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Advanced Facility Engagement Guidelines | H & M Group

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As part of H&M Group ’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, it is a requirement for our supply chain partners to complete Higg  FEM & FSLM verification.

Taking responsibility for the Supply chain
As a supply chain partner currently engaged in H&M Group production, H&M Group expects: 

  • Their supplier business partners must disclose information with accuracy and complete transparency
  • H&M Group requires partners to disclose T1 and T2 processing and component units. All T1 processing / product processing and T2 component /material production (Fabric dyeing , printing and finishing) to be approved as per H&M Group Sustainability Requirement
  • H&M Group require all facilities to complete verification for Higg FEM and FSLM

H&M Group is working with Higg, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s (SAC) technology partner, to help facilities complete their assessment(s). Higg will be sending email communications throughout the reporting period to each facility. These Higg communications will provide resources and guidance on next steps to ensure facilities are getting the support they need to meet H&M Group  requirements on time.

Who is Higg?

Higg is the sustainability insights platform, helping consumer goods businesses take responsibility for their entire impact – from materials to products, from factories to stores, across energy, waste, water, and working conditions.

By making both data collection and performance analysis easier, we help brands and manufacturers make better environmental, social and governance decisions – across all parts of their business.

Spun out of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in 2019, Higg is the exclusive licensee of the Higg Index, a suite of tools for the standardized measurement of supply chain sustainability.

What is the Higg Index?

The Higg Index is a suite of tools developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), for the standardized measurement of supply chain sustainability, used by the footwear, apparel, textile, and other industries. Together, these tools are used to assess the environmental and social performance of both value chains and products. Each tool focuses on measuring a different parameter.

STEP 1: (IMPORTANT) Make sure to add info@higg.com to your company email’s safe email sender list, otherwise you risk not receiving the ongoing communications due to email firewalls. If you do not receive an email from Higg by 1st April 2022, please check your spam folder.

STEP 2: LOGIN OR CREATE A HIGG ACCOUNT
Facilities that already have active Higg accounts can log into Higg.org. If you do not have a Higg login and need to create a new Higg account, start here to learn how to create a new user login and create a company account on Higg.org.

STEP 3: PURCHASE HIGG FACILITY SUBSCRIPTION
H&M Group suppliers need to make sure that they have subscribed to necessary tools to complete both the self-assessment and the verification.

STEP 4: (IMPORTANT) SHARE HIGG FEM WITH H&M GROUP
Accept the module share request sent by H&M Group.

If you do not see a pending share request from H&M Group in your modules page, under Modules Requested, you should click the Share Module button and initiate the module share with H&M Group.

Sharing Details
Account Name: H&M Group
Higg ID: 379

STEP 5: COMPLETE AND POST HIGG SELF-ASSESSMENT(S) WITH H&M Group
Complete 100% of the applicable questions and post the module. Facilities that have completed the Higg FEM /FSLM  in previous years can use the roll forward feature to easily copy data to the new self-assessment.

 STEP 6: VERIFY HIGG SELF-ASSESSMENT
Verification of the self-assessment ensures that facilities have accurately completed all parts of the Higg Facility module – giving the self-assessment data the credibility and accuracy required to share publicly.

SLCP Transfer Details (for non-Higg assessments only)
Follow these steps to transfer a verified FSLM from SCLP. The transfer price is $199.

  1. Go to FSLM and select “Link SLCP Account”
  2. Log in to SLCP Gateway
  3. Go to verified assessment you want to transfer and select “Overview of my SLCP assessment”
  4. Find “Share with another accredited host” and choose “Sustainable Apparel Coalition (Live)”
  5. Return to FSLM and select “Transfer SLCP assessment”
  6. Purchase the transfer7.See your transfered assessment in FSLM
  7. See your transfered assessment in FSLM

H&M Group Deadlines 2022

Higg FEM timeline is based on calendar year

  • 1 Nov 2021 –30 April 2022: All T1 & T2 to complete self-Assessment of FEM 2021 with a mandatory deadline of 30th of April 2022 to complete and post.
  • 1 Jan- 15 Sept: Mandatory for all T1 & T2 to complete verification by 15th of September 2022

FSLM timeline is based on 12 month rolling cycle

  • We expect all T1 & T2 to complete and post FSLM module by 15th of July 2022
  • All T1 & T2 must complete verification of FSLM by the mandatory deadline of 15th of September 2022

Please note the above timeline is based on H&M Group’s expectation and may not always match with SAC cadence or other brands’ timelines. Timing is fully connected with H&M group internal Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) meetings & planning processes which happen in April & October. The reason for this timeline is to enable H&M Group to truly reward suppliers with high sustainability performance in our seasonal planning.

For additional support please access H&M group Supplier Portal below where you can learn more about H&M group’s sustainability requirements and guidance.

H&M Group, Supplier Portal (hm.com)

Higg’s training website, HowtoHigg.org, contains all of the information and guidance facilities need to help them at every stage of the module completion process.