1. What results does the BRM provide?
By completing the BRM a company receives the following results, which can be shared with your organization:
One Total Score – Each completed BRM self-assessment will result in one finite score out of 100 i.e. a percentage. We have created one score that is simple to communicate, and easy to understand. This can be used to benchmark a company against peers and share with consumers.
ESG Scores – In addition, each company will receive a score for each Pillar of activity – Environment, Social and Governance and additional scores for each Impact area (e.g., climate, workers, ethics and behavior). These are a useful way to show progress against each area. The results can also be used to benchmark against peers and share with consumers.
In addition to these results, a company completing the BRM will get an Improvement Report – but these are available only to the Assessed Organization and not publicly available.
2. How does the scoring methodology work in the BRM?
In practice, each question in the BRM 2022 is worth a specific number of points out of 100. The number of points a question is worth depends on the organizational type of the survey taker (i.e., the BRM path taken: Brand, Retailer, Brand & Retailer). Since Brands and Retailers answer a different number of questions, their possible question scores will vary. It is important to note that in the BRM assessment all questions, except the data submission requests, are scored and visible.
How are Questions Scored?
The BRM has been created to encourage Brands and Retailers to focus on real action, impact and results. For this reason, the questions and topics most pertinent and urgent to the Apparel, Footwear and Textile Industry may score more highly than others.
To achieve this, points allocation across Pillars, Impact Areas, and Due Diligence Steps has been designed to reward activity and progress on specific actions. Ultimately, total points per question vary depending on where the question is found in the assessment and how many questions there are in that same section.
The final percentage of points awarded to each question obviously depends on the chosen answer option, and revolves around the following rule:
- If answer options are YES/NO, then 100% of total points will be awarded to the user if the chosen answer option is “Yes”, otherwise no points will be awarded.
- If answer options are YES/PARTIAL YES/NO, then 100% of total points will be awarded to the user if the chosen answer option is “Yes”, 50% of total points will be awarded if the chosen answer option is “Partial Yes”, and no points if answer is “No”.
- If answer options are multiple choice, then full points will be awarded to the user if 75% or more out of all answer options is selected, two thirds (⅔) of total points will be awarded if 50% out of all answer options is selected, one third (⅓) of total points will be awarded if 25% out of all answer options is selected, and no points if answer is “None”.
Please note that the total number of questions varies depending on the BRM user path taken. If you would like to know exactly how much each section and question is worth in the assessment, please go to the guidance related to each of the specific user paths (i.e. Brand, Retailer, Brand and Retailer).
3. How to interpret BRM results?
It’s crucial to understand that the BRM serves as an evaluation tool, not a ranking or certification standard. Its purpose is to help companies identify areas for improvement and monitor their progress towards sustainability goals.
A good score on the BRM is determined by the benchmark against other similar companies taking the assessment and the industry standards for sustainability. A high score indicates that the brand or retailer has a strong sustainability performance in the Textile, Apparel and Footwear sector and is meeting or exceeding industry standards.
As for what constitutes a good score, generally speaking, a score that surpasses the average of a peer group or industry standard can be viewed as good. However, it’s important to keep in mind that scores are expected to change from year to year.
If your company has a specific sustainability focus, it may be beneficial to examine the results of specific Pillars or Impacts, as this will give a clearer picture of the company’s progress in that area.