How many slaves work for you?  Probably none directly.  But if you take into account the usage of trafficked human beings in the supply chains that provide for the brands that you buy clothes, coffee, electronics and other items from, the number may be more than you think.  A new campaign from Slavery Footprint, a non-profit dedicated to ending slavery, and the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons is out to open people’s eyes to human trafficking, inviting people to calculate their Slavery Footprint.  Are you ready to find out how many slaves work for you?

Start out by taking the survey at SlaveryFootprint.org.  The survey will take you through a series of questions about where you live, what you eat, what you wear and what you’ve got in your bathroom and will then provide you with a figure—the number of slaves that “work for you.”  They’re hoping that seeing this number will make you think twice about what brands you’re buying from and where they’re getting their supply, and will inspire you to want to make a difference.

So how do you make a difference?  Slavery Footprint has also released an app for iPhone and Android called Free World to help users spread awareness about human trafficking and slavery.  Through the app, users are invited to check in at different locations and call out over 1,000 brands to ask them if they use slaves in their supply chain.  Users are also invited to share their fight against slavery with their friends on Twitter and Facebook.  Through taking action, users earn Free World points that can counteract and lower their own slavery footprints.

According to a press release, “Slavery Footprint is brand agnostic, purposely not naming any brands because the idea is to inform consumers about forced labor behind everyday products and not to put brands on the spot.  The fact is that major brands have done a good job battling sweatshops in developing nations.  But what brands – and consumers – don’t know is where the supplies – like the cotton in t-shirts or tantalum in smart phones – come from.  Slavery is rampant in all these supply chains and brands will find out where it all comes from when consumers begin to encourage them to find out.”

Find out what your slavery footprint is and let us know if it inspires you to download the app and start taking action.