Beyond the commonly known FEM (Facility Environmental Module) and FSLM (Facility Social & Labor Module), Higg offers a suite of products tailored to brands, traders, factories, and raw material suppliers.
One of these, the Higg MSI (Materials Sustainability Index), once ambitiously aimed to label garments in stores with a “Higg Certified” tag. However, due to fundamental flaws in its design and scoring logic—such as concluding that synthetic fiber garments are more eco-friendly than those made from natural materials—the MSI faced backlash. It was accused of “greenwashing,” and the Norwegian government even mandated its removal, banning Higg labels from clothing. Higg refused to discontinue the MSI but agreed to pause its promotion, promising to redesign and relaunch it later.
Impact on FEM: New Restrictions on Score Disclosure
As a result of the MSI controversy, the scoring logic of Higg FEM was overhauled in the 2024 version. Due to operational differences among factories, the number of questions answered varies, making total scores less comparable and reliable. Consequently, Higg has issued the following directives:
