Detecting Human Trafficking and Deforestation in Brazilian Charcoal Supply Chains

The Human Trafficking Data Lab is developing a novel data-driven technical tool to identify both trafficking and illegal deforestation in steel supply chains. Chain-Link takes a bottom-up approach, mapping supply chains affected by documented cases of labor trafficking and illegal deforestation among commodity producers by creating digital paper trails connecting producers to buyers through publicly available but siloed administrative and legal records. The aim is to help regulators, investors, civil society, and lead firms take evidence-based, targeted action toward better labor practices and more sustainable production. The project will test if such technologies are effective using a nationally implemented randomized controlled trial.

Despite growing regulation and public pressure for supply chain transparency, severe exploitation is prevalent in global supply chains. A lack of comprehensive supply chain data linking abuses to specific producers limits the effectiveness of these regulations. Without transparency and microdata, compliance often relies on self-reporting from first-tier partners, while financial incentives for exploitation persist. Using the Chain-Link tool, we will evaluate its impact in reducing procurement from producers using trafficked labor or engaging in illegal deforestation. We aim to ultimately release an open-source toolkit to enable replication in other sectors and countries, so as to advance supply chain accountability worldwide.

Location: Brazil (nationwide)

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