What Is Design For Freedom (DFF)?
Design for Freedom is a global movement initiated by the Grace Farms Foundation to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain. CEO and Founder Sharon Prince leads this initiative to address a critical humanitarian crisis that often goes unnoticed in the construction industry.
"Over the past few decades, substantive strides have been compounding to sustainably design and construct with less harm to nature; yet there is a startling blind spot in terms of the entropic brutality forced upon the workers who are critical to the production of the very materials we source. Their suffering should not be built into our construction."
Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder.
The movement was officially launched in 2020 with the publication of a groundbreaking report that established the basis for this new architecture justice movement. The report provides an in-depth analysis of raw and composite materials that are at significant risk of forced labor, including commonly used materials like timber, brick, glass, concrete, and steel.
Core Principles of Design for Freedom
Design for Freedom is built on three fundamental principles:
Find and Address Embedded Forced Labor: Identifying where forced labor exists in supply chains and taking concrete steps to eliminate it.
Pursue Ethical Decarbonization: Recognizing the inseparable relationship between carbon in building materials linked to climate change and the suffering of forced labor in extracting and manufacturing those materials.
Prioritize Circularity: Embracing circular economy principles to reduce waste and the demand for new raw materials that may involve forced labor.
Resources from Design for Freedom
The Grace Farms Foundation developed several resources to help professionals implement ethical material practices:
Design for Freedom Toolkit: Comprehensive resources for implementing ethical material practices.
Design for Freedom Report: The foundational report establishing the need for action.
Ethical Materials Tracking Schedule: Tools to monitor material sources and labor practices.
Design for Freedom Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Templates to encourage organizations to assess progress, elevate internal dialogue, and promote external discussion.
Ethical Design Requirements, Division & Sample Specifications: Guidelines for incorporating ethical requirements into project specifications
Slavery and Trafficking Risk Template (STRT): Open-source template for modern slavery compliance and supply chain transparency.
Responsible Certifications, International Frameworks and Standards List: Filter certifications using the Responsible Certifications List in the Ethical Materials Tracking Schedule.
Acelab’s DFF Ethical Material Tracking Template
Acelab’s template for Ethical Material Tracking by Design for Freedom is a pre-configured project framework within Acelab's Materials Hub designed to help architecture, engineering, and construction teams implement ethical material sourcing practices.
This template provides a structured approach to organizing, documenting, and verifying building materials, with an emphasis on supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing.
Purpose of the Template
The primary purpose of this template is to streamline the process of reporting the Design for Freedom principles in construction projects by:
Creating a standardized framework for ethical material selection and documentation.
Providing a central repository for supply chain information and verification documents.
Facilitating collaboration between project stakeholders on ethical sourcing decisions.
Generating comprehensive reports that demonstrate compliance with ethical material standards.
Preserving institutional knowledge about ethical material choices for future projects.
Key Features
The template includes several specialized features to support ethical material tracking:
Schedules automatically populated with fields to track material information based on Design for Freedom's principles.
Schedule views organized by product category for reporting and collaboration.
Integration with Acelab's extensive product database for research and specification.
Collaborative tools for team communication about ethical sourcing concerns.
How to Use Acelab's Template for Ethical Materials Tracking
Access the Template
From the Home page or Projects Page, click Create a new project
Choose Start from Template
Select the DFF Ethical Material Tracking Template from the available templates
Learn more: Create Project from Template
Configure Project Details
On the Projects Page, locate your new project
Click on the pencil icon at the top-right corner of the project image
Edit the project details as needed, including name, ID, type, budget, etc.
In the Description section, add your project's ethical sourcing goals
Click Update Project
Update Documents and Invite Project Collaborators
Navigate to the Project Info page
Upload any relevant documents related to ethical sourcing requirements
Scroll down to the Team section
Click Add Collaborators and enter their email addresses
Once collaborators join the project, assign appropriate permission levels to team members based on their roles
Learn more: Inviting Team to Project
Learn more: Permissions in Acelab
Research Materials
Start a search to find materials that meet your project requirements
Use the top search bar, the Products button, or the Manufacturer button
Add filters related to ethical sourcing certifications and documentation
Save promising products to your project workspace
Learn more: How to find products
Add Placeholder Products
Create placeholder products for products not yet in our database
Learn more: Adding Placeholder Products to Your Schedules
Document Supply Chain Information
For each selected material, fill in the Ethical Material Tracking fields
Note that several views are already available in the project
To see the different views, click on the Views button at the top bar (the button displays the name of the view you are currently looking at, e.g. Default View).
Record material information in the Notes section (or another custom field you create)
Upload verification documents or certifications provided by manufacturers in the Attachment column (or another custom field you create)
Note areas where additional verification is needed (or another custom field you create)
Learn more: Editing Custom Fields
Engage with Manufacturers
Navigate to the Manufacturer page or Product page
Click the Contact button (or the Request Information button)
Select your Project
Choose the type of information you need (or leave them blank)
Send the request
Check your Conversations page to see the responses
Document all communication regarding ethical sourcing verification
In Schedules, record the information gathered and update the material's status accordingly
Learn more: Requesting Product Information
Learn more: Managing Conversations
Export Views
Click on click on the Views button at the top bar (the button displays the name of the view you are currently looking at, e.g. Default View)
Choose the view you want to export
Click on Export
A CVS file will be downloaded to your device
Best Practices
Early Integration & Clear Goals
Implement the template at project inception to ensure ethical sourcing is considered from the start.
Define clear objectives and communicate them to all team members for alignment.
Upload documentation about objectives to the Project Info page.
Prioritization & Verification
Focus on high-risk materials known for forced labor concerns, such as brick, glass, and solar panels.
Develop a standardized verification protocol to ensure consistent evaluation across materials.
Efficient Documentation
Standardize documentation based on material risk levels to balance verification and efficiency.
Maintain a library of verified suppliers and materials for future use.
Record both decisions and their rationale to build institutional knowledge.
Team Collaboration
Assign specific team members to oversee ethical sourcing verification.
Train all collaborators on ethical sourcing fundamentals and template usage.
Schedule regular reviews to track progress and maintain momentum.
Learn More: Real-Time Collaboration
Continuous Improvement
Establish a feedback loop to refine verification processes over time.
Identify common verification challenges to improve workflows.
Develop firm-wide ethical sourcing standards based on insights from multiple projects.
Learn More: Firm Library Overview
Disclaimer
This documentation is provided for informational purposes only. We encourage you to consult the official Design for Freedom resources for the most current guidance. The template is designed to assist with ethical material tracking but does not guarantee compliance with all relevant regulations or standards.