by Joleen Ong
When we talk about reaching decarbonization targets by 2030, mitigating heat stress, or enabling decent work and remediation, we usually focus on what manufacturers need to do. We talk far less about what brands and retailers need to do commercially to make those investments possible.
Manufacturers are asked to invest in renewable energy, cooling, wages and remediation, yet those investments are rarely tied to sourcing incentives: stable orders, longer commitments, fair pricing and long-term partnerships that send a clear market signal. At its core, responsible purchasing practices (RPP) is about closing that gap by aligning sustainability with business incentives.
That’s why Cascale’s Responsible Purchasing Practices Learning Series, held October 21 to November 3, 2026, gave members practitioner-led learning and peer exchange on turning Better Buying data into action.
A Seat, the Right Questions, and the Data to Go Deeper
The Cascale Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) shows the same pattern year over year: planning and forecasting, and sourcing and order placement, remain the hardest areas to improve. Neither is a sustainability function, and that’s the point. Manufacturers tell us the same thing directly: they want long-term partnerships and aligned incentives.
So why is change so slow? Much of the answer sits inside brands, where sustainability and human rights teams are often not in the room when commercial decisions get made. A seat at the table is critical, and it isn’t a given.
Getting the seat is only the first step. Once you’re there, knowing the right questions to ask is how you build trust with commercial colleagues and turn a single meeting into a working relationship. And that’s where Better Buying data becomes powerful. Whether it’s your Cascale Better Buying Snapshot (previously called the Better Buying Partnership Index or “BBPI”) or the BBPPI results, it gives you manufacturers’ own view of your purchasing practices, helping you pinpoint hotspots and move from general concern to specific, deeper discussions about what to improve.
Some of the strongest sustainability professionals I know stand out for how strategically they influence internal stakeholders – they know their audience. But the business acumen behind that influence isn’t always freely available.
Why We Built This Series
The series came directly from member feedback. Many of our members that complete the BBPPI told us that turning the data into real improvements is hard, and that you need stronger business acumen to make the case to your commercial partners. The biggest opportunities for change sit in planning and forecasting, costing, sourcing, and merchandising, all of which ultimately shape conditions in factories. This is why we connected members with practitioners who have sat in those seats.
The series was open to Cascale Corporate and Affiliate members and designed mainly for brand and retailer members. To level set: we built this training for sustainability and human rights professionals. The goal was to build commercial fluency so members can speak their commercial partners’ language and drive change from the inside.
We organized the topics along the product lifecycle, because that’s how commercial decisions flow and where the leverage shifts:
- Line plan and product roadmap: what gets made, up to two years out
- Assortment planning: how many options, and how deep
- Forecast and buy plan: how many units, and when
- Purchase orders and material commitments: where plans become commitments manufacturers act on
- Production and the consumer: where every earlier choice plays out
Session 1 covered the engine from planning to production, exactly where the BBPPI shows the most persistent gaps. Session 2 moved upstream to merchandising, where the line plan sets those decisions in motion. Session 3 closed the series with a Decent Work Community Call that brought the learning together with Better Buying data. The common lesson: flexibility is highest early, so the earlier sustainability shows up, the more it can shape.
Session 1: Planning, Forecasting, Sourcing and Costing
Responsible purchasing doesn’t start when a purchase order is placed. It starts with the upstream commercial decisions that come long before. Eric Goldner, Instructor at the University of Oregon Sports Product Management program, and Kristen Oliver, founder of Endurance Margin Advisory, made that case in our first session.
Key Themes
- Every commercial decision has two outcomes. The same choices drive business results (margin, inventory, speed to market) and sustainability results (manufacturer stability, waste, air freight, emissions, worker wellbeing).
- Flexibility always belongs to someone. A forecast cut before materials are committed gives manufacturers room to adjust; after materials are bought, it creates financial liability. Ask: when we say the plan is still flexible, whose flexibility are we describing?
- Cost pressure moves; it doesn’t disappear. Tariffs, oil prices, freight costs, and new compliance and traceability rules push through landed cost, and late decisions leave fewer responsible options.
- Trade-offs should be visible. In a fictional case study, a viral sports moment drove a 40 percent forecast jump in their namesake product and pressure to pull a launch forward. Attendees weighed rushing, holding, or phasing the launch, and noticed manufacturer and sustainability perspectives arrived too late, if at all.
Takeaways
Align earlier, distinguish indicative forecasts from authorized commitments, engage manufacturers earlier, evaluate trade-offs together, and measure success to include manufacturer health. Bring one question to every decision: What would the manufacturer have to do differently to deliver this option?
Session 2: Merchandising
Our second session, led by Rafael Ortega, who brings 30+ years in sales and product creation at Nike and YETI, went upstream to the function that decides what gets made in the first place.
Key Themes
- Merchandising turns market insight into product choices. It shapes line plans and assortments toward revenue, margin, market share, or SKU efficiency, and no two companies run it the same way.
- The “R’s” decode its decisions. Right product, place, time, consumer, price and quantity. Larger companies with structured planning offer more openings for sustainability.
- Channel shapes your opportunities. Direct-to-consumer keeps more margin to absorb premiums for sustainable materials; wholesale is locked in on price.
- Six gates set the calendar. From line plan to end market, earlier gates bring more influence and later gates more information.
- Development type defines the window. New designs and design refreshes are the main openings; carryover is hardest to change. Big bets, like the 2028 Olympics or a new category, are the highest-leverage moments.
Takeaways
Find out how merchandising is structured, ask for the line plan and product roadmap 1.5 to 2 years out, learn your dates and gates, ask for the mix of new, refresh and carryover styles, and know the big bets. Bring manufacturer data so information flows both ways.
Session 3: Decent Work Community Meeting
We closed the series by putting Better Buying data next to the commercial decisions from Sessions 1 and 2. Katie Hess, head of product for Better Buying, shared manufacturer-reported findings, and panelists from Fair Wear Foundation, the Fair Labor Association and a member brand shared how they’ve acted on them.
Key Themes
- Forecast detail matters. Manufacturers who said forecasts lacked enough detail were more likely to report unused capacity (64 percent, versus 46 percent where detail was sufficient).
- Negotiation pressure shows up in pricing. Where negotiations were high-pressure, fewer manufacturers said prices covered compliant production costs (30 percent, versus 51 percent).
- The data points to the question. These findings show associations rather than cause, but each one gives you a specific question to bring to your commercial teams.
- Brands are acting on it. Panelists described open-cost pricing that adjusts when minimum wages rise and delivery timelines set by manufacturer capacity, which reduced excessive overtime.
Takeaways
Compare forecasts with confirmed orders, ask whether manufacturers can raise a concern when a price doesn’t cover compliant production, and bring sourcing, costing, and finance into writing your RPP policy. Know your Better Buying results well enough to bring them into meetings you’re already in, not only into a formal presentation.
Where to Start
You don’t need to become a merchandiser or a planner. You need to know enough to ask the right question at the right moment, and who to ask. Start here:
- Name one manufacturer concern, such as late forecast changes or compressed lead times, and trace it to the commercial decision behind it.
- Find one colleague in merchandising, planning or sourcing, and ask them to walk you through their calendar.
- Bring your Better Buying data to that conversation to point to a specific hotspot, not a general concern.
- Propose one process change, even a small one, like flagging forecast certainty to manufacturers.
Decarbonization, heat stress mitigation, decent work and remediation all depend on manufacturers being able to invest with confidence. Responsible purchasing practices give them that confidence, and sustainability professionals with commercial fluency are how RPP moves from commitment into the core of the business.
Catch Up and Learn More
Cascale members: Read the session recaps on [Cascale Connect], our members-only online community, and join the Decent Work Community of Practice to keep the conversation going.
Learn how the Cascale Better Buying Snapshot Survey and the Cascale BBPPI give brands and retailers their manufacturers’ view of their purchasing practices on the Better Buying page. Cascale BBPPI enrollment is open through March 2027, with manufacturer ratings running April 1 to May 31, 2027, and Cascale Corporate members receive a discount.
Not yet a member? Sessions like these are part of Cascale Corporate and Affiliate membership, alongside work on sustainability performance acceleration, policy insights and advocacy, and industry influence and representation. Learn more about joining at cascale.org/explore-membership.
Joleen Ong is senior director of brand & retailer member activation at Cascale.