1. What is the BRM?
The Brand and Retailer Module (BRM) is a sustainability assessment which establishes the global standard for the Apparel, Footwear and Textile Industry to measure and report on their Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) impacts and benchmark their performance with clarity and transparency.
For more detail see Learn about the BRM.
2. How is the 2022 BRM different from previous versions?
This latest and updated version of the BRM will now be focused around the three pillars of ESG – Environment, Social and Governance. The main changes include:
- Measurement aligned against ESG (Environment, Social and Governance).
- Streamlined assessment with a reduction of more than fifty percent (50%) in total number of questions compared to the previous BRM.
- From value chain stage assessment to assessment by impact areas.
- Alignment with key industry frameworks (e.g., ZDHC Brand to Zero Program, Textile Exchange MCI).
- Greater relevance to different organizations, with specific amendments for Brands, Retailers, and Retailers with their own private label.
- New topics and amended weighting on specific themes to reflect industry evolution (e.g., biodiversity, circularity, responsible purchasing practices).
- Platform has been simplified for a more user-friendly experience.
Please note that due to the significant changes done, the updated version of the BRM (BRM 2022) is not comparable with the previous version of the BRM (BRM 2021).
3. How much time do I have to complete the BRM?
Companies have four (4) months to complete the BRM from 1 March to 30 June 2023.
4. How much effort does it take to complete the BRM?
There are around between 200 and 300 questions within the assessment depending on the BRM path taken (i.e., Brand, Retailer, or Brand & Retailer). These questions only require drop-down answer selection (no text boxes to fill in). We recommend allowing one week to complete the assessment on the portal, but another 4-6 weeks to gather and prepare information.
For more information see Prepare for the BRM and Complete the BRM.
5. How does the BRM align with other frameworks?
Coming soon!
6. How does the BRM align with key regulations (e.g., EU CSRD)?
Coming soon!
7. How does the BRM compare to other ESG assessments?
The BRM has been designed specifically for the textile, apparel and footwear sector, and covers the sustainability issues that are distinct to the industry. Whilst areas and questions may be similar to other ESG assessments, the BRM:
- Assesses business sustainability performance against the most relevant environmental, social, and governance issues in the industry.
- Understands sustainability priorities and benchmark performance against similar organizations in the sector.
- Standardizes progress and reporting against leading frameworks and regulations to reduce the burden of reporting.
- Provides clear, consistent and transparent scoring that gives internal and external stakeholders credible information on sustainability objectives and achievements.
- Differentiates between different business typologies giving specific Assessments for Brands, Retailers, and Brands & Retailers.
8. How does the scoring methodology work in the BRM?
The BRM Total, Pillar and Impact Scores are a percentage result which are weighted against a number of factors. To learn more about the methodology go to Understand BRM Results.
9. How is my company data treated in the BRM?
Company data submitted and your Self-Assessment conforms with privacy rules and is protected within the Higg Privacy Policy.
With regards to cyber security, Higg is following best practices from the SaaS industry to protect customer data. Some of its current security practices include but are not limited to: encryption, MFA, password management, SFTP/HTTPS, SSO, role-based access control, vulnerability and penetration testing, WAF, anti-malware, background screening, etc. Higg is further investing in security by pursuing its SOC 2 Type I and Type II certification in 2023, and bringing all applicable policies and procedures into compliance with GDPR. CCPA and CPRA are not applicable to Higg at this time, but Higg continues to monitor the evolving national and international regulatory landscape and adapt its security and privacy roadmap accordingly.
With regards to sharing your BRM-module with other BRM-users, you will always remain the owner of your data. You may revoke a shared module at any time. There is no obligation to publicly share the score though it is encouraged to do so, in addition you can request to share or receive results with your supply chain partners through the platform itself.
10. What support is available for BRM users?
The BRM cadence runs from March 1st to June 30th.
Higg offers training and support to BRM users. Please visit the training calendar to register for an upcoming webinar or office hour session where you can raise any question that you may have regarding completing the assessment.
Support: ask your question to our support team through this page.
Live BRM Trainings:
- Getting Started webinar (start of cadence)
- Reading Results webinar (after June 30th)
- Office hours (monthly)
Please visit the training calendar to view dates and for registering.
Recorded webinars: watch any previously recorded webinars at your own pace to help you get started with using the BRM. See this page.