The SGS-Worldly Partnership – Next-Generation Sustainability Data Validation

SGS and Worldly (the new home of the Higg Index) have partnered to validate brands and manufacturers’ factory data to support carbon, financial disclosures and compliance reporting.

Uniting once more

SGS and Worldly, the planet’s most comprehensive impact intelligence platform for fashion and consumer goods businesses, have launched a new sustainability-focused partnership.

Collect and validate ESG data more efficiently

Fashion and consumer brands and manufacturers can more efficiently collect and validate energy, water and waste data from their utility bills, to track and report on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and reduce their impacts – all through a single platform.

Jeff McDonald, SGS Executive Vice President, said: “Businesses have made deep commitments and set ambitious carbon reduction goals through pledges and programs like the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). However, until now, they have not had the level of trusted data required to effectively report their impact and progress at scale.

“Through our strategic partnership with Worldly, SGS is excited to bring scalable, third-party data validation to the consumer goods industry, to help companies frequently and accurately report to stakeholders, comply with key legislation, enhance supply chain transparency and environmental efforts and claims, and reduce greenwashing risk.”

SGS will provide industry-leading, third-party validation of factory utility and waste data across the supply chain once it is securely uploaded to the Worldly platform.

SGS Assurance Services include a combination of site visits and remote reviews to help brands and manufacturers with transparent due diligence data reporting, Scope 3 carbon accounting, supplier engagement and emissions reduction efforts.

Brands and facilities can exchange the validated utility data safely through the Worldly platform, deepening trust and transparency among business partners across the global value chain, as well as customers, investors and regulators.

James Schaffer, Worldly’s Chief Strategy Officer, said: “As consumers demand more transparency from the brands they love, and regulators and investors demand greater supply chain transparency, the fashion and consumer goods industries are under more pressure than ever to deliver trusted and validated primary impact data.

“Worldly’s new partnership with SGS supports the consumer goods industry’s need for validated, high-frequency, high-velocity primary data to report ESG progress and streamline regulatory disclosure efforts.”

The partnership came about because Worldly and SGS understand that, while the industry has made progress over the past decade through self-reporting of data, in recent years, expectations for faster impact reduction have grown as the urgency of climate change grows – increasing the demand for more reliable, externally validated supply chain data.

Emerging federal and state legislation in the US, and EU holding businesses accountable for their environmental impacts will also require disclosure of Scope 3 emissions and carbon data. Examples include the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Climate Risk Disclosure Act, the New York Fashion Act and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Companies can begin preparing now by frequently gathering and validating primary impact data, such as energy, water and waste data.

Speak with us for more details.

For further information, please contact:

Jason Hulbert
Associate Marketing Manager
Knowledge
t: +44 7912426878