Modern anti-slavery transparency laws around the world are increasingly placing a duty of care on firms to examine one’s supply chain. Any blindness — willful or not — will create risks for a company.
Laws require companies to report on anti-slavery efforts, but a growing number are likely to require a “vigilance” or strategic plan accessing human rights risks among subsidiaries, subcontractors, and suppliers.
The growing complexity of supply chains requires rigorous auditing standards in the procurement process, while emerging technologies can help to dismantle illegal dependence on slave labor.
Ask and require provenance documentation to include verification of production without forced labor. Over 30 supply chain transparency resources can now be used as steps toward creating an ethical building supply chain.
Data and other innovative technology can help drive slave-free building.
Design more humanely. Use your agency and eradicate forced labor from the built environment.
Owners can help ensure an ethical building materials supply chain is used by adding this criterion to the Owner’s Project Requirement (OPR).
Establish expectations that improve transparency in the supply chain; right to review efforts to be made; preferably require specific reports on efforts and impacts, not just pledges and policy changes without implementation.
Ask and require provenance documentation to include verification of production without forced labor. Over 30 supply chain transparency resources can now be used as steps toward creating an ethical building supply chain.
Audits are essential tools that can minimize your risk and ensure you know the source of all materials used in your project.
Hire project team that will abide by industry pledges, starting with the architect. “Members should uphold human rights in all their professional endeavors.” The AIA Code of Conduct outlines the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and competence, including not engaging in conduct involving “wanton disregard of the rights of others.”
Design more humanely. Use your agency and eradicate forced labor from the built environment.
Clearly outline the requirements to build slave-free from the very beginning of a project to ensure forced labor is eliminated in your supply chain.
Know which materials are most at-risk and select alternatives.
Add important new resources about ethical building materials and supply chains and inquire whether each material is fabricated without forced labor.
Use your matrix to consider how you might best build slave-free. Consider your suppliers, understand facts you must consider, and select the best options.
Protect yourself and lessen your risk with changes to contracts to ensure slave-free building.
Educate your colleagues at firm-wide meetings about what they can do to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain.
Hire project team that will abide by industry pledges, starting with the architect. “Members should uphold human rights in all their professional endeavors.” The AIA Code of Conduct outlines the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and competence, including not engaging in conduct involving “wanton disregard of the rights of others.”
Design more humanely. Use your agency and eradicate forced labor from the built environment.
Clearly outline the requirements to build slave-free from the very beginning of a project to ensure forced labor is eliminated in your supply chain.
By doing due diligence and ensuring all suppliers are abiding by a code of conduct, you minimize your risk.
These ways might include timing, order changes, and price pressures.
Demand this from all certifications and suppliers/producers with which you are associated.
Audits are essential tools that can minimize your risk and ensure you know the source of all materials used in your project.
Educate your colleagues at firm-wide meetings about what they can do to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain.
Abide by Building Responsibly Worker Welfare Principles on site.
Design more humanely. Use your agency and eradicate forced labor from the built environment.
These requirements should cover all tiers in the supply chain for each material, raw and composite.
Audits are essential tools that can minimize your risk and ensure you know the source of all materials used in your project.
Provide for accountability measures for both suppliers and their recruitment agencies.
This should include return of fees paid by migrants that led to debt bondage.
Partner with government for better, more just policies related to migrants and other vulnerable communities in your supply chain.
Educate your colleagues at firm-wide meetings about what they can do to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain.
Abide by supplier codes of conduct and also require suppliers to do the same.
Design more humanely. Use your agency and eradicate forced labor from the built environment.
Ask and require provenance documentation to include verification of production without forced labor. Over 30 supply chain transparency resources can now be used as steps toward creating an ethical building supply chain.
Add important new resources about ethical building materials and supply chains and inquire whether each material is fabricated without forced labor.
Develop the case for true sustainability and bring human rights and environmental justice into the conversation in higher education and practice.
Work across disciplines and schools to strengthen research opportunities to examine abuses and develop solutions to these pressing humanitarian issues.
Promote policies that prevent rather than facilitate trafficking risk for migrants.
Add anti-slavery education to your presentations, papers, and other educational projects.
Educate other students about what they can do to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain.
Work with administrations to add slave-free criterion to campus building projects; empower faculty and students to collaborate on anti-forced labor research and integrate slave-free design into curricula.
Design more humanely. Use your agency and eradicate forced labor from the built environment.
Your purchase of our ethically-manufactured Design for Freedom face mask, released in partnership with Herman Miller and Design Within Reach, will help to advance our movement to eliminate forced labor in the built environment.
