Ready for ethical supply chains free from modern slavery, human rights abuses, and environmental harm? So are we. Freedom United and our partner Corporate Justice Coalition (CJC) are campaigning for a game-changing new law — the Business, Human Rights, and Environment Act. Below is a primer on principal elements of the law we’re calling for […]
Category: Supply Chain
The Chocolate Scorecard: Putting more ethical chocolate on the menu
Whether we’re celebrating or commiserating, chocolate is a sweet and familiar companion for many of us. But when we take the time to learn about cocoa’s global value chain, the social and environmental costs it currently entails leave a bitter taste in our mouths. The reality is that the chocolate industry’s current business model leaves […]
Palihapitiya and the IOC: Not caring and neutrality in the face of injustice
The Beijing Winter Olympics is one week away but instead of a buildup of celebratory anticipation, those who are not on the protest line seem not so much excited as grimly determined to get through the Games unscathed. Athletes, governments, and sponsors and even the International Olympics Committee (IOC) are proceeding cautiously, keeping their heads […]
Not another gift guide: What products to avoid this Christmas
At this time of year, many of our supporters find themselves in a tight spot trying to celebrate the season whilst not contributing to forced labor systems. It’s quite a task because the truth is that the products of modern slavery are all around us. That’s why we created this a first-of-its kind interactive modern […]
Climate inaction is undermining anti-slavery efforts
Read our joint letter to world leaders urgently calling on them to recognize the link between climate-induced migration and modern slavery – and take action to mitigate risks. The report heard around the world The world has been united in horror following the “code red for humanity” declared in the new report by the Intergovernmental […]
Winning a campaign before it even begins – the power of preemptive persuasion
We have just made an impact even before our supporters had a chance to get involved! More often than not, campaigning is the only way to effect behavioral change. Ultimately, however, we hope to also change values so that the need for campaigns disappears altogether. And we’re seeing it in action! Our movement fighting modern […]
So you’ve watched Seaspiracy — now what?
Boycotting fish may look like a simple answer, but it is too narrow a response to be an effective solution to the issues raised in the film Audiences across the world have been rightfully shocked by Seaspiracy, Netflix’s new documentary from British director Ali Tabrizi, which highlights gross environmental and human rights abuses — including human trafficking — occurring in the global fishing industry. From the […]
Acting against state imposed forced labor
Freedom United’s Executive Director, Joanna Ewart-James, spoke at the UN Global Compact Network U.K.’s Business & Human Rights Summit 2021 where she explored how some forced labor systems are organized by governments, embedding forced labor into our economic systems and creating a dependency on exploitation. Systems of state-imposed forced labor mean businesses can’t just rely […]
Joint civil society monitoring finds systemic forced labor in Turkmenistan cotton harvest
A new joint report by leading independent Turkmen human rights groups exposes systemic forced labor during the 2020 cotton harvest in Turkmenistan, said the Cotton Campaign, a coalition of organizations including Freedom United. The report, Review of the Use of Forced Labor in Turkmenistan During the 2020 Cotton Harvest, was released today by Turkmen.news and […]
EU Parliament backs corporate accountability, but law can be strengthened
On March 10, 2021, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new EU law — 504 in favor, 79 against, and 112 abstentions — by adopting Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) legislative report by MEP Lara Wolters on corporate due diligence and corporate accountability. This is an important step forward as this […]