flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

New digital platform to foster construction supply chains free of forced labor

New digital platform to foster construction supply chains free of forced labor

Will provide transparency on where building materials come from and how they are made.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor  | September 28, 2022
Construction Supply Chain
Courtesy Pexels.

Design for Freedom by Grace Farms and the U.S. Coalition on Sustainability formed a partnership to advance shared goals regarding sustainable and ethical building material supply chains that are free of forced labor.

SustainChain, the coalition’s technology platform, uses advanced digital technology and machine learning to bring together innovators, impact investors, businesses, NGOs, and public-private sector alliances to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). That program is a comprehensive plan consisting of 17 interrelated goals that address and resolve global humanitarian challenges.

“The next step in architectural justice is to include social equity and ethical material transparency in the evaluation of our supply chains so we can understand where our building materials come from and how they are made,” said Grace Farms Foundation CEO and founder Sharon Prince. “Design for Freedom is doing just that—raising awareness of forced labor embedded in our building materials and initializing responses to disrupt forced labor in the building materials supply chain and to come together to create more transparency.”

“As a first of its kind accelerator for achieving a more just and sustainable world, SustainChain is providing a free public utility designed to unify and rapidly scale sustainability efforts,” said Jacqueline Corbelli, founder of the US Coalition on Sustainability and creator of SustainChain.

Related Stories

| Oct 20, 2011

Process leads to new design values for southern pine and other visually graded dimension lumber

A summary of the process used to develop new design values will clarify many of the questions received by the SFPA.

| Oct 20, 2011

Johnson Controls appoints Wojciechowski to lead real estate and facilities management business for Global Technology sector

Wojciechowski will be responsible for leading the continued growth of the technology vertical market, while building on the expertise the company has developed serving multinational technology companies. 

| Oct 20, 2011

Stellar hires Navy veteran Taylor as vice president

Stellar’s federal experience includes military exchanges (large retail stores on military bases), lodging facilities for military personnel, fuel stations, youth activities centers and recreational centers. 

| Oct 19, 2011

THOUGHT LEADER: Samuel S. Unger, RA, MCR, SLCR, MBA, is the Americas Real Estate Leader for Ernst & Young, LLP

Samuel S. Unger,  RA, MCR, SLCR, MBA, is the Americas Real Estate Leader for Ernst & Young, LLP, Atlanta. He also serves as president of the CoreNet Global Atlanta chapter. In addition to managing 6.8 million square feet of real estate in North and South America, his responsibilities include real estate strategy for area practices, management of external professional alliances, requirements definition, business case development and approval, real estate negotiation and lease development, and oversight of construction projects for the portfolio. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, an MLA and MArch from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Temple University.

| Oct 19, 2011

Another drop for Architecture Billings Index

Positive conditions seen last month were more of an aberration.

| Oct 19, 2011

System for installing grease duct enclosures achieves UL listing

  Updated installation results in 33% space savings.

| Oct 18, 2011

Michel Bruneau wins 2012 AISC T.R. Higgins Award

The AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award is presented annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and recognizes an outstanding lecturer and author whose technical paper(s) are considered an outstanding contribution to the engineering literature on fabricated structural steel. 

| Oct 18, 2011

St. Martin’s Episcopal School expands facilities

  Evergreen commences construction on environmentally sustainable campus expansion.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category



AEC Tech

Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption

Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI. 


Codes and Standards

Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015. 

halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021