Cascale

Since 2017 Benetton Group is a member of Cascale (former Sustainable Apparel Coalition), the largest alliance promoting sustainable production, including, among others, fashion, footwear and textile brands. Starting from 2018 the Company began to use the Higg Index, i.e. a series of tools developed by SAC that enable brands, retailers and suppliers to measure their sustainability performance.

In particular, we invite our suppliers to adopt the Higg Facility Tool, which can be considered as:

  • A self-assessment regarding social and environmental topics that quantifies the supplier’s actual performance level, the critical areas and the opportunities for improvement;
  • A first step towards information sharing and the beginning of a path leading to the standardization of assessment tools.

Specifically:

  • The Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) monitors the environmental management systems, the use of energy and water, the emission level, the wastewater treatment, the waste management, the use and the management of chemicals. The Higg FEM replaced the previous internal procedure used to verify the environmental impact of the facility, as part of the company’s Detox Program. Thanks to the Higg FEM, we assessed a significant percentage (approximately 80% by garments volume) of wet processes. Finally, the module enabled the company to quantify the impact of wastewater along the value chain.
  • The Higg Facility Social Labour Module (FSLM) aims to promote fair and safe working conditions along the supply chain and to evaluate the effectiveness of the social management systems.
  • As an active member of Cascale, every year Benetton Group completes the Higg Brand Retail Module (Higg BRM), according to Cascale’s membership requirements. Even in 2024, for calendar year 2023, the Company submitted the module to evaluate its social and environmental impacts and satisfy transparency requirements coming from its stakeholders. The results were verified by the independent third party organization TÃœV Rheinland.

The Higg BRM module is an integrated tool to measure the overall sustainability performance of an organization, in order to clarify the strategic goals, monitor the progress and improve working conditions and environmental protection.

The Higg BRM allows to report sustainability data in a simple, reliable and comparable manner.

Five main sections are evaluated in the Higg BRM: management system, brand, retailer, stores, operations and logistics. Each section features an Environment Score and a Social Score.

Benetton commits to improve its social and environmental performance measured by Higg BRM every year.

Other memberships

Other than Cascale, Benetton Group is an active member of various renowned international associations like Textile Exchange, Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC), Circular Fashion Partnership and United Nations Global Compact.

These partnerships allows the company to compare itself with other members and move towards more appropriate practices and greater risk mitigation.

Textile Exchange

Textile Exchange is a global non-profit organization that promotes a positive impact on climate and nature in the fashion and textile industry. It guides and supports the textile industry, committed to combating climate change towards more responsible production starting from the origin of the supply chain.

Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC)

ZDHC is a multi-stakeholder organization with over 320 signatories from across the industry, including brands, suppliers, solution providers, and chemical suppliers.

The Roadmap to Zero Programme by ZDHC leads the fashion industry towards the elimination harmful chemicals from its global supply chain, building the foundation for a more sustainable production to protect workers, consumers, and the ecosystems of our planet.

Circular Fashion Partnership

CFP is a cross-sectoral initiative that supports the introduction of circular business models in major manufacturing countries, promoting the development of the recycling industry by recovering waste from production processes to make new garments.

United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)

UN Global Compact is the largest global initiative for corporate sustainability. It’s a call to companies to align their strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment, and the fight against corruption, while undertaking actions that promote social goals.