Free2Work Grading Methods

(inspiring music)

- [Narrator] Every product has a story:

the raw materials that made
it, the route it traveled

during development, the people
who sourced, constructed,

and handled it.

At Free2Work, We endeavor
to understand how brands

can ensure humane employment
for their workers,

to reveal the likelihood
that their products are made

with forced or child labor,
and to influence consumers

by disclosing our research.

We base our research on
public information and on data

reported by the brands themselves.

- Our first stage of research
involves risk analysis.

Using reports from the
US Department of Labor,

we assess the risk levels
for forced or child labor

within certain countries or industries.

We grade brands that
operate in high-risk areas

on a stricter scale
than those that operate

in a low-risk area.

If a brand does not
disclose where they operate,

we grade them on the high-risk scale.

In the second stage of
our research, we identify

the three main stages of
a product's development.

Some product supply chains
are extremely complex

and involve a variety of
different actors and are produced

in a plethora of different countries.

Other product supply
chains are not that dynamic

and they are produced close
to where they are sold.

To manage this variety of
different types of supply chains,

we identify the three
main stages of production:

the raw materials, the
inputs, and the manufacturing.

At each of these three stages,
we grade a brand's efforts

to address trafficking by
examining their policies,

their traceability and transparency,

their supply chain monitoring,
and their worker rights.

A brand's most basic step
to ensure the decency

of its supply chain is to create strong

written policies based on the principles

of the International Labor Organization.

A brand should also take steps
to protect vulnerable workers

within the supply chain, such
as those that are laboring

in remote areas or contracted laborers.

In order to implement its
policies, a brand must know

its supply chain.

Many brands only engage
their final-stage production

but trafficking is most
prevalent in the remote areas

of the supply chain.

So we look for a brand to understand

its supply chain thoroughly.

And we look for brand to disclose
this information publicly.

Next, we evaluate a
brand's monitoring program

to protect its workers.

Better monitoring programs
include unannounced visits

to factories and offsite
worker interviews.

Finally, we assess a brand's
empowerment of its workers.

We look for a brand to
ensure free association

of its workers and to pay
workers a living wage.

Through free2work.org
and the Free2Work app,

we provide our research to consumers.

Our hope is that this
information will inform

purchasing decisions and
motivate brands to improve.

Together, we can end
slavery in our lifetime.