Slavery Footprint
Slavery Footprint is a survey that asks and responds to the question, “How Many Slaves Work For You?” The survey allows users to input select data about their consumer spending habits, which then outputs a graphical “footprint” of the user’s participation in modern-day slavery (as quantified by their consumption of items created by forced labor and child labor.) Made In A Free World, the creators of Slavery Footprint, researched the supply chains of 400 consumer products to determine the likely number of slaves it takes to make each of those products.[2] They put the information into an online survey where you can determine the number of slaves that are needed to maintain your personal lifestyle. After the survey, the user has the option to share the results or take action.[3] The purpose of this project is to increase awareness of forced labor and child labor and engage the public in taking steps toward addressing the use of forced labor, by encouraging users to advocate with strategic actions in the marketplace.
With the support of the U.S. Department of State, Justin Dillon, founder and CEO of Made In A Free World, founded Slavery Footprint. The website launched on September 22, 2011 at the Clinton Global Initiative. This date marks the 149th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Within the first year of its introduction, Slavery Footprint was one of the most awarded websites of 2011, winning Cannes, SXSW, Clio, Book Award, Awwwards, Andy (Best In Show) and many others. Up to now, the international media has covered the website totaling over a hundred thousand media impressions including CNN, New York Times, and NPR. In addition, Slavery Footprint has one of the highest retention rates of any website with an average time on the site of 8.5 minutes.
In 2012 on the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, President Obama acknowledged Dillon’s accomplishments in his speech on slavery to the Clinton Global Initiative. That same year, Slavery Footprint won the Guardian Award for Digital Innovation 2012 shortlist in the category of "Technology for Social Change."[4]