Higg FEM Assessment and Verification (vFEM)

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

Completion evidence and certification

RST INTERPRETATION

Uses and limits of results

EVIDENCE & SOURCES

Official sources and applicable guidance

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility and preparation

• 01Facilities that want to measure annual environmental performance systematically and identify improvement priorities
• 02Facilities asked by customers, brands or supply chain partners to provide a FEM self-assessment or verified results
• 03Facilities seeking independent checks of environmental data before sharing results with partners
• 04Facilities with a Worldly account and a valid subscription that provides access to Higg FEM
• 05Facilities able to answer all applicable self-assessment questions in English, reach 100% completion and post the assessment on Worldly
• 06Facilities able to define the legal and physical scope covered by one FEM using registration and operating-permit information
• 07Cascale does not require every facility to undergo FEM verification. Facilities should determine whether verification is needed, the deadline and the required method by considering customer requirements and the intended use of results.

BENEFITS

Potential benefits

• 01Improve the accuracy and reliability of self-assessment responses and environmental data
• 02Identify environmental performance and improvement needs using overall and area-level results
• 03Share more reliable FEM data with supply chain partners
• 04Improve consistency and comparability across facilities using the same FEM framework
• 05Track changes in environmental performance over reporting years
• 06Build an evidence base for environmental reporting and supply chain data requests

PROCESS

Assessment and verification process

1. 01

   [Facility] Confirm requirements and reporting year

   Confirm the FEM reporting year, submission deadline, need for verification and intended use required by the customer or brand.

2. 02

   [Facility] Prepare a Worldly account and subscription

   Check the Worldly account and arrange a service plan that provides access to FEM for the reporting year. FEM is subscription-based; check available assessment years on Worldly.

3. 03

   [Facility] Complete the FEM self-assessment

   Complete Site Info & Permits first, then answer the applicable questions across the seven environmental areas. Complete the assessment in English and prepare evidence supporting numerical data and management-system information.

4. 04

   [Facility] Complete and post the self-assessment

   Answer all applicable questions, reach 100% completion and post the assessment on Worldly. The self-assessment must be posted before verification can begin.

5. 05

   [Facility / RST] Confirm scope, method, schedule and fees

   Contact RST about availability and service conditions. Confirm the scope, method, anticipated person-days, evidence and schedule. Worldly subscription fees, the Cascale Verification Access Fee and verification-service fees are separate cost components; check the quotation and payment terms.

6. 06

   [Facility] Select the verifying body on Worldly

   Confirm the contract and verification conditions and check the contracted verifying body's official registered name. Then choose that organization using Select Verifying Body on Worldly.

7. 07

   [Verifying body] Assign verifiers and communicate the plan

   Higg FEM Verification Protocol v1.6 requires verifier assignment and communication of the verification plan at least 10 working days before verification starts. Applicable conflict-of-interest requirements must be checked, including restrictions on assigning personnel who trained or consulted for the same facility.

8. 08

   [Facility / RST] Conduct verification

   Onsite verification includes an opening meeting, document and data review, staff interviews, facility and equipment checks, evidence collection and a closing meeting. Offsite verification uses documents, photographs, digital records, video meetings and remote interviews. Verifiers check responses and record corrections and comments where needed.

9. 09

   [Verifying body] Enter results and complete internal quality review

   Higg FEM Verification Protocol v1.6 requires results, corrected responses and verifier comments to be entered in vFEM. Before submission for facility review, an independent Report Reviewer who did not take part in the verification must complete internal quality review. The verifying body must enter results on Worldly and reach VRC within 14 business days after verification activities are completed.

10. 10

    [Facility / RST] Review results and address edits or disputes

    Review the VRC results. Use Request Edit / VRE for factual or data-entry errors, or the formal dispute process where appropriate. If there are no issues, finalize the results. The verifier decides whether changes are justified by evidence and the protocol; results are not changed solely by negotiation between the facility and verifier.

11. 11

    [Facility] Finalize, post and share results

    Finalize the reviewed results and post them on Worldly. FEM2025 vFEM includes Level 1 verification results. If unverified Level 2 and 3 responses contribute to the overall score, it may be shown as a Partially Verified Score. Distinguish self-assessed information from the actual verified scope when sharing results.

RST EXPERTISE

What to confirm with RST

When contacting RST, provide the facility location and production processes, reporting year, customer requirements, preferred schedule and evidence readiness. Confirm the verifying body’s current approval, available methods and service scope, schedule and fees before contracting. Verification does not guarantee a particular score, brand approval or a commercial outcome.

CONTACT & RESOURCES

Continue with RST