This post is by Dorothy, the “Vicar of Vibe,” who lives by the motto of “love God, love others, it’s simple…” She is creative, bubbly, and full of passion to end modern slavery. Dorothy leads the Loudoun County (VA) Human Trafficking Task Force, works for Starbucks, and thrives on a creative team, blogging about their experiments in church set design at Designing for Philistines.
Free2Work: the story behind that barcode
Do you tell people that you hate the injustice of modern slavery? Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?
The Free2Work app gives you a way to do this. It was created to inform us how our favorite brands relate to human trafficking and other labor abuses. It empowers consumers with knowledge by giving us background insight into the supply chain of the brands and products we love. It rates them on them on their use of forced labor and/or child labor.
Sadly, the list of brands and companies is far from complete. But it is a great start, giving us insider information on where our products come from. On the website you can also see the most current news stories relating to injust labor within the different industries.
Naming names…
Here are some examples of trafficking and labor grades (ratings) of items that I have personally purchased and wear:
- Bali: A-
- Faded Glory: D+
- Skechers: F
Now I know which brands I will buy again and which ones I won’t!
Or try checking out chocolate (candy) industry. I tell you, it will change your perception for when you walk down the candy aisle on your next shopping trip!
Do your purchase that Dove candy (rating: D-). Or do you choose to support a company that is transparent in mapping their source supply chain & doesn’t use slave and/or child labor?
I am now trying to support companies which pay fair wages, do not use slave or child labor in their sourcing AND practice transparent ethical sourcing in their products. I realize this is a big choice.
Where do you stand? Are you ready to take the step, to make yourself into a conscious consumer? Is it tough for you? Is it as simple as it seems?
Only you can judge that. Try it out! Download the app to your smart device by clicking on one of these pictures below and start scanning barcodes!
Apple
- Andriod
You can also just go to the Free2Work website and search for information based on industries.
Related Posts:
Average Consumer vs. Holiday Candy
Book Review: Not For Sale (By David Batstone)
Dorothy also wrote Human Trafficking in Virginia: Is There Hope Tonight? on the Average Advocate. You can check our her blog, Designing for Philistines for more.
