Cascale Case Study: When Komar set its first Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validated near-term target in 2023, the company used a 2019 baseline. But target-setting was only the beginning.
Top Takeaways
- Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) data helped strengthen Komar’s climate strategy, providing critical facility-level environmental data that contributed to the development and SBTi validation of the company’s new near-term, long-term, and net-zero emissions reduction targets.
- Komar achieved 100 percent Higg FEM participation across more than 275 Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, with over 80 percent completing verification, creating a robust foundation of primary supply chain environmental data.
- By combining Higg FEM data with other insights, Komar improved the measurement of Scope 3 Category 1 emissions, which represent more than 70 percent of its total carbon footprint, moving beyond estimated data to more representative primary data.
- Supplier engagement was treated as a capability-building exercise, rather than a compliance requirement, with customized training and support helping suppliers identify hotspots, establish baselines, and drive continuous environmental improvement.
- Improved data quality translated into more ambitious climate commitments, including SBTi-approved targets to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 65 percent and Scope 3 emissions by 25 percent by 2030 from a 2024 baseline, while committing to achieve net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2050.
As Komar’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Dr. Thiwanka De Fonseka, explained in a recent “Source of Good” podcast episode, as the company expanded its sustainability strategy, leadership recognized that stronger climate commitments would require stronger data. Improving the quality, accuracy, and coverage of emissions data across the value chain became a strategic priority – particularly for Scope 3 emissions, which represent the vast majority of the apparel sector’s climate impact.
To build that foundation, Komar turned to industry-aligned tools, including the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), which is stewarded and governed by Cascale and implemented globally through the Worldly sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform.
The result: a stronger emissions data foundation, greater visibility into supply chain impacts, and newly validated SBTi near-term, long-term, and net-zero targets from a 2024 baseline year.
Building a More Accurate Picture of Scope 3 Emissions
For many apparel brands, Scope 3 emissions remain one of the most difficult areas to measure accurately. Estimates often rely on secondary data and generalized emissions factors that provide only a partial picture of value-chain impacts. Komar sought a different approach.
Under the company’s “Planet” strategic pillar, which is one of the two main pillars of its holistic sustainability strategy, “Sus-Tex 2030”, the Higg FEM became a key tool for collecting facility-level environmental data across its supply chain. This includes information related to energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, wastewater management, waste generation, and chemical management.
Beginning in 2024, Komar expanded supplier participation in the Higg FEM and integrated the resulting facility-level insights into its broader climate strategy. At the same time, the company adopted Worldly’s Product Impact Calculator to improve the measurement of Scope 3 Category 1 emissions, which account for more than 70 percent of Komar’s total greenhouse gas footprint.
Together, the Higg FEM and Worldly’s Product Impact Calculator (PIC) enabled Komar to move beyond estimated emissions calculations and incorporate increasingly robust primary data from suppliers, materials, and manufacturing operations.
“One of our first tasks was to create a proper strategy and then identify credible tools to collect the data needed to monitor progress,” De Fonseka said. “If you have a strategy without credible data, there’s nothing you can do.”
Scaling Higg FEM Across the Supply Chain
To support its climate and environmental goals, Komar launched a comprehensive supplier engagement program centered on the Higg FEM. The company began by mandating participation in the Higg FEM for its strategic suppliers in 2023, then expanded the requirement across its T1 and T2 suppliers in 2024 as a “mandatory” requirement.
As reported in the Komar 2025 Sustainability Progress Report, published in 2025 (based on 2024 calendar year data):
- More than 275 Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers have completed Higg FEM self-assessments.
- More than 80 percent have completed verification.
- Komar has achieved 100 percent Higg FEM participation across Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
Importantly, Komar did not approach completion of the Higg FEM as a compliance exercise. Recognizing that many facilities lack dedicated sustainability teams, the company developed customized training programs, practical toolkits, and supplier support resources designed to help facilities use their own data to identify hotspots, establish baselines, develop action plans, and drive continuous improvement. “We consider the Higg FEM to be an improvement tool rather than a data collection tool or audit tool,” said De Fonseka.
As supplier engagement increased, environmental performance improved. Average Higg FEM scores rose from the 40-point range to the 60-point range, reflecting stronger environmental management systems and greater understanding of sustainability performance across the supply chain.
From Higg FEM Data to SBTi Validation
As Komar’s data quality improved, the company undertook a comprehensive review of its climate targets. Informed by Higg FEM and Worldly PIC data, Komar established a new set of science-based targets, with 2024 as the baseline year.
The updated targets reflect improvements in data quality, emissions accounting methodologies, and value-chain coverage, creating a stronger and more accurate foundation for long-term climate action.
Komar’s newly approved SBTi commitments include:
- Net-Zero Target: Achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050.
- Near-Term Target (2030): Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent; reduce absolute Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent.
- Long-Term Target (2050): Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent; reduce absolute Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent.
For Komar, the approval of these targets represents more than a climate milestone. It demonstrates how credible, primary supply chain data can strengthen corporate climate strategies and support more ambitious decarbonization pathways.
Looking Ahead
Komar views target validation as a starting point, not the finish line. “Setting emissions reduction targets is often one of the easiest steps in an organization’s decarbonization journey,” says De Fonseka. “The greater challenge lies in implementing the meaningful actions, investments, and transformational initiatives required to achieve those targets.”
The company is currently finalizing its Climate Transition Plan and 2025 Sustainability Annual Report, which will outline the actions being taken to achieve its approved science-based targets.
As a privately held company, Komar is not required to publicly disclose this information. However, consistent with its commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, the company has chosen to share its progress publicly. Komar is demonstrating how better data can enable more credible climate commitments and help turn net-zero ambition into measurable action.
