Design for Freedom Podcast

Design for Freedom Podcast: Global Data

The Design for Freedom podcast focuses on the elimination of forced and child labour in global building materials supply chains.  By 2030, global spending in construction is set to reach $17.5 trillion. But current estimates have over 28 million people around the world held in forced labour conditions - many of whom extract the materials and make the products that go into our homes, schools, office buildings, and landscapes.  The podcast 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. Design for Freedom [https://www.designforfreedom.org/] is a movement created by Grace Farms Foundation [https://gracefarms.org/] in 2020. Three principles underpin its mission to eliminate forced and child labour from the building materials supply chain; to find and address forced and child labour, to pursue ethical decarbonisation and to prioritise circularity and the use of regenerative materials.  The fourth episode of the series focuses on the crucial role of global data in the elimination of modern slavery. We look at the barriers to data sharing and collaboration and the immense potential of AI technology to accelerate progress. The discussion delves into how reliable data and AI tools, such as those in Acelab's materials hub, can help the construction sector make more conscious material choices and make the invisible in supply chains visible. We also explore how initiatives like the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labor ensure that data is responsibly governed and provides conditions for systemic change, driven by worker and survivor voice. The aim is to move from a focus on individual compliance to a culture of accountability, transparency, and collective responsibility. Elaine is joined by Mahendra Pandey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahendra-pandey-7a727b90/overlay/about-this-profile/], Director of Humanity United's forced labor and human trafficking portfolio and founder of the Global Migrant Workers Network. Mahendra is a key partner of the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labor. She also welcomes Vardhan Mehta [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vardhan-acelab/], Co-founder and CEO at Acelab, which focuses on using AI to drive improved social outcomes and is a member of the Design for Freedom US Working Group. You can read a full transcript of the episode here [https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Design-For-Freedom-1.4-Transcript.pdf]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Design for Freedom Podcast: Natural Stone

The Design for Freedom podcast focuses on the elimination of forced and child labour in global building materials supply chains.  By 2030, global spending in construction is set to reach $17.5 trillion. But current estimates have over 28 million people around the world held in forced labour conditions - many of whom extract the materials and make the products that go into our homes, schools, office buildings, and landscapes.  The podcast 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. Design for Freedom [https://www.designforfreedom.org/] is a movement created by Grace Farms Foundation [https://gracefarms.org/] in 2020. Three principles underpin its mission to eliminate forced and child labour from the building materials supply chain; to find and address forced and child labour, to pursue ethical decarbonisation and to prioritise circularity and the use of regenerative materials.  The third episode of the series focuses on natural stone, through the lens of technical innovation and what this means for circularity, and also the elimination of forced and child labour in the extraction and processing of stone from some key geographies. We look at how natural stone, quarried, processed, transported and reused under the right conditions, can be a highly a sustainable material, and how technological developments in the pre-tensioning of stone and its prefabrication all open up new possibilities for 'urban mining'.  Elaine is joined by Steve Webb, [https://webbyates.com/team/steve-webb/] Director at Webb Yates Engineers - an award winning structural, civil, and building services engineering design practice based in London, UK, and Pierre Bidaud [https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/pierre-bidaud-bio-based], Creative Director at The Stone Masonry Company, and also a founding member of The Stone Collective which promotes stone as a resilient, low carbon footprint material.  You can read a full transcrtipt of the episode here [https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DFF-1.3-Transcript.pdf]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Design for Freedom Podcast: The Venice Biennale

The Design for Freedom podcast focuses on the elimination of forced and child labour in global building materials supply chains.  By 2030, global spending in construction is set to reach $17.5 trillion. But current estimates have over 28 million people around the world held in forced labour conditions - many of whom extract the materials and make the products that go into our homes, schools, office buildings, and landscapes.  The podcast 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. Design for Freedom [https://www.designforfreedom.org/] is a movement created by Grace Farms Foundation [https://gracefarms.org/] in 2020. Three principles underpin its mission to eliminate forced and child labour from the building materials supply chain; to find and address forced and child labour, to pursue ethical decarbonisation and to prioritise circularity and the use of regenerative materials.  The second episode of the series focuses on the Venice Biennale of Architecture. It is presented by Elaine Mitchel-Hill [https://gracefarms.org/team-posts/elaine-mitchel-hill], International Lead at Design for Freedom. The guests are Chelsea Thatcher, [https://gracefarms.org/team-posts/chelsea-thatcher] Chief Strategy Officer and Creative Director at Grace Farms Foundation, and the person behind the With Every Fibre Exhibit at Grace Farms, and Nina Cooke John [https://www.cookejohn.com/about], Artist, Architect and Founding Principal at Studio Cooke John Architecture and Design who's monument to abolitionist Harriet Tubman, Shadow of a Face, provides the focal point for the Design for Freedoms' Venice Biennale Exhibit.  You can read a full transcrtipt of the episode here [https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Design-For-Freedom-S1E2-Transcript.pdf]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Design for Freedom Podcast: The Context

The Design for Freedom podcast focuses on the elimination of forced and child labour in global building materials supply chains.    By 2030, global spending in construction is set to reach $17.5 trillion. But current estimates have over 28 million people around the world held in forced labour conditions - many of whom extract the materials and make the products that go into our homes, schools, office buildings, and landscapes.  The podcast 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. Design for Freedom [https://www.designforfreedom.org/] is a movement created by Grace Farms Foundation [https://gracefarms.org/] in 2020. Three principles underpin its mission to eliminate forced and child labour from the building materials supply chain;  to find and address forced and child labour, to pursue ethical decarbonisation and to prioritise circularity and the use of regenerative materials.   The first episode sets the context for the series and highlights what steps we can all take now. It is presented by Elaine Mitchel-Hill [https://gracefarms.org/team-posts/elaine-mitchel-hill], International Lead at Design for Freedom. The guests are Sharon Prince [https://gracefarms.org/team-posts/sharon-prince], CEO and Founder at Grace Farms Foundation, and the visionary and creator of the Design for Freedom Movement; and John Morrison [https://www.ihrb.org/people/john-morrison], Chief Executive of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, who brings an incredible wealth of experience in human rights and construction across the globe.  You can read a full transcrtipt of the episode here [https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Design-For-Freedom-S1-E1-Transcript.pdf]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Design for Freedom Podcast

Have you ever wondered who was involved in supply the materials that built your house, your child’s school, or your office?  Do you work in the construction sector and struggle with the multiple challenges involved in the ethical sourcing of building materials?  And are you someone who wants to see forced and child labour eradicated?   If so this is the podcast for you. By 2030, global spending in construction is set to reach $17.5 trillion. But current estimates have over 50 million people around the world held in forced labour conditions - many of whom are the people that extract the materials and make the products that go into our homes, schools, office buildings, and landscapes.  Three principles underpin the Design for Freedom mission - to find and address forced and child labour, to pursue ethical decarbonisation and to prioritise circularity and the use regenerative materials.  Across the first series of our podcast we are digging into the uncomfortable truths about the global supply of natural stone, paints and dyes, and glass. We’ll set out the current context in which the construction industry operates, and we’ll provide the insights, perspective, information and tools that you need in order to take action and be part of the solution.   Listen to our series trailer to find out what you can expect from Episode 1 hosted by Elaine Mitchel-Hill, International Lead at Design for Freedom, a Grace Farms Foundation initiative.     ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.