How many slaves did it take to make your new purchase?

That new pair of lace up brogues? That light, white, classic summer shirt? Your cool new trainers?

Those brilliant new headphones? The satay prawns you whipped up last night for dinner? That holiday stop-over in a gleaming new hotel in Dubai?

All of these products or experiences are highly likely to have involved slavery.

Most of us may not realise it but many of the brands and products we buy have been made by people who are underpaid or indentured workers, treated poorly (think about the recent factory fires that killed and harmed trapped, poorly paid workers or the rural Chinese women who can’t escape the contract they sign in return for a 12 hour daily stint at a sewing machine, group accommodation in basic conditions a long way from home and a life of long-working hours in order to make a small amount of money to send to their families) and enslaved to businesses exploiting people for profits. 

Companies are being forced to really think and act on one of the big issues of 2013 – Modern Slavery.

The Slavery Footprint site aims to build awareness of this important issue and pressure businesses

into developing more responsible practices that ideally respect human rights. In September, 2011 Slavery Footprint went online with the site and recently Obama referenced the site in a press conference about the United States Congress passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (remarkable the prior Act had lapsed!). Slavery Footprint poses the question:

“How Many Slaves Work For You?”

In the same way that many of us now look for a Fairtrade endorsement in the food products we purchase and use, Slavery Footprint challenges us to find out how many slaves work for us and to bring the issue of modern slavery into the public’s consciousness and to the decision making table of corporate boardrooms.

Challenge yourself to find out how many slaves YOU have. 

We guarantee you’ll be surprised: http://slaveryfootprint.org/