Podcast of the Month – Design for Freedom
This month’s Podcast of the Month is Design for Freedom which focuses on the elimination of forced and child labour in global building materials supply chains.
DFF digs into the uncomfortable truths about the global supply of critical products and materials relied upon by the construction sector, and the challenges that persist – and it provides the insights, perspective, information and tools that you need in order to take action and be part of the solution.
As global construction spending surges, projected to hit $17.5 trillion by 2030, this podcast asks a critical question: who is paying the true price for our built environment? The answer, as Design for Freedom makes devastatingly clear, includes the 28 million people worldwide currently living in conditions of forced labour, many of whom extract, process, or manufacture the materials that end up in our homes, schools, and public spaces.
Created by the Grace Farms Foundation in 2020, Design for Freedom is more than a podcast, it’s a movement. The podcast series serves as a vital tool in this mission, providing listeners with the insights, information, and strategies needed to be part of the solution.
Each episode dives into the realities behind global supply chains, uncovering the exploitation behind products we often take for granted, from bricks and steel to stone and glass. It unpacks the deep-rooted systems that allow these abuses to persist, while also offering practical guidance for professionals, organisations, and consumers who want to make ethical choices and demand better from the industry.
Underpinning the podcast and the wider movement are three guiding principles:
1. Find and address embedded forced labour so that project stakeholders no longer profit from the slavery or exploitation discount
2. Pursue ethical decarbonisation; ethical decarbonisation recognises the link between the climate crisis and embedded forced labour in our building materials.
3. Prioritise circularity by shortening the supply chain by reusing and recycling materials, we reduce the risk of forced labour at the source or extraction level of the supply chain.
If you’re in the construction industry, design world, sustainability field, or simply someone who wants to understand the true cost of the spaces we inhabit, this podcast is essential listening.
Design for Freedom Podcast is out now, listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Research Podcasts offer podcast production and training for researchers and academics. If you have an idea, we can make it a reality.
Lauren White, Assistant Producer
