Higg FEM 2025: Get to know the Air Emissions section webinar video (1hr 15m)

Hello, and welcome to today's Higg FEM session. My name is Leah Jaggars, and I am the senior education manager here at Worldly. And today, we're going to discuss the air emissions section and how to answer questions. Before we get started, here are some logistics for the session. All attendees are muted for the duration of the webinar. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation, though. So as you have questions, please submit them into the Q and A box so that they are captured. Any questions that we cannot get to during the session will be answered in a follow-up email as long as they are submitted through the Q and A box. This session is being recorded, and I will share the recording with all registrants afterwards subtitled in multiple languages. We have simultaneous interpretation available in Chinese and Vietnamese today, so please select your preferred language through the interpretation icon. There are also machine generated closed captions in multiple languages available through the CC icon. So here is the agenda for today. First, we'll do a quick introduction to orient ourselves. Then, we'll review key definitions in the air emissions section. Then, we'll go over the applicability questions in this section and how they affect the assessment. Next, we'll review all of the air emissions questions and common mistakes made in this section. And finally, we'll review additional resources available to you and have time for questions and answers. With that, let's review the Higg FEM and the air emissions section. Hopefully, everyone had a chance to review the resources I sent in advance so we can review this very briefly. It's important to understand who Cascale and Worldly are and our relationship with the Higg index. In short, Cascale develops the underpinning methodology and questions of the Higg FEM, and Worldly is the software platform that supports data collection and analysis for the assessment. The Higg FEM is an assessment or questionnaire that covers the following environmental impact areas: environmental management systems, energy use and greenhouse gas, water use, wastewater, air emissions, waste management, and chemical management. Cascale provides a detailed guidance on each section and question in the assessment where you can learn more. And I'm sharing a link in the chat to the guidance for this year, which has also been translated into multiple languages and goes over each section in more detail as well as question by question. I also I forgot to mention let me just share that really quickly in here. I'm sharing the slide deck as well. So if you want to follow along, there's a resource there that should pop up on your screen, and then you can see the slide deck as we're kind of going through everything. And I see that there's a hand raised. I don't know if that's just the automatic reaction. I see it went down, so that might have just been Zoom. But if you do have a question, go ahead and submit that into the q and a box. Within each section of the FEM, there are applicability questions and then three levels of questions. Applicability questions are questions you answer before the main section so that the assessment configures the questions only to those that are relevant to your facility. For example, if you do not have any air emissions processes, you won't be asked questions related to that. After you answer applicability questions, generally, you will move into level one questions. Level one contains questions around awareness and basic systems. Level two contains questions around baselines, targets, and improvements. Level three contains questions around leading aspirational practices. If you do not achieve level one, you are not required to answer level two and three, but you may optionally open those levels if you wish to answer additional questions voluntarily or as a requirement of a business partner. The air emission section is also divided into three levels. Level one has seven questions. Level two also has seven questions. And level three has four questions. All questions may have additional sub questions associated with them. We will get more into what the levels contain further on in this session. Now that we've learned more about what the FEM contains and the general components of the assessment, here is an overview of the FEM process. First, you will review the assessment and questions and gather data from various sources. This is something that you can start now, especially if this is your first time completing the assessment. Also, during this time, you can identify any gaps in data or processes that you can mitigate and optionally arrange additional training. And I'm sharing a link in the chat now to the list of Higg FEM trainer bodies who do, like, in person, on-site training as well as additional online training. Then step two is completing the self assessment in the Worldly platform. If you have previously completed an FEM, you can roll forward previous responses to questions that don't really change like your site information. If you use facility data manager, you can also import twelve months of quantitative data into your FEM to save time. Either way, you can review your data for accuracy and update anything you import if you identify errors. Once you have completed the assessment, you will post it in the platform. The next step would be if you are getting your assessment verified to arrange verification with an approved verification body. I'm sharing a link to the approved verification body list in the chat now as well. And don't worry if you miss any of these links. I'll be sharing these in the follow-up email as well. Then you can share your self assessment or verified assessment with your business partners on the platform. Check with your business partners for requirements and deadlines. Finally, use Insights Hub to understand where your facility is doing well and where you can improve. Then during the year, you can use this information and analysis to plan changes and improvements and repeat the cycle. Now that we reviewed what the Higg FEM includes, let's discuss some key definitions that will help you understand the questions being asked in the assessment. The first definition is VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. VOCs are defined as organic chemical compounds that, under normal conditions, are gaseous or can vaporize and enter the atmosphere. The general criteria for determining whether a pollutant is considered a VOC is provided on screen. It contains carbon. Vapor pressure is more than or equal to point zero one kPa at twenty degrees Celsius, and the boiling point is less than or equal to two hundred and fifty degrees Celsius at standard pressure of one zero one point three kPa. VOCs are commonly found in paints, cleaning products, adhesives, coatings, etcetera. You can generally find VOC information on the safety data sheet for a chemical or material. Here is a resource to learn more about safety data sheets or SDSs and air emissions, and I'm sharing that in the chat now. HAPs or TAPs or hazardous or toxic air pollutants are defined as compounds that are known or suspected to cause significant harmful impacts to human health or the environment. Country specific regulation may define which air pollutants are designated as HAPs or TAPs within a specific jurisdiction. Where country specific definitions or regulations do not define HAPs or TAPs, recognized lists from other jurisdictions may be referenced when determining if pollutants from a facility operations should be included in the reported quantity for HAPs or TAPs. I'm sharing an example of an HAP list in the chat now as well. The next definition is ozone depleting substances or ODS. These are chemicals that damage the Earth's protective ozone layer in the stratosphere, which filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. These substances primarily containing chlorine or bromine react with ozone molecules, breaking them down and reducing the ozone concentration. Some common ODSs are chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and aerosols. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons or HCFCs, which are widely used in refrigeration, solvents, or foam blowing. Some examples include r twenty two, r one twenty three, r one twenty four, and r one forty two b. The next definition is ozone depletion potential, which is closely related and called ODP. This measures a substance's ability to deplete the Earth's protective ozone layer compared to trichlorofluoromethane or CFC eleven, which has an ODP of one. It is a crucial factor in evaluating the environmental impacts of chemicals, especially those that contribute to both ozone depletion and greenhouse gas emissions. The higher the ODP, the greater the substance's potential to damage the ozone layer. Next is global warming potential or GWP. This is a measure of how much a greenhouse gas will warm the Earth's atmosphere relative to carbon dioxide or CO2 over a specific period, usually one hundred years. It essentially quantifies how effective a gas is at trapping heat in the atmosphere compared to CO2. CO2 has a GWP of one. If you would like to learn more about GWP values, check out the link in the greenhouse gas protocol GWP values that I'm sending in the chat now. Now that we understand a little bit more about what ODP and GWP mean, let's discuss how to use those values in the context of air emissions. So HCFC-22, commonly known as R-22, is banned in many jurisdictions, and new systems may not use this type of refrigerant. So if you have a system that uses this refrigerant, you may want to convert to a system that uses r one thirty four a as it has a lower ODP and GWP. On the other hand, if you have a system that currently uses r one thirty four a, you might want to reduce the global warming potential further by converting to a system that uses r thirty two as this has an even lower GWP value. You can learn more about climate friendly alternatives to HFCs on the EU site that I'm linking now in the chat. So speaking of ozone depleting substances, I wanted to share some good news. The Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer is a landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of nearly one hundred man made chemicals referred to as ODS or ozone depleting substances. Adopted on the sixteenth of September in nineteen eighty seven, the protocol is to date one of the rare treaties to achieve universal ratification. With the full and sustained implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is projected to recover by the middle of this century. Without this treaty, ozone depletion would have increased tenfold by two thousand and fifty compared to current levels and resulted in millions of additional cases of melanoma, other cancers, and eye cataracts. It has been estimated, for example, that the Montreal Protocol is saving an estimated two million people each year by two thousand and thirty from skin cancer. To date, the parties of the protocol have phased out ninety eight percent of ODS globally compared to nineteen ninety levels. Because most of these substances are potent greenhouse gases, the Montreal Protocol is also contributing significantly to the protection of the global climate system. From nineteen ninety to twenty ten, the treaty's control measures are estimated to have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of one hundred and thirty five gigatons of CO2, the equivalent of eleven gigatons a year. If you would like to learn more about the Montreal Protocol effects so far, check out the most recent assessment in the link that I'm sharing in the chat. Alright. So back to kind of definitions. So the next couple of definitions are around air emission sources. So the first source that we wanna define is point source. A point source air emission is airflow which is actively controlled and directed, for example, by a fan and exhaust ducting into the atmosphere from a single stationary fixed source such as a stacker vent. So some examples of point source emissions include, but are not limited to, a particular matter. So, for example, from fuel combustion, yarn spinning, slashing, weaving, synthetic fiber manufacturing, or casting. Oxides of sulfur and nitrogen typically associated with fuel combustion, VOCs, for example, from fabric finishes, solvents, adhesives, printing, tenter frames, degreasing operations, etcetera. ODS, which are commonly found in refrigerants, many apparel, spot cleaners, and some adhesives and solvents. Ammonia from finishing or tanning, ozone from denim finishing, carbon disulfide, and hydrogen sulfide from MMCF production, and HAPs and TAPs, for example, from combustion, solvents, adhesives, and finishes. The next error emission source are kinda like type is fugitive emission sources. These are emissions that are passively released into the outdoor environment and are not actively directed through a single exhaust point, for example, a stacker vent. So some examples of these would be printing or solvent adhesive application, spot cleaning or dying areas with only general ventilation systems or no ventilation system at all can emit VOCs, HAPs or TAPs from chemicals applied or used in the process. And finally, mobile emission sources. So these are emissions that are non stationary sources. So some examples include powered motor vehicles such as forklifts, trucks, or passenger vehicles, heavy machinery such as mobile cranes or lifts, and small engines such as landscaping equipment. Alright. So now that we reviewed some key concepts, let's do a quick knowledge check. So I am launching this, and you should see it on screen. So the first knowledge or the knowledge check is, which of the following is considered a point source air emission in the Higg FM? The first option is solvent used in a room with general ventilation. Fork next is forklifts operating indoors. Next is a boiler exhaust stack, and finally, refrigerant leakage from cooling equipment. So I'll give folks a moment to respond. Alright. So the correct answer was a bullet boiler exhaust stack. So remember, a point source is a fixed exhaust option with a vent or stack or ducting, that sort of thing. So solvent use in a room with general ventilation as it doesn't have directed ventilation that's, like, sucking it up specifically into stack or exhaust vent wouldn't be that. That would be fugitive. Forklifts operating indoors would be a mobile source. Is there something that moves? And then refrigerant leakage generally would be also a fugitive source. Alright. And you can see most folks got it right. Some folks got it incorrect, but, hopefully, that helps to reinforce your knowledge. All of those definitions also, just so you know, are in the Higg FM guidance, so that document that I shared in the beginning as well. Alright. Thank you so much for participating. So now that we reviewed key definitions, let's review applicability questions in the air emissions section. And, again, applicability questions will narrow the list of questions that you have to answer to only those that are relevant to your facility. So the first applicability question is, does your facility contain any of the following operations equipment? So you will answer yes or no to having the following equipment on-site. So first is boilers, generators, combustion engines such as gasoline powered pumps, industrial ovens for heating, drying, or curing, for example, heating and ventilation, so that might be combustion heating, for example, a furnace, refrigerant containing devices other than an air conditioning system, air conditioning and cooling, which is a separate question, and then other sources of known air emissions from facility operations or other sources of VOCs. The next applicability question is, does your facility conduct any of the following processes or use any of the following substances? So for this question, you'll answer yes or no to having the following processes or substances. Yarn spinning or synthetic fiber manufacturing, different types of finishes, so there's a list of, options there, solvents, adhesives, cementing, printing, dyeing, tenter frames, or other heating processes, spot cleaners, sprayed chemicals or paints, other sources of ODSs, particulate matter, VOCs, or hazardous or toxic air pollutants. And remember, you have that list of all of those different options and how they're being defined in the Higg FEM. And finally, does your facility produce man made cellulose fiber or MMCF? Applicability question asks if your facility produces man made cellulose fiber or MMCF. MMCF are a group of fibers that are conventionally derived primarily from wood and, in some cases, other sources of cellulose such as bamboo or other plant matter. In the majority of MMCF production, wood is mechanically shredded and then processed multiple times into sheets of cellulosic pulp. These sheets are then dissolved to foam a viscose solution, which is extruded through the spinnerets in a wet spinning process into fiber. If you produce MMCF, you will be asked additional questions relevant to your facility processes. With that, let's review all of the questions in the section starting with level one. So the first question is, has your facility created an inventory of all point source air emissions sources at your facility? This question is foundational for the entire air emission section. If the inventory is incomplete or unclear, it becomes very difficult to answer later questions accurately. Point sources are emissions released through a defined outlet such as we defined, such as a stacked chimney or exhaust vent. These can come from facility operations like boilers or generators and production processes such as ovens, tentor frames, or finishing equipment. A common challenge is that the facilities focus only on permitted sources. However, the FEM requires an inventory of all point sources, including those that may not currently be regulated. The purpose is understanding, not just compliance. A good practice is to physically walk the site and confirm that every stack or exhaust you see appears in the inventory. Each source should clearly link to a process or piece of equipment, and the pollutants should be identified even if they are estimated. When the inventory reflects reality on-site, everything else in the suction becomes easier. The next question is very similar to the first question, but about mobile and fugitive emission sources. So mobile and fugitive emissions are often missed because they are less visible. Mobile sources include fuel powered vehicles, forklifts, or other mobile equipment. Fugitive emissions are emissions that escape without a dedicated exhaust, such as solvent use, printing, spot cleaning, or chemical application areas with general ventilation. Facilities sometimes assume that if emissions are not captured by a stack, they do not count. In the FEM, they do count. This question is about identifying how emissions escape during normal operations, not just where stacks are located. It's helpful to think through daily activities where chemicals are opened, applied, or dried, where vehicles operate indoors, and where ventilation is general rather than controlled. These sources can be documented in the same inventory as point sources or in a separate list as long as they are clearly identified and complete. The next question is, is your facility in compliance with all applicable legal requirements relating to the air emissions, including all permitting, reporting, and testing requirements? This question asks whether the facility is fully compliant with all applicable air emissions laws, including permitting, testing, and reporting. Answering yes means that nothing is missing or expired. If even one required permit is missing or one required testing has not been completed, the correct response is no along with an action plan. This is not a penalty. It's meant to encourage transparency and improvement. A strong practice is maintaining a simple legal register or checklists that lists air related permits, testing frequencies, and reporting deadlines that are required in your jurisdiction. This reduces the risk of overlooking requirements and helping ensure ongoing compliance rather than last minute checks. The next question is, do you know what refrigerants your facility uses? This question is about basic awareness. Refrigerants can have high ozone depletion potential or global warming potential, so facilities need to clearly know what refrigerants are used and where. This typically starts with identifying all refrigerant containing equipment such as chillers, cooling system, or other refrigerant units, and then recording their refrigerant type from the nameplates or for service records. If the facility relies on contractors, it's still important that this information is available internally. Knowing the refrigerant type is essential before moving on to leakage prevention, tracking, or replacement planning later in this section. I also want to note, a commonly missed, kind of thing that has refrigerants are, refrigerated vending machines. So those are commonly overlooked. Once refrigerants are identified, the next step is prevention. This question looks at whether the facility has documented procedures to avoid refrigerant leakage. Preventative maintenance does not need to be complex. It should clearly describe how equipment is inspected, how often maintenance occurs, and what happens if a leak is detected. Responsibility should be clearly assigned, whether to internal staff or external contractors. Facilities should be able to explain their approach consistently, how they prevent leaks, not just how they respond once a leak has occurred. The next question is, does your facility track refrigerant usage? Tracking refrigerant usage helps facilities understand whether leaks occurring and where improvements may be needed. This typically involves reporting refrigerant added during servicing, repairs, or replacements. A simple tracking log linked to specific equipment is often sufficient. Over time, this data can reveal patterns, such as repeated servicing on the same equipment, which may indicate a need for replacement rather than repair. Consistency is important here. Even basic tracking that is done every time maintenance occurs provides more useful insight than detailed tracking done irregularly. The next question goes beyond legal compliance and asks whether the facility is monitoring or reporting against industry guidance, such as the ZDHC Air guidelines. Answering yes means the facility is actually following the requirements of the selected guideline. This includes understanding which pollutants must be monitored, how often monitoring occurs, and how results are reported. Facilities should choose guidelines that are relevant to their operations and ensure internal practices align with them. Simply referencing a guideline without meeting its requirements can lead to confusion later. Alright. That was all the questions in level one. So now let's go over level two. If you achieve level one, you will automatically move to level two or three. Or if you did not achieve level one, you may optionally answer questions in level two or three if you would like to for your own tracking or if requested by a business partner that you share data with. Please note that if you voluntarily answer additional questions in level two and three without achieving level one, these questions will not contribute to your self assessed score. Now let us review the questions in level two. Level two is worth fifty percent of your total points. The first question in level two is, does your facility track the total annual emissions quantities of key pollutants from all point source emissions from facility operations? This question focuses on quantifying emissions from operational point sources, such as boilers or generators. Facilities are expected to calculate total annual emissions of key pollutants. These calculations are usually based on fuel consumption, operating hours, and emission factors, or testing data. The goal is to not just not just to report numbers, but to establish a baseline that allows the facility to track changes and improvements over time. Clear documentation of the calculation method is critical. Someone reviewing the data should be able to understand how the numbers were calculated and replicate the approach if needed. This question mirrors question eight, but applies to production related emissions, including both point and fugitive sources. Facilities should ensure that all relevant production processes are included, especially those involving chemicals, heat, or solvents. Inputs such as chemical usage data, production volumes, or process parameters often support these calculations. As with operational emissions, consistency and transparency matter. Using the same methodology year over year makes the data more meaningful and easier to use for planning reductions. The next question moves from understanding emissions to planning reductions. It asks whether the facility has a documented implementation plan focused on emissions from facility operations, such as boilers, generators, or other utility equipment. An implementation plan should clearly describe what actions the facility intends to take, why those actions were selected, and when they will be implemented. This might include equipment upgrades, fuel switching, operational changes, or maintenance improvements. The plan does not need to be complex, but it should be structured. Facilities should be able to explain how the plan was developed and how it connects to their operational mission sources. Even a phased or high level plan is acceptable if it clearly shows intent and direction. The next question is similar to question ten, but the focus is on production related emissions, such as finishing, printing, drying, or chemical use. A strong plan identifies the production processes with the highest emissions and outlines actions to reduce them. This could include process optimization, material substitution, improved controls, or technology upgrades. Facilities should ensure that the plan is realistic and aligned with the production planning. Emission reduction efforts are most effective when they are integrated into normal production decision making rather than treated as separate activities. The next question builds on earlier questions about monitoring against industry guidance. Here, the focus is on meeting the requirements of the selected guidance, not just participating or referencing it. Facilities should clearly know which guideline they are using and what it requires in terms of monitoring, reporting, thresholds, or actions. Conformance means that the facility's practices align with those expectations. If a facility is still working towards full conformance, this question helps highlight where additional effort or alignment is needed. The next question is, do you have a plan to or have you already replaced your current refrigerant with low ODP or low GWP refrigerant gases that go beyond current legal requirements? Facilities are not expected to replace all equipment immediately. What matters is that higher impact refrigerants are identified and that replacement options are being considered as a part of long term planning. A strong response shows that refrigerant replacement is being approached strategically, often linked to equipment life cycles, maintenance schedules, or planned upgrades. The next question focuses on how decisions are made, not just what technologies are currently in place. It asks whether the facility has policies or procedures that ensure best available technologies or BAT are considered in long term environmental planning. This might be a part of an environmental policy, capital investment procedure, or procurement guideline. The key is that BAT consideration is systematic and not dependent on individual decisions. Facilities should be able to explain how BAT is evaluated when planning upgrades or new investments even if implementation happens gradually. So that was all of the level two questions. So now let's move on to level three. Level three is worth twenty five percent of your total section points. So the first question in level three is, has your facility made progress on your implementation plan to reduce air emissions from facility operations in the reporting year? This question moves from planning to demonstrated progress. It asks whether the facility made progress on its operational emissions reduction plan during the reporting year. Progress can take many forms, completed actions, partially implemented projects, or measurable improvements. What matters is that the facility can show movement against the plan. Facilities should track actions and outcomes even qualitatively so that they explain what has been done and what remains in progress. The next question is, has your facility made progress on your implementation plan to reduce air emissions from production processes in the reporting year? So, again, very similar to the last question, but around production processes. So in the interest of time, I'm going to move on. But as you can see, you know, confirming the facility is implementing production related reduction actions and having a plan and having some sort of measurable outcome that you can show is important here. The next question is, have you replaced your current refrigerant with a low ODP, low GWP refrigerant gases that go beyond current legal requirements? So this question, again, confirms whether refrigerant replacement has actually occurred beyond planning. Facilities answering yes should have documentation showing that high ODP or high GWP refrigerants were replaced with lower impact alternatives. This may involve new equipment, retrofits, or changes during major maintenance. It's important that refrigerant inventories and records are updated to reflect these changes so the information remains accurate. Alright. And the final question in level three and in this section looks at whether best available technologies have been applied to a facility's major air emission sources. Facilities are not expected to use the most advanced technology in all cases, but they should be able to show that major sources were evaluated and that feasible BAT options were implemented where appropriate. This question brings together planning, policy, and implementation. It reflects a mature approach to air emissions management that considers long term environmental performance alongside operational needs. Alright. With that, let's go over additional resources that are available to you before we get into the questions and answers. We offer resources in a variety of ways so that you can learn about the Higg FEM and Worldly platform in your preferred method. We have elearning courses and curriculum, live learning opportunities with language interpretation, and written resources. So I'll go over a few specifics for each of these now. First, I'd like to highlight some e-learning courses. All elearning courses are free and available to all Worldly platform users. Simply access the learning center from the question mark in the upper right corner of the platform and log in with your Worldly platform credentials. If you have any trouble accessing the e-learning platform, please reach out to the support team at Worldly, and we are happy to help. All e-learning courses are subtitled in multiple languages. You can check out all the courses listed here on the full e-learning course list, and let me find my chat again, that I'm sharing in the chat now. In addition to e-learning, we are also hosting plenty of live opportunities to learn more and ask questions. So we have a series of FEM q and a's cohosted with Worldly and Cascale, facility tools and verification teams that started this month. We also have this series. So we're currently doing air emissions. Next week, I believe, I wanna say, is waste, and then it's water use. So we've already covered a few different sessions so far. So here's the link to the training schedule if you wanna see what's coming up and timing and everything. And then if you want to see what has already occurred, here is the link to those recordings. Also, just as a note, all webinar recordings have subtitles in multiple languages and chapters so that you can jump to specific topics. And lastly, I'd like to highlight a few key written resources to check out to better prepare you for this cadence. So first is the HowtoHigg website. This is where Cascale publishes the full long form PDF guidance translated into multiple languages along with the Higg FEM methodology, scoring, and verification guidance. HowtoHigg is the best place for technical guidance on how to answer the questions. I shared to link, the link in the very beginning to HowtoHigg directly to the guidance, but you can also explore the FEM, section there as well, and I'll show you where that lives as well. On the Worldly side, we have the support site. I've highlighted a few helpful articles here that should help during the cadence, but there is much more. We have a written guide for importing FDM data into FEM and a quick start guide on Insights Hub and Facility Data Manager, which is a great place to start if you haven't had a chance to explore those tools yet. Our knowledge base is fully translated into our supported languages and contains resources on how to navigate the platform, FAQs, and additional guidance. In addition to those items, you can that you can start now, you can also complete the Worldly platform experts program. The Worldly platform experts program is a blended learning curriculum that provides everything you need to understand facility environmental tools like the Higg FEM in the Worldly platform. Complete a series of e-learning courses, attend live sessions, and join a community of your peers to discuss your problems and learn together. With this program, you'll gain additional support throughout the cadence, access to experts, and exclusive access to community features coming soon. After successful completion of the curriculum and program requirements, you'll earn a badge for your efforts. You can learn more at the resource that I'm sharing now, and it will also be in the follow-up email. I do wanna note that this is not a requirement for FEM completion. So this is not something that you have to do, but an additional opportunity to gain support and engage with community of your peers. Alright. So with that, let us get into q and a, and I'm going to pop out of here and go into the platform and really quickly before I answer questions, which I do see that we have quite a few. So I'm so glad we have time. So if you are brand new, this is what the platform will look like once you've set up your account. If you have access to multiple accounts, you can select those here from this drop down menu. You can also access your profile, your subscription information. So if you do need to purchase, that would be here in the subscription section, as well as adding folks to your account as well. Here, you can also access all of that help information that I mentioned earlier. So here's the help center. This is the learning center where you could take those e-learning courses. You can chat with our support team, or you can submit a support request if you're running into any trouble. Once you have purchased FEM, you can access your FEM from here. If you have a previous twenty twenty four option, you can go to the dashboard as well and then launch it from there. Oh, and I haven't purchased in this account. So let me go to a different account. So that's what it'll look like if, you haven't purchased your subscription. So I am in staging. So just so you know, if anything, looks any different to you, that might be why. I'll be sure to highlight anything like that that, might be what's happening. But so far, it's all exactly the same. So, here, you can see on the left hand side, you can navigate between any of the sections. So in this case, I'll hop to, air emissions. At the top of the page, you can filter by answered or unanswered. I like to keep these unfiltered at first as I'm answering questions so that as I'm filtering it with the applicability questions, I can actually see what new questions are opening up. Then once you've gotten to, like, the bottom of the page, you can filter by answered or unanswered. And that way, if you skipped any, you can go back to the ones that, you need to answer. You can also navigate by topics here, so you can go to specifically just the questions that are included in level one verification. You can filter by different time periods or if there are applicability questions. Because I haven't answered anything yet, I don't have as many options. Once you open up more levels, then you can navigate between the different levels here. Alright. And then finally, we also have a new feature, which is available over here on the right hand side of the screen where the question mark with a little sparkle is. Or if you are, answering some of the questions, that have additional guidance let me get to one. So let's just say yes to one of these. You can access it under where it says view guidance and then go to ask Worldly Assistant. So the Worldly Assistant is trained on all of our guidance, all of Cascale's guidance so that you can ask it questions. It's an AI assistant. It takes all of that guidance and then puts it into context. So feel free to ask it questions. You can also ask it questions in the language of your choosing, and then it will reply to you in that language. So it's super duper helpful. In some cases, I might have a question that I can put into here. Won't look for that right now, but I'll answer some of the questions, but super helpful. It can make mistakes just as with any other AI tools, so just be aware of that. But it is super helpful, especially if you're like, hey. This is a specific circumstance. Can you help me think through how to answer this question? So for example, you know, what's the difference between ODP and or sorry. ODP and ODS. So it will take some time to think about it, and then it will come up with an answer. So this was a pretty easy, you know, question to answer. It's just kind of pulling up some resources. But as you can see, you have the option to go directly to where it's getting that information, and you can also up or downvote it. So if you're like, hey. This didn't answer my question, you can put that there. So, hopefully, that helps kinda get context for that. Additionally, in the air emission section, like I spoke about before, we first have our applicability questions. So these first set of questions are yes or no questions to whether you have this equipment. So as you can see, as you're going down the line, you're answering yes or no for all of these different either equipment or processes that you have, etcetera. Here's where it gets into processes. So let's say that we do some finishes. I won't answer all of these just in the interest of time. But if you do have some of these, then you'll be answer asked additional questions related to how you manage the emissions from that particular process or equipment. So because I said yes to some of those, now I can answer kind of the first set of questions. So first question is point source emission inventory. You can always click view guidance to see more information here. You can also, view, you know, an example inventory, which would be linked here. Believe I shared that earlier, or you can access the, how to Higg FEM guidance here as well. If you answered or completed an FEM for the previous year, in this case, twenty twenty four, you will also see your previous answers. It won't auto populate just because things may have changed, but you will be able to see them so that if it is something like, you know, do we have boilers? You know, you'll be able to see if you do. Especially if you're, like, a new employee that you're like, oh my gosh. I gotta sign this, and I don't really know what I'm doing yet. That can be particularly helpful. And then as you answer questions, if it has a little asterisk that indicates that it is required, you can also see the reference ID here. And then if you want to upload anything, you know, for example, an example of your plan or what have you or the inventory, you can upload using this icon. Alright. So with that, let us get into sorry. You can also upload here, and then you can also upload in this section. So specific ones that are called out, like, here, it's recommended to put that there because you need to because it has an asterisk. So this is just if you happen to want to also upload something to this specific question, you know, you can. But in the case where it has a specific section and a specific file upload, this is where you'll want to upload that. Alright. So now let's get into the questions. So alright. The first question is, I have a case and that would like to get your clarification. The facility had chemical mixing process, which is part production and chemical mixing process for glue use for bond for the soles of shoes and other parts of shoe products. In the applicability questions, we do not find the chemical mixing process for selecting. So can how can we respond accurately for this question? So that's a great question. So there is kind of catch all options if you don't see specific specific descriptions for your particular process. But if you're like, I know that this specific process for chemical mixing is something that produces, you know, sources of ozone depleting substances, for example. Sources probably not particulate matter, but, you know, that sort of thing, VOCs. So there is this kind of catch all. This is something that you can use if you're not finding your specific process listed here. It does sound that bonding, you know, adhesives and cementing, you'll wanna make sure that you're answering yes for that question as well, it sounds like. But then if you're not seeing you know, I don't think there's a specific, yeah. Like, chemical mixing option. So I would use one of these options where, you know, if it's sprayed chemicals that's different, you can capture that specifically. But I would capture it in one of these sections. Probably, definitely, it sounds like VOCs. I would recommend checking your chemicals in the safety data sheet because it should have a specific list of, you know, which pollutants or potential options might be in there if you don't already have, like, that documented somewhere. But, yeah, there's kind of these catch all options if your specific direct process isn't listed. So, hopefully, that helps, fam, but let me know if if you have other questions. Alright. The next question is, there is no law of HAP or TAPs to be analyzed in India. So is it mandatory to check? So that sounds like it's about let me find that specific area. So, there is a note if it's not something that's required. Not all questions and this is a common misconception. So not all questions need you to answer yes to have it be correct or, like, a positive answer. So in this case, you know, your facility is in compliance with all applicable legal requirements. So if there is no legal requirement, then you would be in compliance. So you would still say yes in that section. And then, you know, for the additional to the legal requirement, that's a separate question, and that's, like, for the different industry guidelines. So it really depends that particular question really depends on your specific legal jurisdiction. So if, you know, India, I don't know the law, so I'm not gonna say whether that's accurate. Generally speaking, if it's HAP or TAP, this isn't specific to only that type of emission. So just be aware where it's like, if are you in compliance with applicable legal requirements? That includes all of those different things. So that's HAP, TAPs, VOCs, you know, different combustion chemicals, that sort of thing. So this isn't asking specifically to that HAP TAP question. I'm not sure off the top. I don't think there is one specific to that. But yeah. But if you know that there is let me know the number. I don't recall that from what we just covered, but I have to, like, reveal different questions, my answering questions first. So yeah. But, hopefully, that helps. So, again, if there's, like, no requirement, then you're you're saying, yes. I am in compliance because there is no requirement for x y z. But just again, that one is inclusive of additional types of air emissions. Alright. The next question kind of related, but it says in India, HCF CR one thirty four a and r thirty two gases and air conditioners or cooling systems are in all the factories. However, only a few factories reported this in the self assessment. All factories should encourage to report all factors gases uses. Yeah. So more of a comment, but yeah. So it's remember, this isn't an assessment in the way of, like, you're gonna pass or fail. This is to capture everything and then identify where you have gaps is how I like to think of it. Right? So especially if you're brand new and you don't know, you know, which refrigerants are in use. You're just maybe you're just, like, not really tracking that. That was an expectation before. Then this is a way that you can go, okay. Great. I didn't realize I should be doing that. Now I can document that I'm not, but then that gives you something that you can start building out in this upcoming year. But, yeah, great great point. Alright. Also, another kind of comment just about that some factories have confusion about air conditioners if it's used for domestic that you don't need to disclose. So that's a great comment. So, again, air conditioners, even if they're in domestic places, for example, canteens, or dormitories, if you have that on-site, those sorts of locations. Also, those refrigerated vending machines. There's different questions for, like, those different types of things, but those are commonly missed. And, usually, you know, just capturing those in a list and saying, okay. Here's all all of those different potential sources of fugitive emissions, then you can document them. And then if you do have to refill the refrigerant, for example, then you can keep track of that. Alright. So the next question is electrical boiler is not a point source air emission. Right? And what about laser cutting machine? Is that a point source air emission? So for electrical boiler, I would generally say no because there's not, combustion happening with the electrical boiler. So there is a full definition of all the different things that you, might find. So if we go here, for example, this will take you directly to this section. And so if you go to air emissions, each section has kind of a precursor explanation. It also has defined all of these different things defined. So I would say an electrical boiler unless the electrical boiler has, like, an exhaust vent, you know, if it does have that, then that might count as a point source emission. And then for laser cutting machine, it depends on if you have, again, an exhaust vent. So if the laser cutting machine has a vent that's, like, sucking up any of the air that might you know, the vaporized thing that you're cutting, sucking that up, then that might be a point source. If you don't and it's just kind of going into the general atmosphere of the building, then that might be fugitive. So those are kind of two different options. Hopefully, that helps. Let me know if you have additional questions. Alright. And I have question that came through in another language, so let me go ahead and just go translate this real quick. So, the question is, please help confirm if the following carbon emission calculation is correct. I will not. So, that is a great question. I will definitely not be able to answer that right off the top of my head. I highly recommend checking out the guidance. There is specific guidance in here, Generally speaking, for carbon emission calculations overall, that's going to be a combination of a few different things. So you'll want to check out the energy section, the air emission section, and then also the wastewater section. So there's a few different things that go into that. Generally speaking, if you want help with calculation guidance, I I recommend submitting a support ticket, and then they can escalate that to the Cascale facilities tools team. Or, like I mentioned before, you can, engage with a, training body that can help with, that as well. But yeah. But I recommend checking out the energy section in particular that has a lot of different questions around energy use and that sort of thing. You also might wanna check out the greenhouse gas protocol corporate reporting standard because that will have a bunch of different ways that you can calculate the emissions. Once you complete an FEM, though, once you do your self assessment, it will provide you with an overall emissions option. And then all of your different questions and how you answered them then we'll give you that quantitative data for that information for different aspects. So it gives you kind of the overall and then all of the breakdown so that depending on which standard you're reporting to or who you're trying to give data to or what you're trying to do, you have all of that available to you. Generally speaking, also, just because you mentioned emission factors in the question, emission factors are calculated automatically within the FEM based on the IEA conventions. However, you do have the option to say, I know my emission factor specifically because I am you know, have a PPA or something like that. So there's a couple different things in there. Highly recommend reading over the energy section. It goes a lot more deeply into that. But, yeah, I won't be able to do this type of calculation live. But thank you for your trust in my ability, I guess. There's a lot of comments. Okay. So the next question is if there are three factories named a, b, and c in one premises and all are sister, like, facilities under the same group, if only factory a own both boiler and generator and factory b and c use them, during verification for factory b and c, what will be the answer for the below two questions? So one, is the permit required for air emissions for supply unit point source in the site permit section? Yes or not applicable. And then two, does your facility contain any of the following operations equipment, boiler or generator? Yes, no. So if you are completing FEM for all three locations, then you would answer what specifically within the that specific facility's walls. If you are not answering as, like, an overall vertically integrated facility, for example, where you're just reporting one FEM and then capturing all of those different processes within one assessment, then what you would report on is what's occurring on-site. So as far as, like, permit required, that will be, you know, yes or no of whether whether it's required based on your specific jurisdiction. So that might be specifically the country or the region that you're in. It might also be the type of facility that you are or the types of things that you're making or what have you. So that's kind of on you to know what's required there. So that permit question, as far as, like, how it appears let me see if I can pull that up. This question, because they're located in the same kind of area, would be the same for all of them. And then does your facility contain any of the following operations? Equipment would be specific. So in your case, factory a has the boiler and the generator on-site, but b and c use them. Then for factory b and c, you would say that they do not have the boiler generator because it's not on-site. But then for factory a, you would answer yes for that. But for those types of specific questions that are super nuanced, I always recommend reach out to support. They can get ahold of the Cascale facility tools team that can go into more detail on that as well, or reach out to a trainer as well. Alright. The next question and I do wanna be aware that we are over time, and I do wanna be respectful of my interpreter's time. So if they do hop, that's totally fine. They're only booked through the hour. But I'll I'll answer a few more questions before we hop off. Also, if you have to hop because you have a hard stop, don't worry. I'll be sending the recording as well that will be have translated subtitles in multiple languages. Anyhoo, this question says if there is a new machine and the old refrigerant is drained, for example, r twenty two and replaced with a new refrigerant such as r four zero seven, which one should be counted? Is it the r four zero seven or the r twenty two? So as far as, like, your inventory, you might have both in your inventory. So you'll want to capture both as far as, like, that's something that's been, you know, occurring on-site. But as far as quantities just wanna find Yeah. So you'll, you know, answer these questions. But then it when you're answering quantities, it would be whatever happened during the reporting year. If you are replacing it, there's also that additional question on, you know, whether or not you've actually made progress on ODP or GWP contributing sources. So you would count whatever you use to fill it. So in that case, it would be the r four zero seven. So assuming you discontinued fully the R twenty two. But you would wanna have both in your inventory, and then you just put, like, zero for the r twenty two for that year because you didn't fill new you know, add anything to it. There's a question. Question twelve does not appear on our Worldly page. May I know the reason? So it depends on how you answer the questions. So let me see if I can find. So in my case, you can see it jumps from question eleven to question fourteen. So if we go back to our section, remember when you answered all of those kind of first questions about whether or not you have these different equipment and different processes, all of these questions, that is filtering all of the subsequent questions. So if we go to question twelve, that is asking if you're meeting or conforming the requirements of the industry guideline. So that is dependent on if you had the question that you answered yes to the are you monitoring or reporting against things in addition to the legal requirement. So that's that level one question number seven. So if you answered no to number seven, you won't see number twelve. So, hopefully, that helps. And you can always kind of view all of this kind of logic and and, you know, applicability questions and and all of that in the guidance as well. The next question is, can you tick the item of other sources of known air emissions from facility operations if the facility had chemical mixing process? I would say based on your previous description, I would say that's a production process. So because it's, like, it's necessary for the production of something. Generally, like, the operations would be more about maintenance, equipment things, that sort of thing. Let me see if I could find that. Yeah. So that's, like, the boilers, that sort of thing. So chemical mixing would probably fall under the production process. And so, yeah, that would just be those kind of catch all that we talked about before where, you know, you can say, HAPs, VOCs, PMs, ODSs, you know, that sort of thing. There's a general question. Can you send me the training material and recording? Absolutely. The slides are actually linked in the resources section of the webinar right now, but I'll be including them in the follow-up with the reporting link. If you, for any reason, are not receiving my emails, some folks, you know, might be getting caught up in a spam filter or something. I'm sharing my email in the chat now, so please feel free to reach out to me if you're not getting the follow-up emails when you attend a webinar. And maybe check with your IT team if, you know, it might be getting blocked or something like that. Alright. There's further clarification. Is it possible to select the case of chemical mixing process if the facility have to, with option one, list them in the air in air emissions inventory list, identify the chemical mixing process, link to any process where generate the solvent or VOCs, mean the chemical mixing process used, which kind of process? Yeah. So I think try not to overthink it. I would say for, like, chemical mixing, this first set is going to be equipment related. So if we get to if you have equipment that is also has other known sources from facility operations, you can say yes here. However, based on how you're describing it, chemical mixing sounds like it's part of a production process. So yeah. But you do have that option of VOCs or other known air emissions. So, for example, for, like, spraying or something, there's a specific section for that. So there's solvents. Yes. No. Answering yes or no to each question doesn't necessarily spider web additional questions, like, for every single one. It's just saying, okay. Great. You have a production process that includes something like this, so, therefore, we're gonna ask you additional questions. But yeah. But if you're saying that you have a solvent process, you can say solvents. And then those other options, if you're spraying the chemicals, there's an option for that, and then there's that catch all. So there is some in the operations as well as the production section, but just make sure that you're, you know, answering truthfully in each section so that it, you know, you don't get dinged if you're going through verification and that sort of thing. Materials will be shared in a day or two. I generally do some light editing just to cut out some, you know, quiet time or whatever. And then I also add those subtitles, so you'll see that soon. And then the next question is how do verifiers know the other sources that might contain ozone depleting substances, particulate matter, or volatile organic compounds? One way to check is for any of those. So part of the chemical section will also capture a lot of things that you might also relate to this. So in the chemical section, it asks about SDSs if they have that sort of inventory. There's a specific section within a safety data sheet that has more information about volatile granite compounds, ODSs, things like that. Also, verifiers are generally supposed to be trained in this type of content before they get approved as a verifier. So, you know, that's a place to start. But generally speaking, if you yourself as a facility user want to know, you know, okay, what are the things that I need to be concerned about? VOCs, ODSs, those sorts of things, check the SCS. Particular matter, that's gonna be mostly from combustion. But, also, check out all of the guidance because it's going to give you a lot more detail than we can, you know, ever get into during an hour long webinar. But, hopefully, that helps. And as always, you can also, you know, talk to a Higg trainer or that sort of thing. And okay. So kind of clarifying, can you take the item of other sources of known air emissions from facility operations if the facility had mixing process. Again, I think that falls under production unless the chemical mixing is for, for example, maintenance. So if, you know, you're saying, I'm mixing a special cleaner or I'm mixing a special grease for my, you know, facility purpose or whatever the case, that's generally how those are defined. If you go in here as well let me see if I can find that. Excuse me. So these are the different kind of things that might fall under each thing. So operations or production processes. So that can also help. But generally speaking, how how it's being described as far as, like, chemical mixing as a precursor to doing a production process, I would include that in there unless the operations Yeah. Because this is all about boilers, generators, heating and cooling, combustion heating, combustion engines, etcetera. And then production, it kinda has this this information. So include production processes that use chemicals such as the following, etcetera. So I would answer that in that production section and then keep going. So alright. But I do want to mention there is and I think it's here. If you have comments on the feedback, you can go here. Let me just share this. So a lot of the comments that I'm seeing, are more specifically for, the methodology. So methodology, again, is owned by Cascale, and they determine all of the questions, and that's kind of a coalition. There's a a large group of different organizations that participate in developing that methodology. So highly recommend submitting your feedback here. That goes to that group, and then they can, you know, take action. Worldly, who I work for, is the, software application. So, at least for the Higg FEM, we don't determine the actual questions and the methodology of the Higg index. So hopefully that helps, but, I'll be sure to pass on your feedback, though. And and yeah. But feel free to, use the form that I shared there. And that goes for anybody. So if you do have feedback about how something is asked or you're like, hey. This is really confusing. Why don't we consider x y z? Definitely use that form, and that goes to that group. Alright. Alright. And then finally, the final question is if there are no leakage or refill required of refrigerant, then what is the answer of the below question? Will the facility answer yes and upload blank inventory or directly no? Has your facility created an inventory of all mobile and fugitive air emission sources at your facility? So that's a great question. So the air emissions inventories are asking if you know, like, where they are. So for example, let's say that you have, you know, like, a printing process that uses some inks and things and dyes that have VOCs. So that might be fugitive emissions, and you can just document, hey. This is an area. We'll just label it, give it a number, whatever that has that. If you're talking about refrigerants, you just need to label all of the locations that refrigerants are used. So in your inventory, you wanna be like, okay. Great. We have, you know, three different air conditioners for the building. Label them one, three, whatever. This is where they're located in the building. You know, you might talk to your maintenance team if they have a building diagram where all those things are already documented. You know, if you have those refrigerated vending machines, other refrigerated things that use refrigerants, it's just about documenting those sources. And then there's a separate question that asks if you track the quantities. And you can say yes, but just say we had zero. So, hopefully, that helps. And so there's additional guidance under each of these, but you would answer these questions, indicate what sort of things are in your inventory, upload a copy, and then you can just say we had zero, you know, use for that year because that all gets recycled in our refrigeration system. So yeah. And that goes for both Point Source and Fugitive and Mobile. So just make sure that you're, you know, answering those accordingly. Awesome. Hopefully, that helps. And yeah. Excellent. I think we've got through them all. Thank you so much to Jesson for staying on. Really appreciate your help, and thank you everyone for your time and attention today. I'll be sure to pass on the feedback that we received. You'll also be receiving the recording, the slide deck, and all of those links as well as the q and a report from this session, that will be anonymized. So, be on the lookout for that. And, again, if you're not receiving those emails, definitely reach out to me, and I'm happy to help get you unblocked. So with that, I hope you have a great, wonderful, rest of your day and a great week, and see you next time. Alright. Bye.