Products of Change has partnered with supply chain intelligence platform, Worldly, to give the brand and licensing industry a more connected and efficient way to manage supply chain reporting – powered by Worldly’s platform, home to Cascale’s Higg Index.

To mark the partnership, Products of Change and Worldly co-hosted their first webinar to explore how greater alignment across data systems can unlock efficiencies, reduce duplication, and enable more consistent, actionable insights across supply chains. 

As compliance and impact reporting requirements continue to increase, businesses across the brand and licensing industry are facing growing pressure to report, disclose, and act, often across multiple platforms and frameworks.

This conversation focused on how we connect the dots, bringing industry together to build a more streamlined, interoperable approach to sustainability data, and providing the POC Community with complimentary access the Worldly platform for up to three months.

Watch the full recording or read the summary notes below.

Outline

Worldly technology platform overview

• Michael explains the history and evolution of the Higg index, starting with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
• Michael highlights the importance of community building and shared standards in the Higg index’s success.
• Michael introduces the Worldly technology platform and its capabilities, including data collection, analysis, and sharing.
• Michael discusses the potential for the Higg index to expand beyond apparel and footwear into other product categories.

Pilot programme and participation

• Michael outlines the pilot programme for POC members, including the process for soliciting interest and identifying participants.
• Michael explains the goal of the pilot programme to test the usefulness of the Higg index data for sustainability professionals.
• Michael describes the verification process for Higg index assessments and the benefits of sharing data across multiple brands.
• Michael emphasises the importance of reducing audit fatigue and increasing environmental performance through the Higg index.

Assessment and data collection

• Michael details the facility assessments, including the Higg FEM and FSLM modules, and the benefits of a single assessment for multiple brands.
• Michael explains the self-assessment process and the role of verifiers in ensuring data accuracy.
• Michael discusses the tracking system for suppliers and the benefits of sharing assessment results with multiple stakeholders.
• Michael highlights the importance of primary data and the ability to override generic emissions factors with facility-specific data.

Product impacts and compliance

• Michael introduces the product impacts pillar, including emissions factors and life cycle assessments.
• Michael explains the supplier compliance management tool for managing codes of conduct and corrective action plans.
• Michael discusses the insights and actionability pillar, focusing on decision-ready intelligence and targeted supplier engagement.
• Michael highlights the importance of interoperability and the ability to integrate with third-party systems.

Regional data and customisation

• Michael explains the integration of regional data to provide more granular insights into supplier performance.
• Michael discusses the use of custom tags for categorising suppliers and tracking environmental performance.
• Michael highlights the importance of combining facility data with regional context to improve risk assessment and mitigation.
• Michael emphasises the need for accurate and actionable data to drive meaningful outcomes in sustainability efforts.

Questions and discussion

• Helena invites questions from participants, addressing specific concerns about the verification process and data sharing.
• Michael responds to questions about the self-assessment process and the potential for reducing the burden on suppliers.
• Helena and Michael discuss the role of intermediaries in managing supplier assessments and the importance of data transparency.
• Michael highlights the potential for expanding the Higg index to include product carbon footprints and other sustainability metrics.

Next steps and contact information

• Michael outlines the next steps for the pilot programme, including soliciting interest and identifying participant segments.
• Michael explains the process for submitting interest and the timeline for kickoff calls and pilot programme implementation.
• Helena encourages participants to reach out with any questions and to stay engaged in the pilot programme.
• Michael and Helena provide contact information for further inquiries and support.