Higg Index

Higg Index Sustainability Profiles share information and data about how the materials in a product impact the environment, compared to their conventional alternatives.

Each product is given a score from “baseline” to “3” based on the environmental impact of the materials in the product. Baseline scores are given to products made from, or with similar environmental impacts to, conventional materials and scores of 1,2 and 3 are given to products made with materials that have lower environmental impacts. Products scoring level 3 are made from materials that have the lowest environmental impacts when compared to conventional materials. On each product, customers will also see detailed information on impacts relating to water use, global warming, fossil fuel use and water pollution.

Higg Index Sustainability Profiles are created by The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) who are a global multi-stakeholder nonprofit alliance, in partnership with its technology partner, Higg. The SAC was founded in 2010 and has more than 250 global members including brands & retailers, manufacturers, academia, consultants, governments & NGOs. For the last 10 years the SAC has been working to create a set of tools that can provide a unified measurement of a product, facility or brand's environmental and social impact. Higg Index Sustainability Profiles are part of the SAC’s new Higg Index transparency program which aims to help brands and retailers share some of this information with customers.

The data displayed comes from the Higg Material Sustainability Index (MSI), part of the Higg Index suite of sustainability measurement tools developed by the SAC. The Higg MSI is a resource for designers, product developers, and analysts to understand the costs, benefits, and tradeoffs of different materials that have the same functional purpose (for instance, comparing a recycled fiber to its conventional version). The MSI looks at environmental impacts including water use, global warming potential, fossil fuels & water pollution.

The Higg MSI uses the best available life cycle assessment data sources for materials commonly used in clothing and footwear. Data within the MSI comes from leading global data sources including Quantis and Sphera. The SAC also regularly invites the industry, including specific fiber associations, to submit new data to continuously improve the tool for all decision makers. All environmental impact data used in the Higg MSI and displayed on products is independently reviewed. Using the Higg MSI helps companies understand the environmental impacts of the materials in their products, and using the Higg Index Sustainability Profiles help brands to communicate this information to customers.

The Higg Index Sustainability Profile is based on independently reviewed environmental impact data from the Higg MSI and every product that’s part of the Higg Index transparency program passes through a rigorous external review process.

As the program is new, we have started small so that we can take learnings and continue to further improve the way we work with the program. But the ambition is to scale up throughout 2021 and to apply Higg Index Sustainability Profiles to as many products as possible across all our global markets during 2022.

Yes the Higg Index Sustainability Profiles were developed by the SAC for any brand or retailer to use, so you will see other brands displaying the program on their products. This idea behind Higg Index Sustainability Profiles is to provide a unified way for brands, retailers, and manufacturers to share verified environmental impact data related to products and offer customers greater transparency and the possibility to make more informed purchasing decisions.