From Values to Verifiable: Supply Chain Equity in Building Materials
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM · 1 hr. (US/Eastern)
Policy & Frameworks
Information
This panel session explores how leading organizations and manufacturers are beginning to address labor equity and supply chain transparency through new, practical frameworks designed for the built environment. The session opens with Liveable introducing an evidence-based procurement lens that helps teams move from values statements to verifiable requirements, clarifying what designers, owners, and manufacturers can control, influence, and realistically ask for.
Living Future will introduce the Declare Equity framework, which evaluates labor practices across ten indicators spanning workforce equity, supply chain visibility, and systemic change. Attendees will learn how Declare Equity fits within Living Future’s expanded vision for its Declare program focused on material transparency and optimization, and how it was developed in alignment with the Common Materials Framework and informed by international labor research.
A representative from Design for Freedom will share insights into modern slavery and forced labor risks embedded in construction supply chains, highlighting how Design for Freedom and Declare Equity can work together as complementary tools for risk identity.
The heart of the session features Hightower, a pilot manufacturing partner participating in both the Declare Equity and the Design for Freedom pilot programs. Her candid reflections will cover why Hightower joined the pilots, what they have learned by examining labor conditions, how they engaged suppliers, and what challenges and opportunities exist for scaling equitable practices. Learnings and testimonials from other pilot partners will also be shared.
The session concludes with a facilitated discussion and audience Q&A focused on accountability mechanisms, actions specifiers and policymakers can take today, and a call to action for engaging in the next phase of Declare Equity, Design for Freedom, and allied initiatives.
Living Future will introduce the Declare Equity framework, which evaluates labor practices across ten indicators spanning workforce equity, supply chain visibility, and systemic change. Attendees will learn how Declare Equity fits within Living Future’s expanded vision for its Declare program focused on material transparency and optimization, and how it was developed in alignment with the Common Materials Framework and informed by international labor research.
A representative from Design for Freedom will share insights into modern slavery and forced labor risks embedded in construction supply chains, highlighting how Design for Freedom and Declare Equity can work together as complementary tools for risk identity.
The heart of the session features Hightower, a pilot manufacturing partner participating in both the Declare Equity and the Design for Freedom pilot programs. Her candid reflections will cover why Hightower joined the pilots, what they have learned by examining labor conditions, how they engaged suppliers, and what challenges and opportunities exist for scaling equitable practices. Learnings and testimonials from other pilot partners will also be shared.
The session concludes with a facilitated discussion and audience Q&A focused on accountability mechanisms, actions specifiers and policymakers can take today, and a call to action for engaging in the next phase of Declare Equity, Design for Freedom, and allied initiatives.
Learning Level
Intermediate
Program
Track Session
Track
Policy & Frameworks
Learning Objective #1
Explain the core components of Declare Equity and how an organization’s circles of control, influence, and concern can be used to evaluate workforce equity, supply chain visibility, and organizational commitments.
Learning Objective #2
Identify three common labor-risk and transparency “hot spots” in building product supply chains (e.g., subcontracting tiers, sourcing regions, labor brokers, incomplete traceability) and select one appropriate mitigation action for each.
Learning Objective #3
Differentiate between emerging industry initiatives, specifically Declare Equity and Design for Freedom, to articulate a cohesive strategy that aligns social equity goals with technical project specifications and sustainable purchasing policies.
Learning Objective #4
Develop one immediate action using an “Ask / Change / Track” template: one question to require in purchasing, one contract change to pilot, and one metric to track next quarter.
