Table of Contents
- Emshiggindexsubcontract
- Emshiggindexsubcontract Verification And Scoring
- Emshiggindexupstream
- Emshiggindexupstream Verification And Scoring
- Emsengagelocal
- Emsengagelocal Verification And Scoring
Emshiggindexsubcontract
Does your facility monitor, evaluate, and/or engage with your subcontractors on their environmental performance using the Higg Index or other relevant environmental assessment? (Ref ID - emshiggindexsubcontract)
Answer Yes if: Your facility engages all subcontractors to improve environmental performance using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and can demonstrate that improvements have been made in subcontractor environmental performance.
Answer Partial Yes if: Your facility engages with at least one (1), but not all subcontractors to improve environmental performance using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and has procedures to monitor and track subcontractor performance, but cannot demonstrate that improvements have been made in subcontractor environmental performance.
Answer Not Applicable if: Your facility does not use any subcontractors.
Notes:
- The scope of subcontractors for this question refers to subcontractors used for production (e.g., a separate business entity used to perform a specific process or manufacturing step to produce a final product such as garment dyeing, embroidery, and screen-printing tasks, etc.)
- If the engagement only requires subcontractors to complete an assessment, but there is no follow-up monitoring or reporting of improvements at the subcontractor required, you should answer No to this question. (e.g., if the subcontractor is only required to share their Higg FEM module and your facility does not follow-up to provide support or require and track improvements)
If you select Yes or Partial Yes, you will be asked the following sub questions:
- Please upload documentation, if available.
- If you cannot upload the documents, please describe here:
Suggested Uploads:
- Documentation that demonstrates your facility has engaged with subcontractors using the Higg FEM or other environmental assessment scheme (e.g., list of subcontractors, evidence of FEM module sharing, other environmental assessment reports)
- Documentation that shows this engagement has resulted in environmental performance improvements at the subcontractor (e.g., records of the facility’s monitoring or tracking of subcontractor improvements plans, corrective action support or requests from the facility, completed improvement actions plans from subcontractors, etc.)
What is the intent of the question?
The intent of this question is for facilities to demonstrate that they leverage the Higg FEM or other environmental assessment to work with subcontractors to evaluate their performance, monitor impacts, and make improvements.
Technical Guidance:
The environmental footprint and impacts of the products you produce includes your subcontractors’ activities. Engaging with subcontractors using an established environmental assessment scheme will help to understand environmental performance at subcontractor facilities and identify areas where your company can support and drive improvements.
Subcontractor engagement programs should include procedures for requiring subcontractors to perform assessment of current environmental practices and report improvement plans and/or actions to demonstrate improvements. Facilities should also have established procedures to monitor and track subcontractor improvements over time.
Expectations and requirements for subcontractors’ environmental programs can also be included in the terms and conditions of contractual agreements to ensure the subcontractors clearly understand and are held accountable to these expectations.
Emshiggindexsubcontract Verification And Scoring
How This Will Be Verified:
Full Points:
Full points will be awarded for facilities that have engaged with all subcontractors using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and can demonstrate that improvements have been made in subcontractor environmental performance.
Documentation Required:
- Documentation that shows your facility has engaged with subcontractors using the Higg FEM or other environmental assessment scheme. This may include:
- Subcontractor engagement procedures or business agreements/contracts with environmental performance terms.
- List of all subcontractors that your facility conducts business with.
- Evidence of FEM module sharing or other environmental assessment reports.
- Other relevant communications with subcontractors related to engagement on environmental performance.
- If applicable, documentation that shows environmental performance improvements at the subcontractor. This may include:
- Records of the facility’s monitoring or tracking of subcontractor improvements plans.
- Completed improvement actions plans from subcontractors.
- Other relevant communications with subcontractors related to environmental improvements.
Interview Questions to Ask:
- Staff responsible for managing the subcontractor engagement program are able to describe:
- How the facility engages with subcontractors.
- The facility’s procedures for how subcontractor performance and improvement are monitored.
- How they facility uses subcontractor Higg FEM or other environmental assessment results to drive environmental improvements.
Inspection - Things to Physically Look For:
- Observations are consistent with the reported subcontractor engagement program (e.g., evidence of subcontracted processes are consistent with the reported subcontractors used by the facility, etc)
Partial Points:
Partial points will be awarded for facilities that have engaged with at least one (1), but not all subcontractors using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and have procedures to monitor and track subcontractor performance, but cannot demonstrate that improvements have been made in subcontractor environmental performance.
Emshiggindexupstream
Does your facility monitor, evaluate, and/or engage with your upstream suppliers using the Higg Index or other relevant environmental assessment? (Ref ID - emshiggindexupstream)
Answer Yes if: Your facility engages with one (1) or more upstream suppliers to improve environmental performance using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and can demonstrate that improvements have been made in upstream supplier environmental performance.
Answer Partial Yes if: Your facility engages with one (1) or more upstream suppliers using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and has procedures to monitors and track performance, but cannot demonstrate that improvements have been made in upstream supplier environmental performance.
Note: If the engagement only requires upstream suppliers to complete an assessment, but there is no follow-up monitoring or reporting of improvements required, you should answer No to this question. (e.g., if the upstream supplier is only required to share their Higg FEM module and your facility does not follow-up to provide support or require and track improvements)
If you select Yes or Partial Yes, you will be asked the following sub questions to provide details on your upstream supplier engagement:
-
Which types of suppliers are assessed/engaged?
- Chemical suppliers
- Raw material suppliers (i.e., suppliers of raw materials other than chemicals)
- Component suppliers (i.e., suppliers of premade/assembled components such as zippers, buttons, etc)
- Other suppliers
- For each, describe the engagement activities and the resulting environmental benefits.
- Please upload documentation, if available
Suggested Uploads:
- Documentation that demonstrates your facility has engaged with upstream suppliers using the Higg FEM or other environmental assessment scheme (e.g., list of upstream suppliers, evidence of FEM module sharing, other environmental assessment reports)
- Documentation that shows this engagement has resulted in environmental performance improvements at the upstream supplier (e.g., records of the facility’s monitoring or tracking of upstream supplier improvements plans, corrective action support or requests from the facility, completed improvement actions plans from upstream supplier, etc.)
What is the intent of the question?
The intent of this question is for facilities to demonstrate that they leverage the Higg FEM or other environmental assessment to work with upstream suppliers to evaluate their performance, monitor impacts, and make improvements.
Technical Guidance:
The environmental footprint and impacts of the products you produce includes your upstream suppliers’ activities. Engaging with upstream suppliers using an established environmental assessment scheme will help to understand environmental performance at upstream supplier facilities and identify areas where your company can support and drive improvements.
Upstream supplier engagement programs should include procedures for requiring upstream suppliers to perform assessment of current environmental practices and report improvement plans and/or actions to demonstrate improvements. Facilities should also have established procedures to monitor and track upstream supplier improvements over time.
Expectations and requirements for s upstream suppliers’ environmental programs can also be included in the terms and conditions of contractual agreements to ensure the upstream suppliers clearly understand and are held accountable to these expectations.
Emshiggindexupstream Verification And Scoring
How This Will Be Verified:
Full Points:
Full points will be awarded for facilities that have engaged with one (1) or more upstream suppliers using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and can demonstrate that improvements have been made in upstream supplier environmental performance.
Documentation Required:
- Documentation that shows your facility has engaged with s upstream suppliers using the Higg FEM or other environmental assessment scheme. This may include:
- Upstream supplier engagement procedures or business agreements/contracts with environmental performance terms.
- List of all upstream suppliers that your facility conducts business with.
- Evidence of FEM module sharing or other environmental assessment reports.
- Other relevant communications with upstream suppliers related to engagement on environmental performance.
- If applicable, documentation that shows environmental performance improvements at the upstream supplier. This may include:
- Records of the facility’s monitoring or tracking of upstream supplier improvements plans.
- Completed improvement actions plans from upstream supplier.
- Other relevant communications with upstream suppliers related to environmental improvements.
Interview Questions to Ask:
- Staff responsible for managing the upstream supplier engagement program are able to describe:
- How the facility engages with upstream suppliers.
- The facility’s procedures for how upstream supplier performance and improvement are monitored.
- How the facility uses upstream suppliers’ Higg FEM or other environmental assessment results to drive environmental improvements.
Inspection - Things to Physically Look For:
- Observations are consistent with the reported upstream supplier engagement program (e.g., evidence of supplied chemicals, raw materials, and/or components are consistent with the reported upstream suppliers used by the facility, etc.)
Partial Points:
Partial points will be awarded for facilities that have engaged with one (1) or more upstream suppliers using the Higg Index or other related environmental assessment scheme (e.g., ISO14001, amfori BEPI, etc) and have procedures to monitor and track upstream supplier performance, but cannot demonstrate that improvements have been made in upstream supplier environmental performance.
Emsengagelocal
Does your facility engage in environmental improvement in your local community? (Ref ID - emsengagelocal)
Answer Yes if: Your facility has engaged with local stakeholders in your facility’s local community and have contributed and/or participated in one (1) or more projects, worked with local stakeholder, business, or government agency working group(s) on environmental management improvements in the Higg FEM reporting year and have supporting documentation to demonstrate this engagement.
Note: If the facility is part of a manufacturing group and the engagement is initiated and/or coordinated by the manufacturing group, facilities can answer Yes, if the facility actively contributes to the engagement by providing resources (e.g. staff participation or financial support)
If you select Yes, you will be asked to select the ways in which your facility engages in environmental improvement and provide additional details for each type of engagement using the options listed below:
- We support (financially or otherwise) conservation or improvement projects for environmental issues (e.g., preserving wetlands).
- We work with other similar businesses to share best practice for environmental management.
- We engage in dialogue with local communities to understand their views on how we as a company should manage our environmental impacts.
- We work within a group of other local stakeholders including government and communities, to understand and address local environmental issues together.
- We engage directly with local or national governance bodies on environmental regulation or management issues.
- We work within a group of other local stakeholders, to engage with local or national governance bodies on environmental regulation or management issues
- Other
Suggested Uploads:
- Documentation that demonstrates how your facility has contributed or participated in activities focused on environmental improvement in your local community in the Higg FEM reporting year (e.g., lists of activities and stakeholders with dates of engagement, pictures, articles or press releases; list of organizations/initiatives your facility support, etc.)
What is the intent of the question?
The intent of this question is for facilities to demonstrate that they are actively engaging with local businesses, organizations, NGOs, and/or community groups to contribute and/or participate in initiatives to make environmental improvements in the communities where they operate.
Technical Guidance:
Engaging with local community stakeholders is important because your facility has a direct impact on the local environment your facility operates in and working collaboratively with local businesses and organizations (e.g. government agency, NGOs, community environmental groups) can create a shared focus and resources to make environmental improvement in the community.
Facilities can engage with the local community in a number of ways. A list of some examples of engagement activities are provided below:
- Support conservation or improvement projects for environmental issues. For example:
- Organize/support local waste or river clean-ups for the community
- Organize/support wetland preservation projects
- Organize local fundraisers for environmental non-profits or community groups.
- Organize/support educational events for children to start environmental stewardship.
- Work with other similar businesses to share best practice for environmental management. For example:
- Establish collaborative working groups with local manufacturers to share best practices for environmental management and/or protection.
- Work within a group of other local stakeholders including government and communities, to understand and address local environmental issues. For example:
- Provide waste disposal opportunities such waste collection facilities to the community to support the proper disposal of household hazardous waste or electronic waste.
- Engage directly with local or national governance bodies on environmental regulation or management issues
- Facilitate regular meetings with local or national government agencies to review and support policy and regulatory developments to protect the environment.
- Work together in a group with other local stakeholders, to engage with local or national governance bodies on environmental regulation or management issues. For example:
- Attend or facilitate regular meetings with other manufacturing stakeholder groups and local or national government agencies to review and support policy and regulatory developments to protect the environment
Emsengagelocal Verification And Scoring
How This Will Be Verified:
Full Points:
Documentation Required:
- Documentation that shows the facility contributed or participated in activities focused on environmental improvement in the local community in the Higg FEM reporting year. This may include:
- List of engagement activities and stakeholders with dates of engagement.
- Evidence of funding or donations to local charities or environmental groups.
- Records of participation in local environmental initiatives (e.g., newspaper articles, pamphlets, or photo evidence of local community involvement)
- Records of environmental policy collaboration with local government agencies.
- Other relevant documentation of local stakeholder engagement and/or environmental improvements.
Interview Questions to Ask:
- Staff responsible for management external stakeholder engagement are able to explain how and who they engage with on environmental improvement in the community.
Inspection - Things to Physically Look For:
- Where applicable, observations onsite are consistent with the reported engagement activities (e.g., community waste disposal facilities onsite, evidence posted in the facility such as event photos, newspaper articles showing the facility’s engagement, etc.)