A&F Co.’s Sustainability Team is well known among associates and external partners alike for leading a range of environmental protection initiatives, from recycling efforts to the implementation of water conservation practices.
The scope of our Sustainability Team’s commitment to a healthy planet doesn’t end there, though—it also expands to safe working environments as well, with a focus on human rights within our supply chain. The impact areas within this focus range from labor & social standards to anti-human trafficking.
To help bring awareness to the importance of human trafficking prevention, we recently invited two leaders in the field to the Global Home Office in Columbus, Ohio: Harold D’Souza, President and Co-Founder of Eyes Open International, and Hollie Daniels, Co-founder of Reach for the Shining Starz. Both organizations have made it their mission to combat human trafficking through education and to provide resources to survivors through outreach, donations and more.
During their visit, both D’Souza and Daniels shared their personal experiences with labor and human trafficking, as well as the work they now do to help others in similar situations
“One of the biggest ways to combat human trafficking is to support local anti-trafficking organizations,” Daniels explained. “You can donate items or volunteer your time. Maybe you have a skill that the organization can utilize, such as grant writing or graphic design.”
D’Souza added that corporations also play an important role in stopping human trafficking and forced labor, primarily due to the outsourcing process. This makes the work A&F Co.’s Sustainability Team does even more crucial. One example is how in 2018, we partnered with Pacific Links Foundation to implement the Factory Awareness to Counter Trafficking (FACT) program in factories in Vietnam. By 2022, we trained 25,000 workers on anti-human trafficking.
You can learn more about A&F Co.’s commitment to ensuring a positive social impact in our supply chain here. We also encourage you to read more about Eyes Open International and Reach for the Shining Starz.
