials. The seal was designed for e-commerce settings where integration of a complete Sustainability Profile is not possible, such as a third-party retailer website. Based on the same data shared within a full Sustainability Profile, the seal recognizes products that achieve at least a 12.5% environmental impact reduction in each impact category, either relative to their specific conventional alternative (i.e. relative reduction) or to the average MSI material (i.e. absolute threshold). Products designated with the seal also have a Sustainability Profile available at profiles.higg.com. 

It is possible that products with a Sustainability Profile don’t qualify for the Materials seal. For example, products that don’t reach the minimum 12.5% environmental impact reduction required for the seal will be rated as Level 0, meaning no significant reduction compared to conventional materials.

5. What is the difference between a profile and the seal?

Every product assessed through the Higg Index transparency program has a Sustainability Profile. The Sustainability Profile is a consistent scorecard for sharing detailed data with customers.

The Higg Index Materials was designed for e-commerce settings where integration of a complete Sustainability Profile is not possible, such as a third-party retailer website and is based on the same data. Products designated with the seal have a Sustainability Profile available at profiles.higg.com and achieve at least 12.5% or more environmental impact reduction. The seal was designed to summarize sustainability performance, while still providing shoppers with the option of accessing supporting information.

As a consistent scorecard for communicating impact, there can be products with a Sustainability Profile that don’t qualify for the Materials seal. Products that don’t reach the minimum 12.5% environmental impact reduction required for the seal will be rated as Level 0, meaning no significant reduction compared to conventional materials.

6. Why are there Sustainability Scorecards which show Level 0 achievement?

In our efforts to avoid the  seven sins of greenwashing, our program facilitates the communication of claims which do not reach any achievement level as determined by our program methodology. Read more about the Higg Index transparency program methodology here. 

These products do not reach the minimum 12.5% environmental impact reduction and are therefore rated as level 0, meaning no significant reduction compared to conventional materials.  These products can receive a Sustainability Profile displaying their Level 0 performance in order to provide consumers with an insight into their sustainability performance. These products cannot receive a Higg Index Material Seal because they do not reach the minimum 12.5% environmental impact reduction.

7. Why are companies showing the product sustainability information on their websites in a slightly different way?

To create a system for communicating impacts that could scale across different products and companies, the Transparency Program relies on a common methodology and set of standardized requirements for presenting performance information. 

In order to meet the diverse needs of the industry, the outputs of the program need to be both consistent and flexible to accommodate a variety of consumer communications channels and platforms used by brands globally. Companies have the option to use the seal (if a product qualifies) across a variety of channels or feature Sustainability Profiles on their product display pages. Through the communication guidelines for the program, all participating companies are required to publish the same information on their e-commerce page for each product, but they have the flexibility to share the information in a way that aligns with their brand. All of this combined provides consumers a standardized language they can use to evaluate and compare product performance across different brands, much like a nutrition label enables consumers to compare the nutrition facts for different food products.

8. How is the Higg Index transparency program different from others that are out there?

The SAC is a coalition made up of more than 270 global members. In order to meet the diverse needs of our industry, collaboration and equal partnership have been central to our approach for creating the Higg Index Transparency Program. Over the past eight years, we have engaged with members, along with internal and external stakeholders, who provide valuable insights to help us devise, scrutinize, and refine our approach to creating this program. 

In collaboration with these different stakeholders, we have developed six key principles of transparency that were critical building blocks used to create our Higg Index transparency program.

• Comprehensive information
  We believe sustainability claims must communicate the full picture of a product’s social and environmental impacts as it moves through the value chain, holistically capturing the impacts involved in designing, manufacturing, and distributing the product. See question 11 for more details on how the program will evolve into the first holistic framework for communicating sustainability performance across a product’s lifecycle.
• Science-based methodology
  Our framework for measuring social and environmental impacts is based on the best available scientific methodologies.
• Verified and trusted data
  Our sustainability claims are based on data that is reviewed through a formal process of verification to ensure accuracy and consistency, which is essential for building trust with consumers and stakeholders. See question 20 for more information on how the data is verified
• Scalable system
  We are working towards simplifying data collection, aggregation, and reporting systems so as to be easily adopted by new companies, allowing consistent and comparable sustainability claims to scale across the global industry and become easily accessible to consumers during their shopping experience.
• Standardized methodology
  The methodology which we use for developing and verifying sustainability claims is consistent across participating brands and different types of products, and gets updated based on the best available science over time, enabling consumers and companies to “speak the same language.” This unified data-backed approach is at the heart of our initiative. All participating retailers and brands will be using the same evaluation criteria, with supporting information on each product’s performance centrally available on Higg’s Sustainability Profiles platform.  

• Layered communication approach
  Sustainability Profiles share information at deepening levels of detail and technicality to meet consumer groups with different levels of knowledge, awareness, understanding, attitudes, and appetites for performance information.

9. Why is the Higg Index transparency program important for the industry?
In the last decade, the number of sustainability claims and environmental labels have drastically increased. This surge of product labeling schemes with different methods of communicating impacts often feature inconsistent, incomparable, unsubstantiated, and vague claims — making it difficult for consumers to understand what sustainability means and compare products. Meanwhile, consumer interest in sustainability has grown, and shoppers, stakeholders, policymakers, and other organizations are expecting increased accountability and transparency from brands and retailers. To date, there hasn’t been a unified way to communicate the environmental or social impacts of products. The Higg Index transparency program establishes a much-needed consistent framework that allows companies across the industry to speak the same language and enables shoppers to make purchases based on trusted data. And this is just the beginning. See question 11 for more details on how the program will evolve.

10. How does this program combat greenwashing?

The SAC believes that standardized, verified, and consistent measurement frameworks are key to drive collective action and transform business for exponential impact. When we look ahead, we envision a future where consumers and stakeholders have access to ubiquitous, comparable, trusted, and actionable information about a product’s sustainability performance that allows them to make more informed purchasing decisions. 

To make this vision a reality, and in response to the challenge laid out in question 9, tThe Higg Index Transparency Program was developed to provide the apparel industry with a unified, consistent, and science-based way to publicly share product-level sustainability performance of products. We believe that consistent presentation of performance, backed by accessible and reviewed data, ensures claims aren’t false or misleading. 

Based on a study done by Terrachoice in 2007 (acquired by UL, a global safety science leader) on environmental claims, the seven sins of greenwashing were developed to help consumers evaluate sustainability claims. Below, we outline how the HITP fights the seven sins of greenwashing:

1. Sin of the hidden trade-off
   Higg Index Sustainability Profiles share data across four environmental impacts associated with producing the materials in a product — global warming, fossil fuels, water use, and water pollution (specifically, nutrient pollution in water). These categories were selected by SAC member experts and life cycle assessment (LCA) experts/consultants based on the following criteria and additional impact categories may be added as we further develop the science and data behind our tools:

– Environmental relevance/Importance
– Scientific robustness
– Completeness of scope
– Transparency of data sources
– Degree of acceptance in the LCA community
– Data availability

On a brand website and in a product’s Sustainability Profile, shoppers can clearly see how a given product performs across each category, identify the trade-offs associated with different materials, and make more informed shopping decisions.

2. Sin of no proof
One of the purposes of the Higg Index transparency program is to give consumers credible information they can trust, evidenced through data. All products that are part of the program must make claims based on industry established chain of custody standards and content claim methodologies. These claims pass through an external review process outlined here in the verification protocol. Shoppers can get additional supporting information for a product claim by visiting Higg’s Sustainability Profiles website, profiles.higg.com.

3. Sin of vagueness
This was one sin we were especially conscious of as we developed the transparency program. We knew that we needed to be very intentional and clear about what we were sharing with consumers to avoid the greenwashing that sometimes comes with sustainability claims. Higg Index Sustainability Profiles don’t include vague, or confusing statements and labels that lack a clear definition (e.g. eco-friendly, green, sustainable). Instead, the Sustainability Profile and Materials seal provide shoppers with clear and easy to understand information that shows how a given product compares to one made with conventional materials.

4. Sin of worshiping false labels
In order to avoid being a false label, we started with information based on a trusted tool. The Higg Index Sustainability Profile and the Higg Index Materials seal are both based on independently reviewed environmental impact data from the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI). And every product that’s part of the Higg Index transparency program passes through a rigorous external review process. Learn more in the verification protocol here.

5. Sin of irrelevance
We’re focused on shining a light on issues that have the greatest environmental impact. Each of the four impact categories assessed in the Higg Index transparency program were selected by SAC member experts and LCA experts/consultants, based on the criteria listed above. Environmental relevance is one of the key considerations in this process. As LCA continues to evolve, the SAC will expand the impacts included in the program as we further develop the science and data behind our tools.

6. Sin of lesser of two evils
In other words, giving the impression that one option is better even though, by all accounts, both options are not good. The Higg Index transparency program assures that every product with a Sustainability Profile is consistently assessed across four key categories of environmental impact, with that data clearly provided to shoppers within their purchasing journey. It’s then in the shopper’s hands to weigh the trade-offs associated with different materials and decide what matters most to them. There’s no hiding behind “not good” or “less bad” options — the information is all out there at consumers’ fingertips.

7. Sin of fibbing
This basically means not being truthful about the sustainability information you’re offering. Shoppers can trust that all information in a Higg Index Sustainability Profile is based on the best available, independently reviewed data. Products that are part of the Higg Index transparency program pass through a rigorous external review process to ensure the information is credible and accurate. There are two layers of verification for the data presented in the Higg Index Sustainability Profiles:

a.) The LCA data submitted through the Higg MSI Contributor is independently reviewed through our gatekeeper process (get more details on the MSI gatekeeper process here). All other data is independently reviewed by the LCA dataset providers.

b.) Each product that claims a specific material content (like organic or recycled materials) must substantiate it through a valid Chain of Custody certification, such as Textile Exchange’s GRS (Global Recycled Standard) or GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or a content claim methodology, such as Lenzing’s e-branding service.

Read more about the Higg Index transparency program methodology here. Learn more about the external review process here. 

11. How will the Higg Index transparency program evolve over time?
At launch, the Higg Index transparency program will focus on evaluating the cradle-to-gate environmental impact of a product’s materials, pulling its data from the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), part of the suite of measurement tools developed by the SAC. The following phases will see the transparency programexpand to incorporate environmental facility data through the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM), brand and retail operations data through the Higg Brand & Retail Module (BRM), as well as cradle-to-grave product impacts through the Higg Product Module (PM). By early 2023, the program will have expanded to incorporate social data from facilities, becoming the first holistic system for communicating sustainability performance across a product’s lifecycle.

12. How does the Higg Index transparency program align with current or upcoming regulation?

While consumer demand around transparency is changing, so is the global policy landscape. Upcoming regulation is being legislated in international markets in order to facilitate verified, trustworthy sustainability claims.

The Higg Index transparency program is a standardized way to communicate sustainability information. Part of this information is environmental impact data (such as global warming potential). In the European Union, there is a project to standardize a methodology around calculating environmental impacts called the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) project. 

SAC is the lead of the technical secretariat facilitating a multi-stakeholder group participation to get the industry aligned on PEF. As the lead of the technical secretariat, we are NOT the sole creator of the PEFCR, but rather, the facilitators of a collaborative conversation that is actively working to develop a Global Apparel and Footwear (PEFCR) which will serve as a policy standard for products in the EU.

Once a final methodology is approved by the technical secretariat, our plan is to update the Higg Product Module to enable product environmental impact calculations to follow the full PEF methodology. The PM is already built using the methodological framework of life cycle assessment (LCA) and general PEF guidelines. Any methodological changes that impact the Higg MSI, which serves as the materials assessment in the Higg PM, and the transparency program will also be implemented to ensure regulatory alignment across our tools and programs, with consideration given for differing local policies.

By collaborating with policymakers, stakeholders, and our ecosystem partner, Policy Hub- Circularity for Apparel & Footwear, the SAC’s past and future policy work acts as an important lever to facilitate industry change. 

13. Will the Higg Index transparency program develop a certification?
As the program matures and scales, we will evaluate whether it needs to evolve to a formal certification, rather than the current private seal and unified scorecard system of today.

14.  Who helped create the Higg Index transparency program?
The SAC has been developing the building blocks towards data-driven transparency for the industry over the past seven years in collaboration with our 250+ members. The program incorporates input from many external and internal stakeholders.

External

A Stakeholder Expert Panel, consisting of academics and NGOs with technical expertise and/or an industry-informing, thought-leading position has provided objective feedback, insights, and recommendations on a variety of topics, including methodology validation, verification protocols, and strategic positioning. Feedback was collected through individual interviews, group conversations, and surveys. This entire process was facilitated and managed by an independent third-party to ensure objectivity and rigor in engagement and input. 

The SAC and its members have also led multiple consumer testing activities to better understand consumer expectations and what kind of information is easily understood and actionable.

Internal

The SAC Member Expert Team, consisting of subject matter experts from the membership, has and continues to provide technical input, including methodology review, consumer testing, legal review, and CX (customer experience) design through individual interviews, group conversations, and surveys.

Additionally:

• 8 brand and retail members have been deeply engaged leading up to launch conducting consumer insight testing and providing subject matter expertise in each aspect of the program.
• 7 affiliate members and consultants were interviewed to inform the transparency program’s strategy and operational methodologies.

15. How did you select the impact categories that feed into the Higg Index transparency program?
The impact categories featured in the Higg Index transparency program are critical areas environmental scientists use to understand the environmental impact of producing a fabric or material. They were chosen for inclusion into the Higg MSI by SAC member experts and life cycle assessment (LCA) experts/consultants based on the following criteria:

– Environmental relevance/Importance
– Scientific robustness
– Completeness of scope
– Transparency of data sources
– Degree of acceptance in the LCA community
– Data Availability

More information on the selection of these impact categories, including the specific life cycle impact assessment method applied, are described in the Higg MSI methodology here.

16. How did you determine the achievement level thresholds (e.g. 12.5%, 25%, 50%)?
The highest performance level (Level 3, 50% reduction across each impact area) was set so that only products that are on a trajectory to meet the SAC goal of a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will qualify, which is aligned with Science Based Targets guidance for the industry. The other two performance levels (12.5% and 25%) each represent a further halving of the minimum achievement towards this goal. To learn more, read about the Higg Index transparency methodology here.

17. Why is the Higg Index transparency program starting with materials data?
Materials are a significant contributor to the environmental impact of a product. By focusing on materials data first, the Higg Index transparency program addresses one of the most pressing environmental challenges the apparel industry faces and empowers shoppers to use robust sustainability data to inform their purchasing decisions.

The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), the first Higg tool to be used in the transparency program, is unique in its focus on enabling change at global scale. The MSI has been constantly evolving for more than 10 years to reflect best available industry data. The MSI uses a life cycle assessment approach that reflects the industry reality in terms of global production volume of materials, rather than niche exceptions. We stand proudly behind it as the best available tool to help the industry produce materials and ultimately products with lower environmental impacts.

18. Does the Higg MSI have bias for certain materials?

No, it doesn’t. The Higg MSI was designed to help product developers, designers, and analysts identify the trade-offs between different material types and is not intended to promote any type of material over another.

The MSI takes the best available life cycle assessment data available, and consolidates it in a consistent and easier to use manner for the product design and development community. There are no biases or value judgements in the methodology, and it is entirely third party reviewed for quality and consistency.

Over the past few months, the SAC has accelerated its collaborative work with representatives from a number of different fiber industries to ensure that the best, most up to date methodology considerations and data are being used for the MSI. This has specifically included setting up an SAC Member Expert Cotton Team, as well as conversations with the Leather Industry including LWG (Leather Working Group) and different leather industry associations

19. Who owns and maintains the Higg Index transparency program methodology?
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) owns the methodology, which was developed alongside our membership and external reviewers to enable consistent claims to be made using Higg Index information. As we continue to expand and develop the program, the methodology will continue to be revised. Click here to read more about the methodology.

20. How is the data verified?
Products that are part of the Higg Index transparency program pass through a rigorous external review process. There are two layers of verification for the data presented in the Higg Index Sustainability Profiles:

1. The life cycle assessment (LCA) data submitted through the Higg MSI Contributor is independently reviewed through our gatekeeper process (get more details on the MSI gatekeeper process here). All other data is independently reviewed by the LCA dataset providers.

2. Each product that claims a specific material content (like organic or recycled materials) must substantiate it through a valid chain of custody certification or methodology, such as Textile Exchange’s GRS (Global Recycled Standard) or GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) or a content claim methodology, such as Lenzing’s e-branding service.

Read more about the Higg Index transparency program methodology here. Learn more about the review process in the verification protocol here.

21. How does a product receive a Higg Index Materials seal?
Once material claims are verified to be accurately supported through chain of custody standards or methodologies (see examples in previous question), a product may receive a Higg Index Materials seal if it achieves a threshold of 12.5% or more environmental impact reduction compared to products with conventional materials. The SAC has appointed an external reviewer, Sumerra, to support the external review process. You can find more details in the verification protocol here.

22. Are we duplicating industry efforts through the verification process of material claims?
The verification review process by no means is a replacement for existing chain of custody and content claim methodologies. In fact, it is designed to complement and leverage them. You can find more details about the review process in the verification protocol here.

23. Who is the external reviewer that verifies the material claims?
For the launch of the program, the SAC has appointed Sumerra as the external reviewer for verifying product material claims. Sumerra is an advisory firm that is focused on providing oversight for a variety of auditing, assurance, and verification programs. Currently Sumerra provides verification oversight and program management for the SAC’s Higg Facility Environmental Module and Higg Brand & Retail Module, the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), and the Sustainable Dairy Program. They have developed verifier and verification body requirements and competencies, verification protocols, and also implemented robust integrity/quality assurance programs. Sumerra’s work also spans auditing in the apparel, footwear, and textile industry and improving worker lives.

24. Why isn’t chemistry included as one of the impact categories in the Higg Index transparency program?
Measuring quantitative impacts of chemistry (in terms of human and ecological toxicity) is a very new area of life cycle assessment (LCA). The uncertainty, especially for products like apparel and footwear that use a large amount of different functional chemistry, is extremely high. We include a chemistry impact category in the Higg MSI, but it is only identifying order of magnitude differences in impact, and comparable materials and processes tend to score similarly. The SAC is working with other stakeholders at the EU level to explore the relevance of including the chemistry impact category as measured through LCA in future iterations.

In addition, an assessment of chemical management practices through facility and/or brand/retail performance is an area that is being considered as we add data from the other Higg Index tools to the program.

25. Why isn’t the impact of microfibers included in the Higg Index transparency program?
A widely accepted methodology for microfiber measurement does not exist. Once a peer reviewed, published, consensus methodology is available, the SAC plans to incorporate it into the Higg MSI, and weigh microfiber impacts amongst the other critical issues.

26. Is there a clear protocol for how data is communicated to shoppers?
Yes. Part of the Higg Index transparency program is the delivery of communications guidelines that specify exactly how data can be shown, what text can accompany it, and requires linking back to the Sustainability Profiles platform managed by Higg, that provides all supporting information for each claim. You can find these guidelines at howtohigg.org.

27. Why does the Higg Index transparency program use relative claims based on differentiated fibers instead of absolute claims?
The Higg Index transparency program uses relative claims because it is the best way to communicate performance improvements for a specific product.

Apparel and footwear products are complex, with no single type of material performing all different functions. Relative claims allow shoppers to quickly and easily understand the magnitude of a materials’ impact reduction across different categories. Just like the percent daily value on a nutrition label tells you how much your snack compares to your daily recommended intake of sugar or carbohydrates, the relative claims in a Sustainability Profile tell you how the materials in a conventional product compare to the materials in another across different categories. Ultimately, this context gives meaning to information that helps shoppers compare and select snacks or apparel products.

28. Is the Higg Index transparency program based on current data?
The Higg MSI uses the best available life cycle assessment data sources for materials commonly used in apparel and footwear. Data within the MSI comes from leading data sources, including Quantis and Sphera. The SAC also regularly invites the industry, including specific fiber associations, to submit new data to continuously improve the tool for all decision makers.

In some instances, data may be older, but this is usually because it is the only scientifically-backed data currently available for certain materials. The data quality ratings for all processes are available within the MSI.

28. Who participates in the Higg Index transparency program?

The Higg Index Transparency Program is open to SAC members who fulfill a number of requirements for participation. To understand more about these requirements please reach out to transparency@apparelcoalition.org. 

To date we have supported 69 brands to make product sustainability claims through the program. The Sustainability Profile and Higg Index Seal has been used to communicate product impacts across brands from H&M, Tommy Hilfiger and many more. 

In fact, many SAC members lent their expertise to support the development of the program as previously discussed in question 15.  Out of those, H&M and Norrona were the first brands who worked with the SAC to embed Higg Index Sustainability Profiles live on their e-commerce platforms. Amazon was the first third party retailer to adopt and  use the Higg Index Seal as part of their Climate Pledge Friendly program.

29. Where will shoppers see Higg Index Sustainability Profiles?
Consumers will see Higg Index Sustainability Profiles on participating brand and retailers websites’ product display pages. To learn more about the data behind a product’s environmental claim, customers can navigate to Higg’s Sustainability Profiles website, profiles.higg.com.

30. Where will shoppers see the Higg Index Materials seal?

Consumers will see the Higg Index Materials seal in places where integrating a full Sustainability Profile is not possible, such as a third party retailers website. Because a third party retailer sells numerous brands, they may wish to provide an ‘at a glance’ way for a consumer to recognize products which have been made with lower impacts and compare them to others. To get additional supporting information, they can navigate to Higg’s Sustainability Profiles website, profiles.higg.com. Please see question 4 for more detailed information on the Higg Index Materials seal use and methodology. 

For example, Amazon was the first third party retailer to adopt and use the Higg Index Seal as part of their Climate Pledge Friendly program. Consumers can find the Higg Index Materials seal on Amazon websites, supporting them to find products made with lower environmental impacts than conventional alternatives at-a-glance.

31. How many fibers/fabrics are included in the Higg Index transparency program?
All textiles and insulation materials scored in the Higg MSI (77 materials in total) have been assessed with the Higg Index transparency methodology. At launch, 29 different material types show at least the minimum 12.5% reduction in all 4 environmental impact categories required for a product to qualify for our achievement levels. This is not a fiber certification — it’s a measurement of a product’s reduced impacts. So these fibers can be combined into whatever specific product fiber blend a brand is using. As the program is expanded into additional processing stages, the number of possible combinations will grow exponentially (variations of different processing/fiber combinations) and more materials (ex: leather, synthetic leather, foam, etc) will be able to be assessed.

32. Are SAC members required to participate in the Higg Index transparency program?
While the SAC membership requirements already have obligations for members related to transparencysuch as the sharing of performance goals and improvements, members are not required to participate in the program at this stage. Currently, the data collection and processing necessary to join the program is a manual rather than automated process, which currently prevents us from scaling the program to all of our brand and retailer members. As the SAC membership requirements are designed to align with SAC’s strategic plan, the development of the program will play an important role in their future evolution.

34. Currently, SAC members use various systems to communicate sustainability performance. How will the SAC address this through the transparency program to mitigate duplicative efforts?

Alongside the launch of the Higg Index transparency program, the SAC and Higg have revised  the Higg Index Ccommunication Guidelines and Terms of Use to ensure that claims made using any Higg tool are aligned with our transparency vision.  Please find our latest Communication Guidelines at howtohigg.org. 

In addition to this, we’re also keeping a close eye on other transparency initiatives and engaging in conversations to minimize duplicate efforts where it makes sense. Ultimately, the industry needs one sustainability performance communication initiative that it can rally behind and that consumers can trust, which is why we’re working with our members to evolve and expand the program beyond materials.

36. How do we get involved in the Higg Index transparency program?
We are currently working toward scaling participation in the program through numerous avenues. If you are interested in participating you can find our latest cohort calendars published on SAC connect or in the Transparency section of our newsletter. Alternatively, please reach out to Transparency@apparelcoalition.org.

37. Is the Higg Index transparency program free of charge?
This first phase of the Higg Index transparency program comes at no cost to the members involved given the program’s infancy, but future phases will be a paid service, as there are many resources required to support the ongoing maintenance and implementation of the verification and other program components. More information on cost will be available in the coming months.