It’s “a global non-profit alliance that empowers collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry”. It takes in over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, industry associations, and NGOs/nonprofits around the world. The shared aim is to “catalyse impact at scale and give back more than they take to the planet and its people”. 

The change will be marked with members and “founding father” Rick Ridgeway at a networking event in London on 27 February.Ridgeway, author, adventurer, former VP of sustainability and public engagement at Patagonia, said the new group’s vision “reflects my mission to inspire responsible businesses that commit to transparency and benefit people and the planet”.So where did the new name come from? After all, it’s not exactly an obvious choice.The ‘Cas’ in Cascale is ‘SAC’ reversed, while ‘CA’ refers to “collective action,” and ‘scale’ references scaled ambitions. The initial ‘C’ also “evokes a new ‘phase’ similar to lunar cycles in nature, as well as moonlight or a mirrored reflection”. SAC had been founded in 2009 by Walmart and Patagonia “to convene apparel industry stakeholders on a pre-competitive basis and develop a common approach to measuring sustainability”. The rebranded group also said that the Higg Index, which was caught up in greenwashing issues in 2022, remains a key part of its approach and that its suite of tools will continue to evolve.