Cascale, SLCP, and Worldly Co-Host Webinar on Higg FSLM to Support Social Compliance

On November 6, Cascale, the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), and Worldly, the leading sustainability data insights platform, co-hosted the latest webinar in the Navigating Legislation & the Higg Index series, titled “Higg FSLM in Supporting Social Compliance.” The webinar brought together industry experts to explore the evolving regulatory landscape and how Cascale’s Higg Facility Social Labor Module (Higg FSLM) based on the SLCP’s Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) can help companies navigate social compliance obligations.

This webinar, the third in the series, focused on the intersection of social compliance and legislative frameworks that impact supply chain management. Gabriele Ballero, public affairs manager at Cascale, moderated the session, which featured insights from Elisabeth von Reitzenstein, senior director of public affairs at Cascale; Orine Dsouza, senior manager, Higg Facility Tools at Cascale; Tom Mason, senior policy & stakeholder engagement manager at SLCP; and Vic Lau, customer success manager at Worldly.

The session attracted a diverse audience of sustainability specialists, ESG managers, compliance officers, and other professionals eager to understand how the Higg FSLM (based on SLCP’s CAF) aligns with emerging global regulations. Attendees engaged in a discussion on how the Higg FSLM can support compliance with regulations designed to improve human rights and forced labor standards in global supply chains.

Key Insights from the Webinar:

During the webinar, von Reitzenstein provided an overview of the rapidly evolving EU and U.S. regulations, such as the EU CS3D, the German Supply Chain Act, and the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. She highlighted the growing importance of Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) and how these regulations are shaping the future of supply chain transparency and accountability.

Dsouza outlined the Higg FSLM, which is based on SLCP’s CAF. The tool offers a standardized, data-driven approach to assessing social and labor compliance in manufacturing facilities. Dsouza explained that the tool helps manufacturers reduce audit fatigue, easily compare data, and allocate resources more effectively for continuous improvement.

Mason discussed how SLCP is mapping the CAF against evolving legislation and emphasized the importance of aligning social compliance tools with regulatory requirements. Mason also highlighted SLCP’s HRDD Toolkit, which supports companies in understanding how the CAF can help them to meet compliance obligations, and previewed updates to the CAF slated for Q1 2025 to enhance policy alignment.

Lau demonstrated how Worldly’s platform hosts Cascale’s Higg Index suite of tools, including the Higg FSLM, and how they have made assessment results more user-friendly. Lau explained how the platform’s summaries and scoring features enable companies to track their progress year over year to support users in improving social and labor conditions and reducing audit fatigue for supply chain facilities.

Also, during the webinar, von Reitzenstein announced a strengthened partnership between Cascale and SLCP. Together, they have developed a joint public affairs vision statement to align efforts in policy and advocacy. This collaboration ensures that tools like SLCP’s CAF and Higg FSLM are effectively integrated into social policy frameworks, driving global improvements in labor standards and ethical practices within the industry.

The Higg FSLM, supported by the strategic collaboration between Cascale, SLCP, and Worldly, will continue to evolve to meet the needs of companies navigating regulatory requirements. Cascale’s Navigating Legislation & the Higg Index webinar series will continue into 2025, offering more in-depth discussions on how the Higg Index tools can support compliance with new and emerging legislation.

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