A water meter tells a better story when it has a clear boundary. Which source does it measure? Does its reading include domestic use, production, or an internal recycle loop? The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), part of Cascale’s Higg Index, makes these questions useful for understanding a factory’s environmental performance.
Choose the assessment cadence first
Use the guide, question set, calculations, and verification guidance for the assessment year you are completing. The official resource library includes English and Bangla guides. Record the release version with your working file; a familiar question can have a revised boundary or calculation in another cadence. Higg FEM is an assessment framework, and the factory still needs to meet its legal and buyer obligations.
Build a water map before a water total
- List each water source, meter, unit, reporting period, and calibration or verification record.
- Separate production and domestic use where the required data and metering allow it. Explain any combined boundary.
- Trace internal reuse, condensate, externally supplied treated water, and treatment reject streams. Follow the selected cadence’s classification.
- Map industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, combined treatment, off-site treatment, and final discharge points.
Make every reported number traceable
| Number | Evidence that makes it useful |
|---|---|
| Annual water quantity | Source readings or invoices, units, missing-period treatment, and a reconciled total. |
| Normalized water use | The matching production quantity, unit, facility type, and reporting boundary. |
| Wastewater volume | Outlet measurement or a documented, defensible estimation method and assumptions. |
| Treatment performance | Applicable limits, sample location and date, laboratory report, and follow-up. |
Try a simple boundary check
In an illustrative day, the factory withdraws 100 m³ of freshwater and circulates 20 m³ through an internal reuse loop. The loop does not turn freshwater withdrawal into 120 m³. Keep withdrawal and internal reuse as separate quantities, then place them into the assessment fields using the official calculation rules. Reconcile production, domestic use, losses, inventory changes, and discharge on a consistent time basis.
Use the exercise to improve the plant
Choose one unexplained difference in the balance. Check the meter boundary and source record before changing the total. Keep corrections transparent so another person can reproduce the calculation and understand its basis. Use the downloadable Excel exercises on this site to practice the same habit.
Official sources and further reading
- Official Higg FEM resources and Bangla guides
- Versioned technical guidance
- FEM 2026 water and waste calculations
Related practical resources
ECR 2023 downloads · Excel workbooks and checklists · ZDHC for Water and Wastewater in Textile Plants · AWS, GOTS, STeP and IFC for Textile Water Management
Practice downloads
Use the bilingual PDF worksheets in print or alongside the editable Excel files. Examples are for learning; adapt the records to the approved procedures and requirements at your site.
- Environmental aspects and compliance register (PDF · English / বাংলা)
- HIRA and environmental aspect registers — Excel (.xlsx)
Bangladesh Water Act, Water Rules and WARPO · 3R Water Planning in the Textile Industry · Environmental Aspects and Impacts in Treatment Plants
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