Human Trafficking Labor Project

1. Coffee Mug

1.1. Clay is mined from a clay pits and sent to the factory. Potassium is mined in Russia and sent to China. Everything is made and put together in China. Forced labor happens in the mining and craftsmanship.

1.2. Exploitation can also happen in the packing and distribution of the mugs. Most are sent via shipping container. State side, you could have labor exploitation if not trafficking in the transport of these goods to stores that sell them.

1.3. In order to reduce human exploitation all of our mugs would be made in the USA. While we might not be able to source our materials with a guarantee of no human exploitation, the manufacturing and distribution of our mugs would be guaranteed ethical. If possible we would like to work with international inspectors to provide approval that our sourced materials are ethically sourced.

1.3.1. We would like to sell our made in the USA mug for $15. Our mugs would come in limited edition colors.

2. Coffee

2.1. Arabica coffee beans are grown in places like Guatemala and South America, while Robusta coffee beans are from the Western Sub-Saharan Africa, human exploitation is involved in the growing of the coffee.

2.2. The coffee beans are grown and produced through child labor. Some kids have been kidnapped and sold into slavery by their families to go work in the plantations. Children are put in harsh conditions while working.

2.3. The coffee that is being produced ends up on shelves in American stores. The company Procter and Gamble who owns Folgers coffee is aware of the trafficking that occurs while producing their coffee beans, but take no responsibility for it.

2.4. To ensure there is no human exploitation we would mandate an appropriate working age, and a fair wage. We would incorporate breaks often so workers could get out of the sun, be properly hydrated and have proper nutrition. We would also ensure the workers have proper health care in case of an injury occurring. Random inspection would take place at all coffee farms.

2.4.1. Right now you can buy a can of Folgers for $4.19. However we would charge $20 for our can of coffee. The quality of our coffee would have to increase. However without changing the formula of Folgers we think we could sell it for $10 provided the public knows that no human trafficking, child labor or exploitation occurred in the growing or manufacturing process.

3. Packers Cheesehead Hat

3.1. Foam is made of 50% polyol, 40% polyisocyanates, and 10% water and other chemicals. Most of these chemicals are made in the USA0 specifically Missouri, and Geismar LA. You can purchase the elements of the foam at places like Home Depot & Lowe's.

3.2. We feel that there is none or little exploitation in the manufacturing of these cheese heads because it is made in the US in Wisconsin, which means they would not need to take people from across seas to make and deliver this product.

3.3. Because it is a specialty product that is not in high demand, might be one of the reasons that it is sourced and manufactured in the USA, thus reducing the potential for human trafficking abroad.

3.3.1. We would still offer the hat for the current price which is 24.95 but actually might reduce that price.

4. 5x8 Rug

4.1. The sourced materials comes from: Rubber (recycled materials): - Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Wool: -Australia, New Zealand, The United States (Texas) Plastic: -Developing countries, Bangladesh, Burma, India

4.2. Rugs are usually made in the USA. Human exploitation could take place in all of the places listed within the first column. A main seller of the product is Amazon and we would not be surprised if they and or other large companies selling the product are utilizing some type of forced labor. Human exploitation may occur within the gathering of wool on farms, in facilities where rubber is made, when the plastic is sorted and recycled as well as in the factories during manufacturing.

4.3. Currently rugs made of these elements sell for about $28. In order to reduce both human exploitation and produce a cruelty free product we would source materials from certified companies that do not use forced labor such as ZQ national fiber for the wool and Trinseo for the rubber (latex) and plastic.

4.3.1. We would sell our ethically sourced and manufactured wool rug for $100.

5. Basketball

5.1. Basketballs are made from synthetic rubber/ rubber /or leather, bladder (balloon that holds the air), nylon or polyester carcass.

5.2. This product is mainly produced in China, where workers can be paid significantly less. Also human trafficking/ human labor is common in China. Spalding has their manufacturing factory in Hubei, China, where it is common for parents to give up their children if they are girls or handicapped which has contributed to child labor.

5.3. In order to reduce human exploitation in the manufacturing of basketballs we would pull all manufacturing out of China and other foreign countries and only produce basketballs in the U.S. Our pitch would then be to tell everyone that production is only occurring in the State so we must pay our workers minimum wage and treat them fairly. We would attempt to work on sourcing materials from ethical companies.

5.3.1. A good basketball costs around $30- we would sell our ethically USA made ball for $45.

6. Plastic Laundry Basket

6.1. Made of Polyethylene (plastic). A lot of companies have plants in Argentina. There is a forced labor problem in agriculture and garment labor so it's possible it also happens in plastic factories.

6.2. The majority of plastic factories are in the US. Exploitation can take place in the factories where workers are underpaid or overworked. When raw plastic crosses the border, the people involved in the transporting the plastic may be involved in smuggling.

6.3. Currently you can purchase a laundry basket for as little as $1. However our idea is to sell our basket for $10. We would market our basket as ethically sourced. We would ensure the product doesn’t come from any forced labor and that workers are appropriately paid for their labor. We would have a zero tolerance policy for trafficking and exploitation that is available for the public to read.

6.3.1. We would also sell handwoven baskets that are fair trade. They would have to cost a lot more to make and to ensure no exploitation. We would sell these for $50.