What is the Higg Index? Inspection, factory inspection, certification service
The Higg Index is an innovative "sustainability assessment tool" designed to assist clothing, footwear, retail and manufacturing enterprises in evaluating and continuously improving their environmental and social responsibility performance through inspection and testing mechanisms. This tool was developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), which brings together over 200 brand owners, retailers, manufacturers, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions worldwide, all committed to reducing the environmental and social impact of the textile and footwear industries.
The Higg Index consists of two main verification frameworks: the Factory Environment Module (Higg FEM) and the Factory Social and Labor Module (Higg FSLM). Both of these provide enterprises with systematic self-assessment and third-party verification pathways.
What is Higg FEM?
Higg FEM is applicable to manufacturing enterprises. The factory needs to conduct a self-assessment once a year and select a third-party verification institution recognized by SAC for on-site factory inspection. This module is used to evaluate the performance of the enterprise in environmental management, promote continuous improvement, and help identify improvement opportunities in the process, achieving full lifecycle sustainable management from raw materials to products.
Higg FEM covers the following inspection items:
Environmental Management System
Energy and greenhouse gas emissions
Emission of exhaust gases
Using water
Wastewater
Waste Management
Chemical Management
What is Higg FSLM?
Higg FSLM was formed by SAC integrating the industry standards of the Social and Labor Integration Project (SLCP). SLCP aims to reduce repetitive factory audits within the industry through a unified assessment tool, covering aspects such as labor rights, health and safety. On the Higg platform, this project is called FSLM and is applicable for manufacturers to conduct annual self-assessments and third-party verifications to evaluate their social responsibility systems and promote continuous improvement.
Higg FSLM includes the following inspection items:
Recruitment and Employment
Working hours
Salary and Benefits
Employee benefits
Employee participation
Health and Safety
Contract termination
Management System
Factory labor standards and value chain partners
External participation in social and labor issues
Community Participation
How to apply for Higg FEM and FSLM verification?
Enterprises can log in to www.higg.org to register and pay the fee. Use the self-assessment tool on this platform to complete the self-assessment questionnaire (SAQ). Download the self-assessment results and submit them to a third-party verification agency recognized by SAC for on-site factory inspection. After the verification is completed, the results will be published on the Higg platform. This verification result can serve as an important basis for internal improvement of the enterprise, customer factory inspection certification, and supplier evaluation, enhancing the credibility and competitiveness of the enterprise in the supply chain.
Share this product
What is the Higg Index? Inspection, factory inspection, certification
An innovative "sustainability assessment tool" is designed to assist clothing, footwear, retail and manufacturing enterprises