International Momentum
Design for Freedom is scaling internationally and driving change through our country accelerators and global initiatives. By expanding our reach, we are advancing the movement to eliminate forced and child labor in building material supply chains, bringing us closer to a future where ethical construction is the standard, not the exception.
International Accelerators
Design for Freedom Accelerators are at the heart of our international strategy, activating change in key regions. These Accelerators foster collaboration with businesses, universities, key strategic partners, and other stakeholders in new locations, advancing Design for Freedom principles:
- To find and address embedded forced labor
- To pursue ethical decarbonization
- To prioritize circularity and the use of regenerative materials
By activating these principles in practical ways, we are driving the construction sector towards a paradigm shift and building a more equitable future.
In the UK
Design for Freedom has been honored to serve as Secretariat for the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Just Transition in the Construction Industry, co-chaired by Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey (Chancellor of the University of Nottingham) – who also wrote the foreword to the Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit, reflecting a deep and sustained partnership at the intersection of policy, practice, and the built environment.
The APPG brings together the full spectrum of the built environment ecosystem to advance a just and ethical transition in the UK construction sector.
Design for Freedom is now transitioning to a Strategic Partner role as the APPG moves toward its formal launch, with its first formal meeting centering on sand and silicate supply chains, aligning with the new OECD due diligence framework, the Coalition for Responsible Sand and Silicates, and DFF’s Gulf Sand Supply Chain research.
The APPG is one pillar of DFF’s expanding mining and extractives strategy, connecting UK parliamentary leadership directly to the global push for responsible sourcing of the materials that build our world.
UK Accelerator Event
The first UK Accelerator Event took place in London on July 30th, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, building on DFF’s deep and lasting partnerships across the UK built environment.
Learn more about Design for Freedom in the UK:
International Momentum | New Outcomes
Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour (GDPFL)
Design for Freedom is a participant in the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour, a World Economic Forum initiative with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) as technical lead.
The GDPFL is building federated data infrastructure to detect and disrupt forced labour across global supply chains, connecting governments, technology companies, and civil society around a shared data architecture with robust safeguards. Design for Freedom attended the May 2025 workshop in person where significant progress towards a MVP in time for Davis 2026 was made.
Grace Farms Joins the UN Global Compact
Our increased global momentum began in 2025 with a powerful step: joining the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest sustainability initiative with 82 in-country networks. This partnership amplifies our ability to share the Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit globally, fostering collaboration with allies on an international scale.
Partnering with Alliance 8.7
Design for Freedom has also been accepted as a partner organization of Alliance 8.7, joining forces with over 400 leading organizations committed to eradicating forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labor. Partnership on this important platform strengthens our engagement with global leaders and innovators, accelerating the movement.
