InSpec by BV - Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM)

Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM)

Higg FEM

What is Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM)?

The Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) is a sustainability assessment tool of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). The SAC, founded in 2010, is a coalition of brands, retailers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders who are committed to reducing the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products around the world.

The Higg FEM standardizes the measurement of environmental performance of manufacturing facilities in the apparel, footwear, and textile industry. It is designed to help these facilities understand their environmental impact and identify areas for improvement.

 

environmental audit_inspec by bv

Got questions? Send us a message.

Webform

We have an amazing team to support you along the way! 
I hereby certify that I have read and I agree with the Personal Data provision of the Conditions of Service and the Cookies Policy

I hereby consent to the collection and use of the personal data I provide, with the understanding that the personal data could be used by Bureau Veritas Hong Kong Limited, its affiliates, and, where applicable, its subcontractors, for the purpose of performing the services I request.

Personal Data

1. Client’s personal data are collected by Bureau Veritas Hong Kong Limited, having its registered office at 1/F, Pacific Trade Centre, 2 Kai Hing Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, (“BV HK”) and are subject to computer processing in order to enable Company to provide the Services. When requesting the Services, Client has been asked and has given express consent to the collection and reasonable use of Client’s personal data for purposes relevant to the Services.

2 Client’s personal data are intended for BV HK, its affiliated companies and, where applicable, subcontractors engaged in performing the Services. They will be retained for a period of time as required by the relevant local tax authorities where the Services are performed.

3 If Client’s personal data are collected in the European Union, they may be transferred outside the European Union, on the basis of standard contractual clauses established by the European Commission, and the standard contractual clauses are available on request, by clicking on this link: Contact Us .

4 In accordance with the French Data Protection Act of 6 January 1978 as amended and the General Data Protection Regulation of 27 April 2016, Client has the right to access, rectify and erase any personal data concerning Client, as well as the right to limit the processing, the right to oppose to the processing or the right to portability of your personal data. In addition, since Client has given consent to the collection and use of your personal data, Client has the right to withdraw its consent at any time. In that event, the performance of the Services may be suspended or terminated if the absence of consent renders the performance of the Services impossible or impracticable. Client also has the right to set out general and specific guidelines that define how it intends these rights to be exercised after death. Client can contact us to exercise its rights in this paragraph by clicking on this link: Contact Us Finally, Client has a right to lodge a complaint to the Commission Nationale Informatique et Liberts (CNIL).
Would you like to receive marketing communication from Bureau Veritas
x

Product Categories

  • Softlines

    Customers’ expectations are high in the softlines industry. Any quality issue, price discrepancy, or late delivery directly affects your business finances and reputation. Accelerated fashion seasons in the apparel and home textile industry create an urgency to quickly produce quality products that are compliant. With softlines, textile, footwear and accessories companies expanding into new global markets, they face an increasingly complex environment that challenges the turn-around of goods.

    We help you manage risk and achieve your goals of quality products being shipped in a timely manner. By combining quality assurance and quality control services at all stages of the product life cycle, Bureau Veritas can help protect your reputation and brand.

    Our inspectors and auditors have experience within the apparel, footwear and accessories marketplace allowing us to offer inspection and audit services worldwide for all kinds of softline products.

      • ACCESSORIES
      • From supplier qualification through to final shipment; our specialists help you avoid supply chain disruptions allowing you to ship quality products on time.

      • Belts
      • Handbags
      • Laptop bags
      • Purses
      • FABRIC & HOME FURNISHINGS
      • At every stage of your supply chain we verify your product meets time to market demands, and satisfies consumer expectations.

      • Curtains
      • Cushions
      • Fabric
      • Linen
      • FOOTWEAR
      • Our product specialists partner you to make the right supplier choice and verify the quality and safety of your footwear before shipment.

      • Leather Shoes
      • Men, Women, Children and babies shoes
      • Synthetic shoes
      • Textiles shoes
      • GARMENTS
      • At every stage of your supply chain we verify your electrical goods meet time to market demands, and satisfy consumer expectations.

      • Activewear
      • Fashion wear
      • Jeans
      • Linen
      • Shirts
      • Sleepwear
      • Soft furnishings(cushions, curtains, and etc.)
      • Underwear
      • Jackets
      • Power Tools
      • Small Domestic Appliances
      • SMART WEAR
      • In today’s connected world, more and more softline product are integrating technology. As a global leader in both softlines and wireless, our BV Best Practice...

      • Connected Footwear
      • Intelligent Textiles
  • HARDLINES

    Since hardlines encompasses an extensive array of products, ranging from furniture, jewelry, office and household goods, to candles and more - they often require a focused inspection and audit approach. Our BV Best Practice specifications have done the hard work for you. We have identified the necessary requirements for multiple global markets helping you with improved product quality, better branding and a reduction in customer complaints and returns due to poor quality.

      • INDOOR
      • At every stage of your supply chain we verify your product meets time to market demands, and satisfies consumer expectations.

      • Candles
      • Cookware
      • Craft & Decoration
      • Kitchenware
      • OFFICE
      • Our product specialists partner you to make the right supplier choice and verify the quality and safety of your furniture before shipment.

      • Cabinets
      • Chairs & Tables
      • Shelving
      • Stationery & Supplies
      • OUTDOOR
      • From supplier qualification through to final shipment; our specialists help you avoid supply chain disruptions allowing you to ship quality products on time.

      • Building Products
      • Camping Products
      • Patio Furniture
      • Tools
      • PERSONAL
      • Our quality management approach verifies that your personal goods meet best in class inspection requirements and satisfy the demands of your customers.

      • Luggage
      • Pet Care
      • Sporting Goods
      • Watches
  • TOYS

    Our quality assurance services for toy and juvenile products include both specialized services to meet specific needs and testing services to help assess if your product meets required governmental regulations and industry standards.

      • CLASSICAL
      • At every stage of your supply chain we verify your toys meet time to market demands, and satisfy consumer expectations.

      • Arts & Crafts
      • Balls
      • Construction Toys
      • Musical Toys
      • Fancy Dress
      • Kids Jewelry
      • Kids Kitchenware
      • Kids Make-up products
      • Metal Toys
      • Plastic Toys
      • Plush Toys
      • Science Sets
      • Seasonal Novelties
      • ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS
      • Our product specialists partner you to make the right supplier choice and verify the quality and safety of your electrical toy before shipment..

      • JUVENILE PRODUCTS
      • From supplier qualification through to final shipment; our specialists help you avoid supply chain disruptions allowing you to ship quality products on time.

      • Baby Furnishings
      • Bedding
      • Safety/Security
      • Transportation
      • WIRELESS CONNECTED
      • Our quality management approach verifies that your connected toys meet best in class inspection requirements and satisfy the demands of your customers.

      • Drones
      • Internet Connected
      • Quadcopters
      • Robots
  • ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS

    The electrical and electronics industries face a number of challenges preparing their products for the marketplace. Identifying and conforming to global requirements in a changing regulatory environment, optimizing product development, assessing suppliers and auditing their factories, and monitoring quality throughout the supply chain. Added to these are rising concerns that it is the producer’s responsibility to see a product through to the end of its useful life. Bureau Veritas has the comprehensive capabilities to partner with you in solving these issues.

      • CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
      • Our product specialists partner you to make the right supplier choice and verify the quality and safety of your consumer electronics shipment.

      • Audio/Video
      • IT Equipment
      • Telecommunications
      • Battery Operated Electronic Items
      • CONSUMER GOODS
      • At every stage of your supply chain we verify your electrical goods meet time to market demands, and satisfy consumer expectations.

      • Large Domestic Appliances
      • Lighting Chains
      • Power Tools
      • Small Domestic Appliances
      • Generator Driven Appliances
      • SMART HOME
      • Our quality management approach verifies that your personal goods meet best in class inspection requirements and satisfy the demands of your customers.

      • Entertainment
      • Heating
      • Lighting
      • Security
      • Video Consoles
      • TELECOMMUNICATIONS
      • Our product specialists partner you to make the right supplier choice and verify the quality and safety of your telecommunications products before shipment.

      • Feature Phones
      • Routers
      • Smart Phones
      • Tablets

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.
 

InSpec By
Bureau Veritas

LEARN MORE

Bureau Veritas is a world-leading concept-to-consumer supply chain solutions partner working with organizations throughout the supply chain, With well in excess of 100 offices and laboratories spread around the world we are proud to be the quality managers for many of the world’s leading brands, retailers and their supply chains.

Inspec is an online booking platform to improve your product quality and reduce returns with systematic inspection and audits, You will experience a fast, easy-to-use booking flow for your product inspection services, and you can book one of our next available product specialists to be at your factory for service as quickly as the next day.

Why Bureau Veritas?

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 80,000 employees located in more than 1,600 offices and laboratories around the globe.

As one of the world's leading third-party inspection companies, our inspection team all undergo rigorous technical qualification and integrity training before performing any type of inspection. We offer standard and tailor-made quality control inspection for a wide array of softline and hardline products.

Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.

Global footprint and local expertise

Bureau Veritas carries out over 400,000 inspections and audits every year. We have over 1200 fully qualified inspectors across 85 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America.

Product expertise

Your product quality inspection is conducted with BV’s inspection protocols which are based on our standard practices and decades of experience from assessing millions of factories and products. All our protocols are optimized to meet today’s requirements.

Ethic & independent quality control

As the world leader in testing, inspection and certification services, we put ethics and integrity at the very top of our priority list. Our Code of Ethics ensures our staff members maintain integrity, professional competence, confidentiality, professional behavior, and high ethical standards in their day-to-day business activities.