Lycra’s largest manufacturing site earns high Higg EFM score

The LYCRA Company, a global pioneer in developing innovative fiber and technology solutions for the textile and apparel industry, announced that its largest manufacturing site located in Foshan, China, received an upper quartile score for its third-party audited Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM).

The LYCRA Company is using Higg FEM, a sustainability assessment tool, to examine the Foshan site’s environmental effect, standardize how its environmental performance is measured year over year, and identify, prioritize, and scale improvements.

The percentage of completed and validated self-assessment questions pertaining to Foshan’s environmental management systems, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, water use, wastewater, air emissions, waste management, and chemical management are used to calculate the Higg FEM score. The Foshan site completed the entire module and had their responses confirmed by an independent verifier.

Choon Hueei Beck, Foshan plant manager, The LYCRA Company, said that of their 6 global manufacturing facilities, Foshan is the first to pass Higg FEM verification. They’re happy to receive such a good score in the upper quartile for their first assessment. This favorable outcome not only proves The LYCRA Company’s dedication to sustainability and transparency, but it will also help their products in a highly competitive marketplace.

Beck added that the Higg FEM verification in Foshan was a three-day operation that took months of planning and documentation. They now have a blueprint to repeat this successful result at other facilities, all of which have completed self-certification, citing the hard work and dedication of a cross-functional team in Foshan and other places.

The Foshan facility, which is located in Guangdong province, initially opened in 2005. The factory employs roughly 500 people and produces LYCRA® fabric for garments and LYCRA HyFit® fiber for personal care items. The Cradle to Cradle Goods Innovation Institute has awarded Gold Level Material Health certification to a number of LYCRA® fiber products manufactured in Foshan.