Cascale Present at Worldly Customer Forum, ReThink Hong Kong

With the Cascale Annual Meeting 2025 recently held in Hong Kong, Cascale team members made their mark at various events, including ReThink Hong Kong and Worldly’s Customer Forum.

Cascale had a visible presence with a booth and speakers at ReThink Hong Kong, successfully building on the collaboration of previous years. In one session, Alexandra Rieger, Cascale’s senior director of manufacturer membership, spoke on a panel titled “Procurement Leaders Confront Ethics Challenges Amid Global Strains.” The session included Wendy Chan, chairlady of activities and events, at The Institute of Purchasing and Supply of Hong Kong; Clement Chung, principal manager, Commercial & Supply Chain at CLP Holdings Limited; and Kirk Lui, group assistant director of purchasing at Regal Hotels International Limited.

The panel outlined how procurement is under intensifying pressure as companies face stricter ESG standards and scrutiny over corporate responsibility. Speakers warned that balancing ethical sourcing with cost efficiency has become more complex against a backdrop of geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty. Speakers also discussed the emerging risks in supply chains, from pinpointing Scope 3 emissions to responsible sourcing. They weighed whether technology such as artificial intelligence could help companies meet rising ethical expectations while maintaining competitiveness.

In a separate event, the Worldly Customer Forum, Joël Mertens, director of Higg Product Tools, and Joleen Ong, Cascale’s senior director of brand and retailer engagement, each contributed to thought-provoking sessions.

Mertens spoke on a panel with Worldly’s vice president JR Siegel and associate director of sustainability Paula Bernstein diving deep into the key insights of the 2024 Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM). The session explored emerging trends, shifts in performance across key impact areas, and the latest data opportunities and challenges. Attendees received key guidance on how to interpret data, identify meaningful patterns, and translate insights into action.

Ong joined a panel discussion called “Social and Labor Data Demystified: Finding Meaning in Your Higg FSLM Results.” The session featured Jaclene Roshan, vice president of products, Worldly; and Steve Harris, chief operating officer, Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), and Herman Leung, VP of Sales and Operations, Dakota Garment Group and Companies.

The session covered how Cascale, SLCP, and Worldly work together with data-rich insights on navigating social and labor compliance. Throughout the session, the speakers underscored their foundational commitment to supporting decent work for all within the textiles, apparel, footwear, and wider consumer goods industry.

Ong covered Cascale’s role in driving facility labor improvements and what the Higg FSLM adoption and trends point to in an ever-evolving compliance landscape.

“The Higg FSLM is more than a scoring tool—it’s about converging on credible data to spot risks early, reduce duplication, and prioritize remediation in ways that also save costs,” Ong reported. “With regulatory shifts and new technologies emerging—like Worldly’s Insights Hub and Axion—collecting data alone isn’t enough. Our industry must turn these insights into real improvements for workers and stronger, more resilient supply chains.”