Factories Cut Apparel Emissions 22% Over Four Years
Cascale's latest Higg data shows repeat filers reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions while the global apparel supply chain's footprint rose.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Fashion
Factories that regularly completed the Higg environmental assessment recorded a 22 percent drop in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions over four years. The findings were released alongside the 2026 edition of Cascale's Higg Facility Environmental Module.
Why it matters
The Apparel Impact Institute estimated global apparel supply chain emissions at about 1 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2024, a 6.3 percent rise from 2023. Its analysis attributed the increase mainly to clothing makers using more fiber, especially polyester.
Among first-time filers, 24 percent of factories met every applicable baseline requirement, compared with 37 percent of factories in their fifth reporting cycle. In the 2025 cycle, 8,186 facilities met the full baseline.
The players
Cascale
Cascale is the industry organization that runs the Higg Index tools used by apparel and footwear companies to measure environmental performance across their supply chains.
The Apparel Impact Institute
The Apparel Impact Institute is a nonprofit that funds projects to reduce environmental and social harm in apparel supply chains and publishes global emissions estimates for the sector.
Worldly
Worldly is a supply chain data platform that lets suppliers share sustainability information with the brands that buy from them.
The details
Suppliers share environmental data with brand customers through Worldly. For 2026, suppliers can report practices through the new Foundational Environmental Performance Module, which contains about a tenth of the questions on the full assessment. The update also adds automated checks on reported water use.
Timeline
2024: Global apparel supply chain emissions estimated at about 1 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent.
2025 cycle: 8,186 facilities met the full environmental baseline.
2026: Cascale released the Higg Facility Environmental Module 2026 edition and the Foundational module.
Industry Dynamics
Facility-level gains reported through Cascale's Higg tools are unfolding alongside the Apparel Impact Institute's finding that total supply chain emissions reached about 1 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2024, up 6.3 percent from 2023. The contrast suggests that efficiency improvements at repeat-filing factories have not yet offset growth in fiber production, particularly polyester.
Shoppers buying from brands that report supplier data through Higg may see more consistent sustainability disclosures over time. The gap between factories that meet all baseline requirements, ranging from 24 to 37 percent in the extraction, shows that sourcing choices still shape the environmental profile of clothing.
The takeaway
Brands and consumers who look beyond a single factory's progress to the sector's total emissions get a clearer picture of whether apparel is actually getting cleaner.
Further reading
For more on how fashion brands are tracking their sourcing footprints, explore the Fashion section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WWD.
