New Look, Same Vision: We Rebrand as Cascale:  Cascale kicks off a new era of impact with co-founder Rick Ridgeway

• Introduction
  • Message from CEO
  • Letter from Board Chair
  • Meet the Team & Our Impact
  • Our Year & Higg Index In Review 
    
    
• Cascale Milestones 
  • Standout Annual Meeting in Munich
  • Deepened Partnership with Worldly 
  • At a Glance, Stakeholder Engagement

• Financial Overview
  • Revenue & Expenses  
  • Governance 
    

• Member Milestones 
  • Member Value & Numbers
  • SBTs in Action
  • Welcome 2024 Members
  • Members, a Source of Good 
    
    
• In Summary 
  
  • Resources, Past Reports
  • Contact 

Cascale brings together expertise from across the globe to help develop sustainable solutions and support members on their sustainability journeys.

​Dear Cascale community, 

What a year it’s been. In one word, 2024 was a year of unity for Cascale amid landmark reinvention, trials, and recommitments to our mission. 

In the lead-up to our rebrand, we challenged ourselves to reflect deeply and think bigger about our ambitions for the consumer goods industry. In February, our London rebrand event marked a momentous occasion for celebrating Cascale’s future while remembering our origins, including the foundation we’ve uniquely set with the Higg Index.

We experienced raw moments on and off stage at landmark events like the Annual Meeting, Brand & Retailer Forum, Manufacturer Forum, and all in all, unified under a guiding mission of driving collective action at scale. 

We navigated regulatory changes under our growing Policy & Public Affairs team, launched key Higg Index updates and

“The Higg BRM stands as a beacon for sustainability in the fashion industry, guiding brands and retailers through their sustainability journeys.

The Higg BRM is more than a tool—it’s a community’s commitment to a sustainable future. As we stride forward and converge with key frameworks, including the Textile Exchange’s Material Benchmark and the ZDHC Brands to Zero program, our members are empowered to craft sustainability strategies that are not only consistent but impactful.”

–Maravillas Rodriguez Zarco, Senior Director, Higg Index Strategy & Operations, Cascale

​Dear Cascale community, 

Last year marked a significant turning point. Our rebrand wasn’t just a new name — it signaled “A New Era of Unified Impact” and a clearer commitment to action. 

For over a decade, Cascale and its members have been hard at work transforming the practices of our industry. Last year was no exception. In 2024, we launched a number of Higg Index tool enhancements, while mapping the ongoing evolution in an exclusive partnership with Worldly. The Higg FEM verification program has been growing at a 20 percent YOY growth rate, with users completing 12,700 verifications at the close of 2024. Our Manufacturer Climate Action Program grew to 57 members and we announced the inaugural Industry Decarbonization Roadmap (IDR), with aid of Aii and Reset Carbon, and explored deep insights at the Annual Meeting in Munich (our biggest and boldest yet at over 600 attendees). 

In supporting decent work for all, we independently established the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), and strengthened our collaborations with BGMEA, Open Supply Hub, Better Buying, Fair Wear, among others.

Your Membership in Action: Tools & Data

Higg Index usage and verification increased in 2024, helping over 40,000 users measure and improve environmental performance.

What this means for you: You access the world’s largest standardized dataset for environmental impact in apparel and footwear enables smarter sourcing and risk reduction.

Your Membership in Action:
Strategic Focus 

Cascale is doing less to do more; reorganizing work under two strategic pillars to focus where it matters most. 

What this means for you: Your membership funds fewer but higher-impact initiatives, improving outcomes and driving alignment across the value chain.

“This year, the energy was electric. After months of planning, we delivered our biggest and best event yet, full of packed sessions, hands-on workshops, and interactive moments. But what really stood out was the shared commitment to learning, leading, and shaping the future of our industry together. 

It wasn’t just about sitting back and listening; it was about getting involved and making a difference. One of the strongest themes throughout the event was the need for unified action. Whether it’s through decarbonization, social governance, or transparency initiatives, our industry must cut back on duplicative efforts and focus on measurable goals to truly drive progress.

We focused on targeting key suppliers to address the bulk of our industry’s carbon emissions and discussed how to build better processes that allow us to collaborate more effectively. We also embraced some tough conversations, celebrating the importance of worker-centric approaches, local actions for global challenges, and the innovation needed to create a community we can all be proud of.

A massive thank you to our Board, my colleagues at Cascale, our 600 attendees, 17 sponsors, and 80 speakers, who all helped make these days so inspiring. Until we come together again in Hong Kong.”

– Lee Green, 

VP Comms & Marketing,

Cascale 

“At Worldly, we are proud of our deepening partnership with Cascale—especially in a year that brought meaningful progress for both organizations. In 2024, we saw significant evolution of the Higg Index tools and real momentum in aligning the industry around common standards, actionable data, and shared accountability.

Cascale’s expanding network and focus on driving impact—not just intention—make them a valued partner in the shift from measurement to action. We're excited about what’s ahead as our partnership deepens and we collaborate closely to accelerate our shared vision of social and environmental sustainability across the consumer goods industry.” 

- Scott Raskin, 

CEO, Worldly

Your Membership In Action: 

Policy & Public Affairs

Cascale engaged directly with policymakers across the EU, US, and Asia to shape regulations like CSRD and mandatory due diligence.

What this means for you: A stronger collective voice influencing policy and reducing fragmentation, so you’re not navigating the landscape alone.

Please find all of your contacts and resources to reach out at the end of our report.

With 300+ members and 30 countries represented, Cascale continues to deepen member value, while evolving the Higg Index tools in real-time, shaping relevant policy conversations, and growing alongside industry stakeholders to guide an array of engaged members and partners in consumer goods.

• As part of our impact pillar to Combat Climate Change, Cascale is committed to driving a minimum 45 percent reduction of GHGs across the consumer goods value chain by 2030.
• To Support Decent Work for All, our stakeholder engagements, broader tools alignment journey, and acceleration of responsible purchasing practices (RPP), align closely. 
  
• By aligning and elevating Foundational Environmental Performance (FEP), tools like the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) enable us to align around common environmental metrics, reduce audit fatigue, and drive continuous, measurable improvements across the supply chain.
  

The staff who are focused on human rights at the factory might spend all of their time just measuring and completing assessments and doing this paperwork when we as brands come together and say we're all going to use this assessment where these two assessments we free up the staff at the factories to actually do the work of improving based on their assessments."

– Susan Scow, Sustainability Specialist at Eileen Fisher

Many members found value in participating in Cascale’s exclusive and meaningful modes of connection including, Peer-to-Peer learning sessions, Member Expert Teams (METs), Coffee & Connect sessions, and in specific, actionable programs designed to maximize action on challenging areas related to decarbonization and decent work for all. 

• Cascale is committed to driving a minimum 45 percent reduction of GHGs across the consumer goods value chain by 2030. We catalyze collective action to reduce GHG emissions in line with a 1.5°C scenario by addressing energy transitions, accelerating supply chain decarbonization, and aligning the industry around a unified definition of foundational environmental performance.
• As part of our Decarbonization Program which launched in 2021, we require Brand & Retailer members to set Science-Based Targets (SBTs), with the aim of reducing carbon emissions.
  

• Our members represent every link of the global value chain, including a wide variety of brands, retailers, manufacturers, sourcing agents, service providers, trade organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, and academic institutions. 
• In 2024, new joiners represented a broad swath of the industry including, approximately, 13 new brand and retailer members, five new service providers, three new manufacturers, two new members from academia, and one new member under the trading agent, importer, and licensee category. 
  

Your Membership In Action: 

Decarbonization Program

Decarbonization is an essential consideration for any responsible businesses today, and Cascale has the proven programs. 

What this means for you: Tailored assistance, community, and expertise at any stage of your decarbonization journey with real results. 

For more information on this year’s report,
please contact us.