Higg MSI: Standardized materials impact data for better product and sourcing decisions.

Materials account for the majority of a product’s total environmental impact before it is ever manufactured, shipped, or sold. In the fashion and apparel industry specifically, materials account for the largest share of total emissions through their extraction, processing, and production — according to research by BCG and Fashion for Good. This means that material selection decisions made at the design stage have a greater influence on a product’s eventual emissions footprint than manufacturing processes, logistics, or end-of-life handling.

A traditional lifecycle assessment (LCA) is conducted product by product and requires significant technical expertise, time, and cost — making it impractical for teams evaluating material options across a full product portfolio. The Higg MSI provides pre-calculated, peer-reviewed impact scores for a wide range of materials, updated twice a year with industry-submitted data, so teams can compare options side by side across key environmental indicators without commissioning individual LCAs. This makes materials impact data accessible to product designers, sourcing teams, and sustainability leads who need to act on impact without deep LCA expertise.

Materials data from the Higg MSI feeds directly into product-level emissions modeling by providing standardized impact scores for the raw materials and processes that make up a finished product. Because materials account for the largest share of a typical apparel product’s Scope 3 emissions, having reliable, comparable materials impact data is essential for brands building accurate product carbon footprints, setting science-based reduction targets, and demonstrating that material substitution decisions are delivering measurable results.

Research by BCG, Textile Exchange, and Quantis found that fashion brands that successfully partner with suppliers on sustainable materials see an average net profit increase over a five-year period — evidence that materials sustainability investment is a commercial opportunity, not just a compliance requirement. Reliable, comparable materials impact data from the Higg MSI gives sourcing and product teams the information they need to identify which material shifts will deliver both emissions reductions and cost efficiency, rather than making sustainability trade-offs based on estimates.