Cascale Better Buying Partnership Index 2025 - Rate Any Customer Privacy Policy
SURVEY PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION POLICY
Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI)
Cascale is committed to protecting supplier anonymity and securely storing information related to buyer ratings. Cascale has prepared this document to ensure that suppliers are fully informed when making the decision to rate their buyers. This document outlines benefits suppliers may receive as a result of rating their buyers and describes how we protect the information suppliers share when rating buyers.
What is Cascale and how does it benefit a supplier?
Cascale reimagines supply chain sustainability, leveraging data to strengthen supplier-buyer relationships and improve purchasing practices that drive profitability while protecting workers and the environment. Cascale’s programs provide retailers, brands, suppliers, and industry with data-driven insights to help drive lasting improvements in global purchasing practices. Our activities fall into three main areas: conducting independent research; operating a ratings and evaluation platform that provides buyers and the public with information about buyer purchasing practices; and conducting projects and training on supply chain industry practices to support innovation and promote change. Through extensive research, Cascale has determined that improved purchasing practices can support supplier business success and allow suppliers to improve factory working conditions and environmental performance. The relationship between retailer and brand purchasing practices and workplace conditions are highly and significantly correlated.
Cascale Better Buying gives suppliers the ability to safely and anonymously rate their customers (e.g., brands, retailers, and intermediaries) on the core principles of responsible purchasing. A series of required questions allows suppliers to fully and fairly assess key measures across the full business relationship with their customers. Additionally, suppliers are given an opportunity to provide descriptive feedback and suggestions for ways the rated retailer or brand can improve. Ratings and descriptive feedback provide a holistic understanding of current practices and facilitate guidance to resolve issues and share best practices within the industry.
Cascale rating cycles are conducted annually. At the close of a rating cycle, all ratings are aggregated and used to develop an industry benchmark and reports about partnership quality. Ratings for a single brand/retailer or other type of customer are aggregated and turned into an overall Cascale score. A minimum of five supplier ratings of a single brand/retailer are required for Cascale to analyze the data for a brand/retailer and develop scores. The scores are then made available to the brands/retailers that have been rated. Brands and retailers subscribing to Cascale (subscribers) receive a question-by-question report with charts and figures highlighting their aggregated performance compared against the industry benchmark.
There is no fee for suppliers to use the rating platform. Information required to answer the rating questions is already typically maintained by suppliers.
There are several benefits for suppliers who rate their buyers using Cascale Better Buying.
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An effective way to communicate about problematic purchasing practices. Independent external evaluation revealed that Cascale Better Buying is a more effective tool for communicating problems with purchasing practices than anything else currently available, including supplier forums and surveys initiated by buyers. Suppliers can safely and honestly report information since anonymity is protected.
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Measures the effectiveness of buyer efforts to improve over time. Rating information provided by suppliers helps retailers and brands understand which partnership qualities are working well and which will require further examination and efforts to improve. Given that poor purchasing practices impact buyer-supplier relationships, as well as the business and sustainability goals of both parties, retailers and brands will be compelled to improve their ratings and adopt best practices. Cascale has already received positive feedback from brands and retailers who previously engaged with the surveys. Based on Cascale reports, these brands and retailers conduct internal discussions involving top management to develop plans for reforming their purchasing practices toward supply chain sustainability. Many of our recent reports demonstrate the year-over-year improvements in purchasing practices of brands and retailers who have engaged with Cascale over multiple cycles. However, continuous engagement with Cascale is critical for both buyers and suppliers to ensure ongoing efforts toward improvement. Without supplier-driven ratings, buyers may avoid accountability and continue business as usual. Alternatively, buyers may implement solutions that simply do not work.
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Contribute suggestions for how retailers and brands can improve. Increasingly, suppliers are making constructive suggestions for how their customers can address poor partnership qualities. This opportunity is available in the open-ended comment section. Brands and retailers are very interested in receiving this type of feedback; thus, suppliers are given a “seat at the table” in shaping how purchasing practices are changed for mutual benefit.
What do suppliers need to do to participate in Cascale?
The first step is to begin a rating. The survey asks a few basic questions about the supplier’s business that are used by Cascale to describe the suppliers who have rated buyers. The profiles of suppliers who have rated will always be based on aggregate data from a minimum of five ratings so as not to reveal the identity of any single supplier.
As part of the survey, the supplier will be asked to acknowledge receipt of this Survey Privacy and Data Protection Policy (which includes the Rules of Conduct and Terms of Use). Any personal data that is provided to Cascale, will be subject to Cascale’s Privacy Policy.
What does Cascale do (and not do) with the information provided by suppliers?
All the information a supplier provides to Cascale is considered confidential unless and to the extent this information has been anonymized (such that it cannot reasonably be used to identify you, your affiliates, or any individual) and aggregated. Only information that helps facilitate buyers’ efforts toward improvements of purchasing practices is shared and only anonymously. Cascale also uses the information suppliers provide to support improvements in industry practices.
Company-specific reports made available to buyers subscribing with us use combined data from all suppliers submitting ratings and provide recommendations for improvement. Subscribing brands and retailers rated by a minimum of five suppliers will be able to access their suppliers’ descriptive comments, including information on best practices and suggestions for how to improve. Brands and retailers will not be able to identify which suppliers made the comments unless you reveal this in your comments. As a result, Cascale advises suppliers not to provide any identifying information in the open-ended comments sections to maintain anonymity.
Please note that while select Cascale staff have access to the names of supplier companies that participate, company names are never shared with any external audience, including buyers.
The confidentiality obligations will not apply to information that: (i) is or becomes publicly available through no breach by Cascale; (ii) were lawfully in Cascale’s possession prior to disclosure by supplier without any obligation of confidentiality; (iii) are rightfully disclosed to Cascale by a third party without restrictions on disclosure; or (iv) are independently developed by Cascale without reference to or use of supplier’s confidential information.
If Cascale is required by law, regulation, or governmental order to disclose supplier’s confidential information, it shall provide supplier with reasonable advance notice (to the extent legally permitted) to allow supplier to seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy. Cascale shall disclose only the portion of confidential information legally required and shall use reasonable efforts to assist supplier, at supplier’s expense, in obtaining protective measures to safeguard the confidentiality of the disclosed information.
How does Cascale protect the information suppliers provide?
Cascale takes a range of special precautions to maintain supplier privacy and protect the information that is provided on the rating platform. These include hardware and software security provided by the platform host, Alchemer and standard operating procedures that limit access to sensitive data. As a result, the rating platform and the data contained in it are secure. Additional steps that may be possible to take to avoid security breaches are under regular review. See Alchemer’s Privacy Policy: https://www.alchemer.com/privacy/
Standard Operating Procedures
The rating a specific supplier gives to a buyer is only visible to the supplier submitting the rating (and without the supplier company name shown on those pages) and select Cascale staff.
Multiple supplier ratings are averaged so that buyers cannot identify which specific suppliers rated them. Only buyers who have five or more ratings will receive a Cascale rating and related reports that draw on aggregated data.
What are the risks of rating buyers with Cascale?
There may be situations where contractual nondisclosure agreements buyers have with suppliers would prohibit disclosure of certain information that is necessary to submit a Cascale rating. However, Cascale will not disclose any information about suppliers that have rated unless required to by legal action. Suppliers are encouraged to weigh the benefits and risks associated with rating buyers and seek legal counsel if appropriate.
RULES OF CONDUCT AND TERMS OF USE
Any organization participating in the Better Buying Partnership Index survey (“User” or “You”) using the third-party platform provider (the “Platform”) must abide by the following Cascale Rules of Conduct and Terms of Use in addition to any Platform terms and conditions.
Please read these rules carefully before you start to use the Platform. By participating in the BBPI survey, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by this Survey Privacy and Data Protection Policy (the “Rules”). If you do not want to agree to these Rules, you must not participate in the BBPI survey.
Participation is not offered to individuals in their personal capacity but on behalf of their company.
If any User violates the Rules, to be determined by Cascale at its sole discretion, Cascale will terminate their account and right to use the Platform.
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Restrictions on Use.
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User may not input, upload, post, transmit or otherwise distribute via the Platform any content or data that is obscene, defamatory, libelous, slanderous, violative of any person’s rights of privacy, publicity or personality, or that otherwise causes or results in any tort, injury, damage or harm to any person.
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User will use the Platform only for lawful purposes, and may not violate any local, state, national or international law or regulation, including but not limited to those related to obscenity, privacy, information security, antitrust and export control.
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User will not use the messaging functionality to send unsolicited, unauthorized commercial or illegal advertising or other material.
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User will not modify, sell, market, transfer, assign, convey, grant, rent, lease, license, sublicense, publish, distribute, disclose, display, or otherwise make available for third parties, or use or exploit the Platform or information available on the Platform, in whole or in part, without Cascale’s prior written consent, which it may withhold in its sole discretion. User will not disclose the information on the Platform to any third party without the prior written consent of Cascale, which it may withhold in its sole discretion, and if so disclosed, User may disclose only the information in its entirety without modification in a manner that is accurate, fair and not misleading.
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Use of Information Accessed on Platform.
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User will use information accessed in the Platform solely and exclusively to rate their buyers as related to purchasing practices.
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User will treat all information in the Platform as confidential and will not disclose it to unauthorized parties.
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User will, individually and independently assess the information gathered in the Platform and will decide, in his/her sole discretion, how he/she will use the data, including what action, if any, he/she will take with respect to the information. User shall manage, maintain and take action regarding any relationships with its buyers as he/she deems fit, in his/her sole discretion.
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Security.
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User will not disclose to others his/her user IDs or personal passwords that give access to the Platform.
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User will not enable or permit unauthorized third-party access to the Platform.
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User will not knowingly introduce viruses or other harmful programs or files and will exercise reasonable care to avoid doing so.
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User will not, directly or indirectly, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying ideas or algorithms of the Platform.
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Intellectual Property.
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User acknowledges and agrees that the survey contains intellectual property of Cascale and that the intellectual property therein is proprietary, trademarked, patented, patent-pending, and/or copyrighted, and is licensed subject to the license and usage restrictions set forth in these Rules. Cascale and its licensors own and shall retain all right, title, and interest in the survey, including intellectual property rights and any new versions and revisions thereof.
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The Cascale name, the Cascale Square Design Logo, Better Buying, Better Buying Partnership Index, Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index, and all other related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks and brand names of Cascale. User must not use such marks without the prior written permission of Cascale.
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Except as otherwise stated herein each party shall retain exclusive ownership of all intellectual property rights.
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If User sends, transmits, or otherwise provides any communications or materials to Cascale, suggesting or recommending changes to the survey, including without limitation, new features or functionality relating thereto, or any comments, questions, suggestions, or the like (collectively, the “Feedback”), Cascale is free to use such Feedback irrespective of any other obligation or limitation between the parties governing such feedback. User hereby assigns to Cascale all right, title, and interest in, and Cascale is free to use, without any attribution or compensation to any party, any ideas, know-how, concepts, techniques, or other intellectual property rights contained in the Feedback, for any purpose whatsoever, although Cascale is not required to use any Feedback.
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User acknowledges and agrees that Cascale may download, aggregate, analyze, use, copy, reproduce, distribute, display, transmit, translate, publish, and prepare derivative works of information provided by User through the Platform, including without limitation User’s confidential information and any intellectual property rights therein (provided that any data or information shall be aggregated, anonymized, or otherwise presented in a manner such that it is no longer identifiable as relating to any individual User): (a) to provide, support and improve Cascale’s products and services; and (b) to collect and analyze data to support improvements in industry practices, and otherwise to research and publish industry data and trends, and generate industry insights, and to otherwise carry out industry association activities, including without limitation the following types of activities: advocacy and policy; verification program management; training; accreditation; standards and assessment development, management, and communication; communication guidelines around sustainability reporting; benchmarking; education; research and publication; facilitation and collaboration amongst companies and stakeholders; conferences and meetings; stakeholder engagement; impact and industry analysis; thought leadership; membership management and support including best practice sharing and advisory services; membership and industry engagement; and impact assessment for publication targeted to members of Cascale and the public at large.
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Limitation of Liability.
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EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 6.4., TO THE GREATEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CASCALE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, ENHANCED, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THESE RULES, HOWEVER THEY ARISE, WHETHER IN BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR IN TORT, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, EVEN IF CASCALE HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
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EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 6.4., TO THE GREATEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CASCALE’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE RULES, WHETHER ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL NOT EXCEED $100.00.
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LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES WILL BE LIMITED AND EXCLUDED UNDER THIS PROVISION EVEN IF ANY EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED FOR FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
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THE FOREGOING EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SHALL NOT APPLY TO CLAIMS BASED ON FRAUD, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, OR MORE CULPABLE ACT OR OMISSION (INCLUDING RECKLESSNESS OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT).
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WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, USER ASSUMES ALL RISK AND LIABILITY FOR THE RESULTS OBTAINED BY THE USE OF THE INFORMATION IN THE PRACTICE OF ANY PROCESS, WHETHER IN TERMS OF OPERATING COSTS, GENERAL EFFECTIVENESS, SUCCESS, OR FAILURE, AND REGARDLESS OF ANY ORAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENTS MADE BY CASCALE, BY WAY OF TECHNICAL ADVICE OR OTHERWISE, RELATED TO THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.
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Miscellaneous.
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These Rules and all matters arising out of or relating to this agreement, whether sounding in contract, tort, or statute, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, United States of America, without giving effect to the conflict of laws provisions thereof to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than those of the State of California. Any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Rules, or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof, shall be determined by the relevant competent courts and tribunals located in the State of California.
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These Rules contain the entire agreement governing the use and access to the survey and supersedes any prior communications, representations, or agreements, whether oral or written, with respect to the subject matter of these Rules. Cascale reserves the right, from time to time, in its sole discretion, to modify these Rules. When modifications are made, Cascale will provide notice to User. Cascale may, but is not obligated to, require User to provide consent to the modified Rules. If User does not agree to any change(s) after receiving notice of such change(s), User may elect to cease accessing or using the Platform when the modifications would become effective. User’s continued use of the Platform shall constitute User’s acceptance of such modifications to the Rules.
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A waiver of any provision of these Rules, or a delay by either party in the enforcement of any right hereunder, will neither be construed as a continuing waiver, nor create an expectation of non-enforcement, of that or any other provision or right.
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If one or more of the provisions of these Rules shall be found, by a court or arbitration forum with proper jurisdiction and authority, to be illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, it shall not affect the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the remaining provisions of these Rules.
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User represents and warrants that the execution, delivery, and performance of these Rules, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein, have been duly authorized by User, and that these Rules have been or will be duly executed and delivered by User, constituting legal, valid, and binding obligations enforceable against User in accordance with their terms, except as may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally or the availability of equitable remedies. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE RULES, CASCALE MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY TO USER REGARDING THE NATURE, USEFULNESS OR FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SERVICES AND INFORMATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE RULES, USER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE SERVICES AND INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AVAILABLE” WITHOUT GURANTEES AS TO THEIR PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY, OR SUITABILITY FOR USER’S NEEDS.
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Except as expressly set forth in these Rules, the exercise by a party of any of its remedies under these Rules will not be deemed an election of remedies and will be without prejudice to its other remedies under these Rules or available at law or in equity or otherwise.
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These Rules are for the sole benefit of the parties, and nothing herein is intended to or shall confer upon any other person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit, or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of these Rules.
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The Rules have been prepared in English, and English shall control its interpretation. In addition, all notices required or permitted to be given hereunder, and all written, electronic, oral or other communications between the parties regarding the Rules, shall be in English.
ANTITRUST POLICY STATEMENT
Cascale acknowledges and understands that their activities must at all times be undertaken in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to laws and regulations relating to antitrust.
Therefore, in carrying out its activities, it is the policy of Cascale to act at all times in accordance with, and strictly adhere to, the letter and the spirit of all applicable national and international antitrust laws and regulations (Antitrust Laws).
HANDLING OF PERSONAL DATA
The personal data provided by each User to Cascale will be handled in accordance with Cascale’s privacy policy.
v.1 03.10.2026
Alchemer Privacy Policy
The 2025 BBPI survey is closed. No additional responses will be accepted at this time.
Thank You!