Expands Global Reach with Strategic Partnerships in India and the United Kingdom
Appoints Elaine Mitchel-Hill as First International Lead for Design for Freedom
Courtesy of Grace Farms
Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder of Grace Farms and Elaine Mitchel-Hill, International Lead, Design for Freedom, today announced the release of a new edition of the Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit, a comprehensive online resource for design and construction professionals to implement ethical and forced-labor-free material sourcing strategies into their practices. The Guidance & Toolkit explores the critical issues related to forced labor in the building materials supply chain and proposes responses to address them, provides new expert perspectives on the industry through an international lens, and examines specific materials that are at high-risk of forced and child labor. The International Guidance & Toolkit was released on Human Rights Day.
To further Design for Freedom’s work globally, Elaine Mitchel-Hill has been appointed as the first international lead for Design for Freedom, leading strategic partnerships in India and the United Kingdom. In India, Design for Freedom has partnered with the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), based in Delhi. CRB’s experience collaborating with various ministries and agencies of the government of India; academic institutions; civil society organizations; industry associations; and the private sector—along with its expertise in supply chains—is fundamental to Design for Freedom’s success in India. In the United Kingdom, Design for Freedom is advancing its work with key partners in the built environment, such as the Institute of Human Rights and Business (IHRB), UN Global Compact U.K., and Unseen, an organization which runs the U.K. modern slavery helpline.
“Forced labor in the building materials supply chain is a global issue,” said Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder of Grace Farms Foundation. “By expanding our engagement in Europe and Asia and issuing the International Guidance and Toolkit geared towards a growing global audience, we are better poised to address this egregious human rights violation. Through new public and private sector partnerships, we are accelerating a radical paradigm shift to design and build a more humane future for all.”
A webinar featuring Sharon Prince and Guidance & Toolkit contributors will be held on January 30, 2025. More information is available at designforfreedom.org.
Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit
The Design for Freedom International Guidance & Toolkit provides resources and information that professionals can use to prioritize ethical supply chains and integrate Design for Freedom Principles into their projects. The Guidance features contributions from more than two dozen leading experts, including Lindsay Baker, International Living Future Institute; Dr. Doreen S. Boyd, School of Geography, University of Nottingham; Dr. James Cockayne, New South Wales Anti-Slavery Commissioner; John Morrison, Institute for Human Rights and Business; Jonsara Ruth, Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design; Dame Sara Thornton, former Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, U.K.; and Eloise Savill, Anti-Slavery International. The Guidance opens with a contribution by the Right Honorable The Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE. The expert contributions address many aspects of forced labor in the building materials supply chain, including the legal landscape, the importance of compliance, the growing issue of prison labor, and the role insurers and investors can play to ensure that our building materials are not embedded with forced or child labor.
The Guidance & Toolkit provides information on 12 raw and composite materials that are at high-risk of forced and child labor. These materials, which include glass, concrete, steel, timber, and bricks, are some of the most used in the built environment today. They are often extracted and produced in brutal and inhumane conditions in countries throughout the world. By better understanding the supply chains of these materials and using the Guidance & Toolkit, design and construction professionals can prioritize human rights and ethical procurement, while at the same time meeting health and climate project goals.
The Guidance & Toolkit builds on the version that was published in 2022 by Grace Farms and provides new human rights due diligence tools, including proposed contract language, sample specifications, updated material tracking spreadsheets, relevant certifications, and research that practitioners can use to advance ethical and transparent supply chains.
A preview of the Guidance & Toolkit was prepared for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association U.K. in September, prior to its full publication today, in support of its Legislative Strengthening Seminar to address Modern Slavery in Supply Chains.
Elaine Mitchel-Hill is leading Design for Freedom’s work internationally, expanding its global reach. Mitchel-Hill stepped into her role at Grace Farms in June 2024. She is at the forefront of the human rights movement in the United Kingdom and currently serves as Co-Chair of the ILO Child Labour Platform India Working Group. To this unique role, she brings more than 20 years of sustainability, ESG, and human rights experience, working across multiple global sectors including construction, extractives, automotive, and solar.
In the United States, two Design for Freedom Pilot Projects have recently reached completion– Bigfork Library in Bigfork, Montana, and Humanscale’s Showroom in Chicago, Illinois. Both projects have created new outcomes and learnings that advanced Design for Freedom. Humanscale is a B Corp and has been a Design for Freedom partner since 2021. The Showroom, designed by renowned architect Suchi Reddy, demonstrated how certifications and labels can be useful in identifying more ethically sourced products. This helped to identify 20 leading manufacturers for the over 200 materials specified on the Pilot Project, despite the reluctance of some manufacturers to share information citing “trade secrets.” Designed by Cushing Terrell, the Bigfork Library, a celebrated community project, was a unique case study in illustrating the advantages of using a “closed spec” material selection system and how projects can commit to using force-labor free materials even on a limited budget. Throughout the building process, Design for Freedom’s team offered partnership, guidance, and advice to the project teams to prioritize ethical procurement.
To download the report.
