More than 40,000 organizations across 33-plus countries now use some version of the Higg Index (Cascale). For most apparel brands, though, that data still lives in someone’s inbox. Specifically, it sits in a PDF exported from a supplier’s Higg Facility Environmental Module assessment. Usually, that PDF gets filed away until…
A lot of blog posts make the same claim. They say the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation already caps empty space in shipping boxes at 40 percent, starting in 2026. That figure is wrong on two counts. The official text sets the limit at 50 percent, not 40. Specifically,…
Most mid-market fashion brands no longer have to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. That is a direct result of the 2026 Omnibus simplification, which narrowed the rule’s scope substantially. Specifically, only companies above both 1,000 employees and 450 million euros in annual turnover remain in mandatory scope. However,…
The EU deforestation regulation no longer covers leather. A December 2025 revision quietly dropped it. That surprises most brands, since leather was the material everyone assumed the law targeted. What actually stayed in scope is narrower. Specifically: natural rubber for shoe soles and elastics, viscose-family fibers made from dissolving wood…
Supplier scorecard software tracks how a factory actually performs after onboarding, not just how it looked on paper before the first order. Most apparel brands vet a new factory carefully, then stop measuring it once production starts. In fact, a scorecard tracking as few as five to eight KPIs can…
A California Prop 65 clothing claim almost never starts with a government inspector at your warehouse door. Instead, it starts with a certified letter. That letter usually comes from a private citizen’s law firm, one you have likely never heard of. In fact, the brand then gets exactly 60 days…
The New York Fashion Act is a proposed state law, not an active one. It would require large apparel, footwear, and handbag companies to map their supply chains. It would also require those companies to disclose their environmental impact publicly. As of March 2025, the bill is still moving through…
EU CSDDD compliance looked very different in early 2026 than it does now. The Omnibus simplification package was published in the Official Journal in February 2026. It pushed the transposition deadline to July 26, 2028, and application to July 26, 2029 (Covington & Burling, Feb 2026). That is a real…
Maternity apparel PLM software has to manage a body that changes shape every few weeks, not once a season. The global maternity apparel market reached an estimated $10.4 billion in 2025. It is projected to grow to $15.6 billion by 2035 (Global Market Insights, 2025). Even so, most PLM tools…
Extended size PLM software has to manage a size run most fashion-focused tools were never built for. A standard women’s line might grade across six or eight sizes. An extended size line, in contrast, often runs from 14W to 40W or beyond. Body proportions don’t scale evenly across that range.…
