Our SAC services

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC)

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is the apparel, footwear and home textile industry’s alliance for sustainable production. Its centerpiece is the The Higg Index, a standardized supply chain measurement tool which allows companies to measure and understand the environmental and social impacts of their products and services.

The SAC has over 200 members, including brand & retailers, manufacturers, NGOs, and academic institutions.  Leadership & Sustainability is one of its members.

SAC’s Higg Index Suite of Tools

The Higg Index covers three set of tools: the Brand Modules, the Facility Modules, and the Product Modules. The Brand Modules focus on the corporate level of brands and retailers, assessing, among other things, the environmental and social / labor performance of their design, sourcing and operations. The Facility Modules, on the other hand, measure the social and environmental performance of manufacturing facilities (either your own or that of your suppliers). Finally, the Product Modules consist of tools for designers and developers to measure a product’s environmental performance at difference stages within the product-development cycle.

Below you find an overview of how the different Higg Index Tools can be used along each step in the supply chain.

Our SAC Related Services

We at Leadership & Sustainability offer you a comprehensive portfolio of SAC-related services. Whether you are looking for strategy consulting, a way to create material & product certifications, or are simply interested in workshops & trainings – we’ve got you covered! Our SAC services are especially created for clients from the textile, home textile, apparel and footwear industry, as well as the retail sector.

Below you find a more detailed overview of what we can offer. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Higg FEM 3.0 Verifications

As official verifiers & trainers, one of our key SAC related service is the verification of the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM).

The FEM is part of SAC’s Facility Tools, enabling manufacturers to accurately measure and score the sustainability performance of their facility. Manufacturers using the FEM are guided through seven sections covering various environmental topics and are asked to provide both quantitative and qualitative responses. One of the great benefits of the FEM is that it standardises how facilities measure and evaluate their environmental performance. This way the FEM helps to:

• measure and quantify the sustainability impacts of a facility
• reduce redundancy in measuring and reporting sustainability performance
• drive business value through reducing risk and uncovering efficiencies
• create a common means and language to communicate sustainability to stakeholders

Once facilities have provided their responses, they can engage official SAC Higg FEM verifiers and have their self-assessment externally verified. While not mandatory, this ensures that all scores are accurate as well as comparable.

Leadership & Sustainability: A Global & Trusted Partner for Higg FEM 3.0 Verifications

Having a trustworthy partner by your side that can guide you through the process of a Higg FEM verification and provide you with effective advise on how to improve is of upmost importance.

We at Leadership & Sustainability would love to be that partner for you. Over the last 12 months, our team of general and chemical specialist verifiers have conducted more than 60 FEM verifications across the entire globe (for an overview of where we offer verification, click here).

If you are considering conducting your Higg FEM verification, don’t hesitate to contact us for further information or a customized offer.

Below you find some more information about our Higg FEM verifier and trainer services.

Also re-watch our free webinars, or read our blog articles on that topic:

Free Webinar Recording & Presentation: What to expect on the day of your Higg FEM verification.

Free Webinar Recording & Presentation: How to Improve Your SAC Higg FEM Score – Updates to the How to Higg

How does the SAC’s Higg Index fit your sustainability strategy?