Today there are 40 million slaves worldwide. Thomson Reuters Foundation provides a technology that detects slavery hidden in supply chains. But we needed to create a groundswell among millennial consumers.
So we created three products made ethically from scratch, in slavery-prevalent industries – shoes (fashion), headphones (technology) and makeup (beauty) – with details of slavery hidden in the design symbolic of slavery hidden in supply chains. Each told a story as it was unboxed.
The sneaker created by Shoe Surgeon utilized key elements to detail sweatshops today. The one-of-it's kind makeup told the story of illegally-mined mica, and included actual mica. The headphones played a recording of a former slave talking about inhumane conditions in the mines.
We sent them to top influencers (combined 2.5 million subscribers) to unbox the truth. By releasing the sneaker during NBA finals, headphones during Cyber Monday, and makeup during holiday shopping, we ignited a global conversation.