Former Under Armour chief executive officer Colin Browne will take the reins of Cascale, formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, to lead the organization through its next phase.
During his eight-year tenure at Under Armour, he also served as chief operating officer, and held key supply chain, factory management and sourcing roles. Prior to Under Armour, Browne served as managing director of Asia sourcing for VF Corp.
Browne also served as chair at the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
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Those hands-on roles have laid the foundation for this move, Browne said.
“It felt as if this was a coming together of all the things that I’ve done in my career, and a way in which perhaps I can use the skills, the experiences and the credibility, hopefully, that I bring to the role to help move the industry forward in a meaningful way,” he told WWD.
Browne steps into the position following the departure of former chief executive officer Amina Razvi last December. Her departure followed the 2022 controversy, which saw the group “pause” the use of its Higg Materials Sustainability Index, a consumer-facing impact product labeling rating that was widely used by brands, after being hit with greenwashing claims.
The index has undergone an evolution since the controversy, which integrated new scoring criteria such as incorporating factory data and life-cycle assessments, among other adjustments.
Browne says the index continues to remain “robust” and does not foresee any structural changes to the Higg suite of tools or the group’s strategic plan.
“We have an amazing tool with the Higg Index,” he said. “How we continue to drive change by utilizing the tools we have, and helping the industry align behind those things, is incredibly important….It’s by far the best tool out there for us to move forward with what we’re trying to address. And we’ll take the feedback, and we’ll adjust as we’ve done in the past.”
The group is continuing to reform its suite of tools. A third-party review of the Higg brand and retail module will be conducted later this year, and the Higg facility environmental module will undergo a third-party review in 2025.
Overall, Browne identifies the biggest challenge to the fashion industry as dealing with Scope 3 emissions in the supply chain. The group’s more than 300 members make up half the global apparel supply chain. Asos, Uniqulo parent company Fast Retailing, Zara parent company Inditex and Kohl’s are among the groups members.
Browne said the group’s decarbonization program that pushes for members to achieve a 45 percent reduction in their GHG emissions by 2030 and moving its members to science-based targets will continue to gain momentum. Nearly 51 percent of the group’s members are now committed to the science based targets, he added.
The organization’s previously revealed strategic plan outlined intentions to take on a more activist role, including working on impact programs and expanding partnerships with brands to finance programs, such as phasing out coal at the manufacturing level.
Browne also plans to build on the group’s corporate sustainability guidelines, circular product design and responsible manufacturing initiatives as the group seeks to develop new accountability measures.
One change is that the group is continuing to expand the Higg Index into the area of home furnishings and explore other goods.
“At the moment the idea of kind of inching it out, elbowing our way into a little broader part of the supply chain feels as if it’s the right approach,” he said about the new category.
Browne believes Scope 3 emissions are the biggest challenge facing the fashion industry, and sees Cascale’s partnerships with manufacturers is a the “biggest opportunity” for the group.
“From a sustainability perspective, the industry has other problems it needs to solve with regards to how to think about recycling and regenerative supply chains, but that’s not immediately on the roadmap for Cascale, but we will work with other partners across the supply chain to work through how do we help support that cause.”
Cascale will host the Manufacturer Forum in Shanghai on June 28, and the organization’s own annual meeting in Munich from Sept. 9 to 11.
