Urban Land Institute: Tools to Eliminate Embodied Suffering from the Building Materials Supply Chain

New York City-based COOKFOX Architects, a member of the Design for Freedom Working Group, studied certifications to determine whether they included information about forced labor and to create a database of tools for others in the building industry.

“We looked to see whether these certifications relied on self-reported information, regional risk or third-party verification,” says Russell Beaumont, an associate with COOKFOX Architects. “The more rigorous certifications included third-party audits.”

The terms “forced labor” and “modern slavery” can refer to people held physically against their will, people whose documents are withheld so they cannot leave, those who are threatened with prison, and people whose wages are withheld, Beaumont says.

“If you look at places where jobs are not attractive, labor is historically underpaid and at the most carbon-intensive parts of the building materials supply chain, that’s where you’re likely to also see forced labor,” says Jared Gilbert, an associate partner with COOKFOX Architects. “You can connect forced labor to carbon emissions and sustainability.”

An effort is underway to include ethical labor practices in supply chain certifications rather than introduce a new certification, Beaumont says.

Read the full article here: Tools to Eliminate Embodied Suffering from the Building Materials Supply Chain