The Higg Index
The Higg index 1.0 is a suite of sustainable assessment tools developed by SAC organisation released first time in 2012 and is primarily an indicator-based assessment tool for apparel and footwear products. The devices are easily accessible and have been used and improved by hundreds of organisations, both members of SAC and others (a significantly better version Higg Index 2.0 released in 2013).
Life cycle thinking
The Higgs Index is a life cycle thinking approach and measures the flow of materials, manufacturing, transportation, packaging, consumer and end-of-life of garments/products. However, the life cycle assessment approach (LCA) demands a much higher degree of involvement. Design works, etc. The assessment tools, called modules, evaluate impacts through three different channels: brand, facility, and product, even though it is not mandatory to use all three channels. Higgs Index a practice approach using qualitative questions to gauge environmental sustainability performance and drive behaviour for improvement.
Organisational reference tool
The Higg Index taken from the Eco Index, Nike’s Apparel Environmental Design Tool,Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP) reference tools, and Social/Labour Best Practice Tools. The Higg index is made to help organisations standardise how they measure and evaluate the environmental performance of apparel products across the supply chain at the brand, facility and product level.
Recommended Sustainable Fashion Design Series
- How to design sustainable
- A product lifecycle assessment approach to sustainable design
- Cradle to cradle an approach to sustainable design
- Biomimicry as nature builds it
- The Natural Step, a framework for sustainable design
- Design With Nature twelve principles on how to approach sustainable design
- Apply System thinking as an approach to sustainable design I
- Apply System thinking as an approach to sustainable design II