Author: sHq_LoGiNz

The Komar Supplier Sustainability Forum recently convened 70 participants from across the consumer goods industry in China. Cascale’s speakers included Nicole Lee-Kauer, manager, Manufacturer Climate Action Program (MCAP); and Peony Tam, manager, Global Membership Development APAC.

Key Takeaways

• Komar’s global reach of 250 Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers puts emphasis on aligned decarbonization efforts.
• MCAP offers a gateway to getting started on science-aligned targets.
• “How to Higg Guide” shows the business use case of completing accurate, verified audits.

With a global reach of 250 Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, Komar has made public decarbonization commitments, including to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 27.5 percent by 2030. In a dedicated decarbonization session, Cascale’s Lee-Kauer shared the importance of MCAP to help Komar’s Chinese suppliers get started in their decarbonization journey.

Lee-Kauer and Tam were joined by Tiffany Leung, customer success associate – Hong Kong at Worldly, and together they encouraged suppliers to transform data from the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), delivered through Worldly’s global technology platform, into business value, while empowering them to take greater ownership for their sustainability performance. The session highlighted useful resources like the Higg Index Learning Center, an open resource that shares practical guidance and operational examples for utilizing the tool. Rather than a tick-box exercise or response to brand-driven demand, suppliers were encouraged to understand that accurate data can support their own operational improvement and long-term business value.

The session also highlighted ongoing confusion. In a quick poll, the majority of attendees were unclear about the shared relationship between Worldly and Cascale. The speakers clarified their complementary roles within the ecosystem: The Higg Index frameworks, modules, and methodologies are stewarded and governed by Cascale and implemented globally through the Worldly sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform.

In the presentation, Lee-Kauer and Tam emphasized that Cascale offers both a like-minded and committed sustainability community and mutual support network for manufacturers. They highlighted the scale and relevance of Cascale as a community, showcasing a breadth of brand and manufacturer members.

Originally published on Tork Press and News

PHILADELPHIA May 26, 2026 /3BL/ – Tork, an Essity brand and the global leader in professional hygiene, announced today that it has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of popular paper hand towel and napkin products. Tork customers benefit from the same trusted products now with a lower carbon footprint. The brand now offers carbon data for these key systems alongside information that helps customers make informed choices on use and waste, materials and packaging, and supporting hygiene for all.

The news was announced during a presentation from Tork leaders and Norman Vossschulte, Vice President of Fan Experience & Sustainability at Philadelphia Eagles, at the Green Sports Alliance Summit, the leading annual gathering for sustainability in sports. The presentation highlighted the 2026 emission reduction in napkins and hand towels for the Eagles from Tork solutions as 6,303 kg CO2eq, equivalent to driving 16,051 miles less in a gas-powered passenger vehicle,^1,2 and how the 20-year partnership between Tork and the Philadelphia Eagles has continually allowed the team to reach its sustainability goals.

By ensuring sustainability data is readily available on its Tork Focus4 Sustainability platform, Tork makes it easier for businesses to support their own sustainability goals. Through an ongoing commitment to decarbonization – including investments in renewable electricity – Tork now offers several of its most reliable, high-performing products with a lower carbon footprint: 

• Tork PeakServe^® hand towels: 21% less carbon footprint³
• Tork Xpress multifold hand towels: 16% less carbon footprint⁴
• Tork Matic^® hand towels: 15% less carbon footprint⁵ 
• Tork Xpressnap^®6 and Xpressnap Fit⁷ napkins: 20% less carbon footprint

“Sustainable hygiene drives business performance – it’s better for people and the planet,” said Audrey Wesson, Sustainability Manager, Professional Hygiene at Essity. “For Tork, carbon data isn’t just an environmental metric, it’s a way we help improve our customers’ business performance. We look at the entire life cycle including efficient production and reduced energy use, lower consumption, less waste and smarter packaging. Our improvements become our customers’ improvements.”

To further support customers’ sustainability initiatives, Tork has updated the Tork Focus4 Sustainability platform – launched in late 2025 – with information that makes sustainability easier: 

• Easier to choose: New carbon reporting provides businesses with measurements reported on a per-use basis to reflect real-world consumption, enabling managers to generate realistic product comparisons.  
• Easier to report: Tork provides comprehensive product sheets and infographics with detailed sustainability benefits and carbon per use on key products. 
• Easier to navigate: Free online Tork Sustainability Academy training modules now include a training on the complexities of decarbonization, “Carbon data supports business value.”

“Sustainability can be a strong differentiator in purchasing decisions, according to nearly 83% of businesses,⁸” Wesson continued. “Customers expect sustainability, employees value it, and businesses are increasingly required to report it. Our products help businesses meet these expectations while improving business results.”

Tork takes a holistic approach to sustainability, delivering sustainable hygiene solutions that are better for people as well as the planet. For more information about sustainable hygiene and new carbon data, please visit: www.torkglobal.com/us/en/focus4materials.

Footnotes: 

¹ Based on Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field purchasing 239 cases of Z66488D3 and 1000 cases of 105065 in 2025 and assuming same quantity purchases are made in 2026 after April 2026 when renewable electricity investments have been secured.

² Carbon impact equivalency of 6303 CO2eq to driving mileage from EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalency calculator

³ On average, compared to the average of all Tork PeakServe® (H5) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment. 

⁴ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Xpress® Multifold (H2) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment. 

⁵ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Matic® (H1) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment. 

⁶ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Xpressnap® (N4) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment. 

⁷ On average, compared to the average of all Tork Xpressnap Fit® (N14) refill carbon footprint when commencing purchase of renewable electricity certificates (hydroelectric, solar, wind or mix), verified and matched through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), for our paper making operations. The resulting carbon footprint reductions were quantified in a third party reviewed cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment. 

⁸ ERM Shelton Global B2B Pulse 2025

About Tork

The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissues, soap, napkins and wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they’re always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity and a committed partner to customers in more than 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit www.torkglobal.com/us/en/.

About Essity

Essity is a global, leading hygiene and health company. Every day, our products, solutions and services are used by a billion people around the world. Our purpose is to break barriers to well-being for the benefit of consumers, patients, caregivers, customers and society. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands such as Actimove, Cutimed, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic and Zewa. In 2024, Essity had net sales of approximately SEK 146bn (EUR 13bn) and employed 36,000 people. The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. More information at essity.com.

Key Takeaways

• Multinational organisations face growing challenges in maintaining consistent EHS and sustainability programmes across different countries, cultures, and regulatory systems.
• Local knowledge is essential for interpreting regulations, understanding cultural expectations, and adapting global standards to regional operating environments.
• International collaboration helps organisations reduce risk, improve compliance, and manage global operations more effectively.
• Effective cross-border EHS management depends not only on understanding local laws, but also how they are applied and enforced in practice.
• Strong global collaboration networks help organisations access local expertise, streamline operations, and respond more effectively to changing global risks.

 

If your organisation operates across borders, consistency is rarely as straightforward as it sounds.

A global policy may look clear on paper, but implementing it across multiple countries, cultures, regulatory systems, and workforces is another challenge entirely. The same environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) programme can be interpreted and experienced very differently depending on where and how it is applied.

For multinational organisations, this creates a growing tension: how do you maintain global standards while adapting to local realities?

That challenge is becoming more pronounced as businesses continue to expand internationally and supply chains become increasingly interconnected. Managing risk, compliance, and operational consistency across those environments requires far more than centralised oversight alone. Organisations must navigate differing regulatory structures, cultural expectations, enforcement approaches, workforce dynamics, and environmental conditions, often simultaneously.

Alex Ferguson, CEO, and Charlotte Buffoni, EHS Practice Director, see these challenges in their work frequently, and agree that local knowledge has become one of the most important differentiators in global business.

As Alex explains, clients today are no longer looking for basic support. “[They expect] a deeper level of services, a deeper level of understanding, but also a much wider footprint.”

 

Global Standards are Easy to Write but Harder to Apply

Many multinational organisations begin with the right intentions: establish global standards, create consistent expectations, and implement unified EHS and Sustainability programmes across regions.

The difficulty comes in execution.

Charlotte understands that organisations are often trying to achieve “global consistency with a local lens,” adapting programmes to different cultural expectations, languages, regulatory structures, and operational realities while still maintaining the original corporate intent.

Even seemingly universal concepts, such as workplace safety, can vary dramatically depending on local conditions.

“We want our people to be safe at work,” Alex says, paraphrasing a common client concern, “but what does that actually mean in different environments?”

A programme designed for one region may not translate effectively into another without understanding:

• local enforcement approaches
• infrastructure limitations
• workforce expectations
• communication styles
• climate and environmental conditions
• cultural attitudes toward risk and authority

In some countries, regulations are driven nationally. In others, enforcement happens regionally or locally. Guidance that may be treated as best practice in one jurisdiction could carry entirely different expectations somewhere else.

For Alex, context is inseparable from proximity: “Only people working locally can really get that nuance right.”

Charlotte adds that many organisations initially approach international expansion from a compliance perspective alone, only to realise that legislation is just the beginning: “Understanding legislation is only the starting point, the real challenge is interpreting how it applies in practice within a specific country or operating environment.”

That interpretation extends beyond legal requirements into broader cultural and operational realities. Workforce expectations, regulatory attitudes, and communication styles can vary significantly, not just between countries, but even within them. Without local understanding, organisations risk implementing programmes that technically meet requirements while failing to gain traction operationally.

 

The Cost of Getting it Wrong

When organisations lack local insight, the effects are not always immediately apparent, but they can be significant.

Global programmes can become inconsistent in practice, creating gaps between corporate expectations and day-to-day operations. Compliance efforts may focus too heavily on documentation rather than implementation. Communication barriers can lead to misunderstanding or low engagement among workers. In some cases, organisations may underestimate local risks entirely because they are viewing them through the lens of another region.

Alex points to climate as a clear example of how assumptions can quickly break down across geographies:

“We used to call it global warming, and then it became clear that made everybody think everywhere was going to get warmer. That’s not what happens. Places get wetter, places get colder, places get more extremes and variations.”

Those environmental realities influence everything from infrastructure resilience to worker safety expectations and operational planning.

Cultural complexity adds another layer. In many regions, workforces themselves are highly international, bringing together people with a broad range of lived experiences, expectations, and approaches to work.

“It makes you realise that understanding the culture of a construction project or an infrastructure project in any part of the world is not just about what the local laws and regulations show,” Alex continues. “It’s actually who’s applying … those laws and what cultural lens are they putting on it?”

This is where local knowledge becomes less of a “supporting” factor and more of a business necessity.

 

Why International Collaboration has Become more Important

As these challenges have grown, international collaboration itself has evolved significantly over the past 25 years.

What began as relatively small professional networks supporting multinational clients has become a far more integrated and sophisticated system. Today, organisations increasingly rely on connected global partnerships to help navigate operational, regulatory, and cultural complexity across regions.

For Antea Group UK, part of the Inogen Alliance, that evolution has been visible firsthand.

Reflecting on the early days of the Alliance, Alex describes it as “quite a small group” compared to today’s globally connected model.

Charlotte adds that growth has accelerated “in many different directions,” not only geographically, but also in the complexity of services and client expectations.

This shift mirrors a broader business reality: EHS and Sustainability are no longer peripheral considerations. They are increasingly tied to operational continuity, reputation, workforce wellbeing, regulatory performance, and long-term business resilience.

 

Collaboration as a Practical Advantage

When international collaboration works well, its benefits become highly practical.

Organisations entering new markets, whether through acquisition, expansion, or supply chain growth, often face a steep learning curve. Building relationships, understanding regulations, and developing local operational awareness from scratch can take significant time and resources.

According to Alex, one of the biggest advantages of working with vendors and advisors who have established global collaboration networks is that clients “can drop straight into something that’s already working.”

Rather than starting over in each geography, organisations can access existing networks, relationships, and expertise that are rooted in the local environment.

Charlotte notes that clients also value having a single point of contact supported by a broader global network, helping reduce the operational burden of managing multiple consultants and service providers across regions.

In practice, this enables organisations to move faster, reduce risk, and create greater consistency across global operations without losing the local insight needed to make programmes effective.

 

Relationships Still Matter

Despite advances in technology and global connectivity, both leaders emphasised that international collaboration remains deeply human.

Long-standing relationships create trust, which allows for more open conversations about complex challenges.

As Alex explains, collaborations built over time develop depth and history, creating environments where people understand each other well enough to navigate uncertainty together.

That becomes increasingly important in a world shaped by geopolitical shifts, changing regulations, supply chain disruption, and rapidly evolving expectations around sustainability and worker wellbeing.

For Charlotte, collaboration also creates opportunities for continuous learning and knowledge-sharing across regions and disciplines. As she explains, “participating in global working groups has helped expand both my technical expertise and broader understanding of how organisations approach EHS challenges in different parts of the world.”

These networks, formal and informal alike, allow organisations to respond more quickly to emerging risks, share lessons learned, and adapt to changing conditions in real time.

 

A More Connected, More Complex Future

As organisations continue to expand internationally, the need for effective cross-border collaboration will only grow.

But success will depend on more than scale alone. It will require organisations to balance global consistency with local adaptability, supported by a deep understanding of regional differences.

Ultimately, effective international collaboration is not simply about having a presence in multiple countries. It is about understanding how people, regulations, environments, and cultures interact, and building the relationships necessary to navigate that complexity successfully.

Or, as Alex reflects: “Knowing that somewhere in the world there’s somebody that’s already done it is incredibly powerful.”

Do you have international operations and want support? Antea Group UK, as part of the Inogen Alliance, is uniquely positioned to help. Get in touch with our team of experts today to continue the conversation and discover how global alignment can strengthen your operations.

Key Takeaways

• Multinational organisations face growing challenges in maintaining consistent EHS and sustainability programmes across different countries, cultures, and regulatory systems.
• Local knowledge is essential for interpreting regulations, understanding cultural expectations, and adapting global standards to regional operating environments.
• International collaboration helps organisations reduce risk, improve compliance, and manage global operations more effectively.
• Effective cross-border EHS management depends not only on understanding local laws, but also how they are applied and enforced in practice.
• Strong global collaboration networks help organisations access local expertise, streamline operations, and respond more effectively to changing global risks.

 

If your organisation operates across borders, consistency is rarely as straightforward as it sounds.

A global policy may look clear on paper, but implementing it across multiple countries, cultures, regulatory systems, and workforces is another challenge entirely. The same environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) programme can be interpreted and experienced very differently depending on where and how it is applied.

For multinational organisations, this creates a growing tension: how do you maintain global standards while adapting to local realities?

That challenge is becoming more pronounced as businesses continue to expand internationally and supply chains become increasingly interconnected. Managing risk, compliance, and operational consistency across those environments requires far more than centralised oversight alone. Organisations must navigate differing regulatory structures, cultural expectations, enforcement approaches, workforce dynamics, and environmental conditions, often simultaneously.

Alex Ferguson, CEO, and Charlotte Buffoni, EHS Practice Director, see these challenges in their work frequently, and agree that local knowledge has become one of the most important differentiators in global business.

As Alex explains, clients today are no longer looking for basic support. “[They expect] a deeper level of services, a deeper level of understanding, but also a much wider footprint.”

 

Global Standards are Easy to Write but Harder to Apply

Many multinational organisations begin with the right intentions: establish global standards, create consistent expectations, and implement unified EHS and Sustainability programmes across regions.

The difficulty comes in execution.

Charlotte understands that organisations are often trying to achieve “global consistency with a local lens,” adapting programmes to different cultural expectations, languages, regulatory structures, and operational realities while still maintaining the original corporate intent.

Even seemingly universal concepts, such as workplace safety, can vary dramatically depending on local conditions.

“We want our people to be safe at work,” Alex says, paraphrasing a common client concern, “but what does that actually mean in different environments?”

A programme designed for one region may not translate effectively into another without understanding:

• local enforcement approaches
• infrastructure limitations
• workforce expectations
• communication styles
• climate and environmental conditions
• cultural attitudes toward risk and authority

In some countries, regulations are driven nationally. In others, enforcement happens regionally or locally. Guidance that may be treated as best practice in one jurisdiction could carry entirely different expectations somewhere else.

For Alex, context is inseparable from proximity: “Only people working locally can really get that nuance right.”

Charlotte adds that many organisations initially approach international expansion from a compliance perspective alone, only to realise that legislation is just the beginning: “Understanding legislation is only the starting point, the real challenge is interpreting how it applies in practice within a specific country or operating environment.”

That interpretation extends beyond legal requirements into broader cultural and operational realities. Workforce expectations, regulatory attitudes, and communication styles can vary significantly, not just between countries, but even within them. Without local understanding, organisations risk implementing programmes that technically meet requirements while failing to gain traction operationally.

 

The Cost of Getting it Wrong

When organisations lack local insight, the effects are not always immediately apparent, but they can be significant.

Global programmes can become inconsistent in practice, creating gaps between corporate expectations and day-to-day operations. Compliance efforts may focus too heavily on documentation rather than implementation. Communication barriers can lead to misunderstanding or low engagement among workers. In some cases, organisations may underestimate local risks entirely because they are viewing them through the lens of another region.

Alex points to climate as a clear example of how assumptions can quickly break down across geographies:

“We used to call it global warming, and then it became clear that made everybody think everywhere was going to get warmer. That’s not what happens. Places get wetter, places get colder, places get more extremes and variations.”

Those environmental realities influence everything from infrastructure resilience to worker safety expectations and operational planning.

Cultural complexity adds another layer. In many regions, workforces themselves are highly international, bringing together people with a broad range of lived experiences, expectations, and approaches to work.

“It makes you realise that understanding the culture of a construction project or an infrastructure project in any part of the world is not just about what the local laws and regulations show,” Alex continues. “It’s actually who’s applying … those laws and what cultural lens are they putting on it?”

This is where local knowledge becomes less of a “supporting” factor and more of a business necessity.

 

Why International Collaboration has Become more Important

As these challenges have grown, international collaboration itself has evolved significantly over the past 25 years.

What began as relatively small professional networks supporting multinational clients has become a far more integrated and sophisticated system. Today, organisations increasingly rely on connected global partnerships to help navigate operational, regulatory, and cultural complexity across regions.

For Antea Group UK, part of the Inogen Alliance, that evolution has been visible firsthand.

Reflecting on the early days of the Alliance, Alex describes it as “quite a small group” compared to today’s globally connected model.

Charlotte adds that growth has accelerated “in many different directions,” not only geographically, but also in the complexity of services and client expectations.

This shift mirrors a broader business reality: EHS and Sustainability are no longer peripheral considerations. They are increasingly tied to operational continuity, reputation, workforce wellbeing, regulatory performance, and long-term business resilience.

 

Collaboration as a Practical Advantage

When international collaboration works well, its benefits become highly practical.

Organisations entering new markets, whether through acquisition, expansion, or supply chain growth, often face a steep learning curve. Building relationships, understanding regulations, and developing local operational awareness from scratch can take significant time and resources.

According to Alex, one of the biggest advantages of working with vendors and advisors who have established global collaboration networks is that clients “can drop straight into something that’s already working.”

Rather than starting over in each geography, organisations can access existing networks, relationships, and expertise that are rooted in the local environment.

Charlotte notes that clients also value having a single point of contact supported by a broader global network, helping reduce the operational burden of managing multiple consultants and service providers across regions.

In practice, this enables organisations to move faster, reduce risk, and create greater consistency across global operations without losing the local insight needed to make programmes effective.

 

Relationships Still Matter

Despite advances in technology and global connectivity, both leaders emphasised that international collaboration remains deeply human.

Long-standing relationships create trust, which allows for more open conversations about complex challenges.

As Alex explains, collaborations built over time develop depth and history, creating environments where people understand each other well enough to navigate uncertainty together.

That becomes increasingly important in a world shaped by geopolitical shifts, changing regulations, supply chain disruption, and rapidly evolving expectations around sustainability and worker wellbeing.

For Charlotte, collaboration also creates opportunities for continuous learning and knowledge-sharing across regions and disciplines. As she explains, “participating in global working groups has helped expand both my technical expertise and broader understanding of how organisations approach EHS challenges in different parts of the world.”

These networks, formal and informal alike, allow organisations to respond more quickly to emerging risks, share lessons learned, and adapt to changing conditions in real time.

 

A More Connected, More Complex Future

As organisations continue to expand internationally, the need for effective cross-border collaboration will only grow.

But success will depend on more than scale alone. It will require organisations to balance global consistency with local adaptability, supported by a deep understanding of regional differences.

Ultimately, effective international collaboration is not simply about having a presence in multiple countries. It is about understanding how people, regulations, environments, and cultures interact, and building the relationships necessary to navigate that complexity successfully.

Or, as Alex reflects: “Knowing that somewhere in the world there’s somebody that’s already done it is incredibly powerful.”

Do you have international operations and want support? Antea Group UK, as part of the Inogen Alliance, is uniquely positioned to help. Get in touch with our team of experts today to continue the conversation and discover how global alignment can strengthen your operations.