named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Company Engagement
Delivers findings to companies sourcing from investigated suppliers, offers remediation recommendations, and supports implementation before public disclosure.
Investigations
Conducts holistic, evidence-based investigations into human rights and environmental abuses in global supply chains, including forced labor, child labor, and environmental degradation at production sites.
Public Disclosure & Beyond
Releases consolidated reports to regulators, investors, and advocacy groups to encourage sustained pressure on companies to address abuses.
Short-Term Projects
Conducts rapid-response investigations such as assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tannery workers in Bangladesh.
activities · 1 group
What they do
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Supply Chain Labor Rights Investigation and Advocacy 5 activities
- Conducting investigative research on labor and environmental rights abuses in global supply chainsLeads field investigations into systemic labor and environmental rights abuses—including forced labor, child labor, hazardous working conditions, and environmental degradation—at production sites across global supply chains, producing evidence-based findings. Investigations span sectors and geographies, including textile factories, tanneries, spinning mills, farms, mines, and bauxite/aluminum operations in countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Taiwan, Brazil, and India.
- Developing tools and resources for investors and stakeholdersCreates practical tools to support stakeholders in identifying and addressing labor risks, including investor tools for assessing labor risks in investment portfolios and monitoring and evaluation systems for reporting organizational performance to funders.
- Engaging companies, governments, and investors to drive remediation and policy changeShares investigation findings with brands, investors, policymakers, and regulators to drive accountability, secure remedies for affected workers, and influence corporate and governmental policy reforms. Activities include contacting 60 buyers linked to bauxite mining in Brazil, presenting findings to 31 companies in 2019, and developing tailored recommendations for public procurement due diligence in five countries.
- Producing and publishing supplier- and country-specific reports on supply chain abusesProduces comprehensive reports that document labor and environmental rights violations, trace supply chain linkages between suppliers and global brands, and provide remediation recommendations. Examples include the 2025 report on Taiwan’s textile industry, the 2024 report 'Paying to Work' on Malaysian apparel suppliers, and the follow-up report 'Migrant Workers Still Waiting for Change' on Mauritius’ garment sector.
- Securing remediation for workers affected by labor abusesDrives concrete outcomes for workers, including the reimbursement of excessive recruitment fees and return of withheld passports. Achievements include securing over $4 million in repayments to migrant workers in Taiwan’s textile industry, nearly $390,000 for workers in Mauritius, nearly $3 million in fee reimbursements, and the return of 1,600 passports from suppliers.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.40M
Contributions & grants$1.40M100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$80%
Other revenue$6K
expenses
Total expenses$2.50M
Program expenses63%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising19%
Salaries & benefits$1.84M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$386K
Cash$70K
Investments$0
Liabilities$112K
Net assets$274K
Liquid reserves0.3 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -61.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALLENISHEO LALANATH DE SILVA | MANAGING DIRECTOR | 40 | $195K |
| ELIZABETH KESTER | DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS | 40 | $161K |
| KAREN STRAUSS INTERIM DIRECTOR OF | STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT | 40 | $157K |
| SAMANTHA RUDICK | PROGRAM MANAGER UNTIL 12/2024 | 40 | $154K |
| JONATHAN MEAD DIRECTOR OF | ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION | 40 | $134K |
| E BENJAMIN SKINNER | PRESIDENT | 40 | $107K |
| ELLEN SCHWARTZ DIRECTOR OF | OPERATIONS AND SECY UNTIL 07/2024 | 40 | $75K |
board members · 7
- ARUNA KASHYAP — DIRECTOR
- DAN VIEDERMAN — CHAIR
- DANIEL ELKES — DIRECTOR
- DEVEREUX CHATILLON — INTERIM SECRETARY AS OF 9/2024
- M KYLE WRIGHT — TREASURER
- NEHA MISRA — DIRECTOR
- RYAN HAMILTON — DIRECTOR AS OF 06/2024
relationships · 26
Who they work with
- Above Ground Partner — Contributor to Transparentem's public procurement recommendations
- Alcoa Partner — Engaged with Transparentem's findings on bauxite mining impacts in Brazil; one of four owner/co-owner companies that responded.
- American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) Partner — Collaborated to spur the creation of the Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment.
- Australian Lawyers for Human Rights Partner — Co-signer of Transparentem's public procurement recommendations
- Be Slavery Free Partner — Co-signer of Transparentem's public procurement recommendations
- Communities Partner — Partners with communities to investigate and address labor and environmental injustices
- Control Yuan Government — Taiwan's main oversight agency that has called for reform after finding the textile industry's efforts to prevent labor abuse are failing.
- Fair Labor Association Partner — Collaborating on remediation efforts through the Harvesting the Future project.
- Fair Labor Association (FLA) Partner — Collaborated to spur the creation of the Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment.
- Government of Bangladesh Government — Responded to Transparentem's investigation by shutting down 150 tanneries in Hazaribagh in April 2017.
- Human Rights Law Centre Partner — Contributor to Transparentem's public procurement recommendations
- Human Rights Watch Partner — Collaborates through shared expertise, as Aruna Kashyap of Human Rights Watch serves on Transparentem’s board.
- Indonesian government Government — Engaged by Transparentem to address harmful recruitment fees in the garment sector.
- IndustriALL Global Union Partner — Verified on-the-ground that recruitment fee reimbursements were returned directly to migrant workers in Mauritius.
- Internal Revenue Service Government — Filer of IRS Form 990, indicating U.S. tax-exempt status under 501(c)(3)
- International Labor Organization Government — Cited alongside Transparentem in reporting on labor conditions in Myanmar's garment industry.
- International Labour Organization Government — References ILO forced labor indicators in public reports and links to ILO publications.
- MRN Partner — Engaged with Transparentem's findings on bauxite mining impacts in Brazil; one of four owner/co-owner companies that responded.
- Rio Tinto Partner — Engaged with Transparentem's findings on bauxite mining impacts in Brazil; one of four owner/co-owner companies that responded.
- Solidarity Center Partner — Collaborates through shared focus on worker rights, as Neha Misra of Solidarity Center serves on Transparentem’s board.
- South32 Partner — Engaged with Transparentem's findings on bauxite mining impacts in Brazil; one of four owner/co-owner companies that responded.
- The Business Standard Partner — Collaborated to publish an op-ed featuring survey findings on labor conditions in Bangladesh’s tannery sector.
- US Geological Survey Government — Source of data on Brazil's bauxite, alumina, and aluminum production cited in Transparentem's reporting.
- Workers Partner — Collaborates with workers to uncover abuses in global supply chains
- Working Capital Fund Partner — Engages through shared mission in supply chain accountability, as Dan Viederman of Working Capital Fund serves on Transparentem’s board.
- World Vision New Zealand Partner — Contributor to Transparentem's public procurement recommendations
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Civil Society-Facilitated Remediationmethodology: civil-society-facilitated-remediationBy connecting companies with vetted civil society organizations to implement remediation, the organization improves outcomes and ensures accountability, because local and international NGOs provide trusted, on-the-ground capacity that corporations lack.
- Leveraged Pre-Disclosure Accountabilitymethodology: pre-disclosure-engagement-for-remediationBy engaging companies with investigative findings before public disclosure, the organization incentivizes voluntary remediation and systemic reform, because reputational risk motivates corporate action more effectively than exposure alone.
- Multi-Stakeholder Due Diligence Reformmethodology: supply-chain-due-diligenceBy strengthening supply chain due diligence through policy development and multi-stakeholder engagement, the organization drives systemic change in public procurement and private sector practices, because coordinated pressure across brands, governments, and civil society creates enforceable norms.
- Worker-Centered Investigative Engagementmethodology: worker-centered-investigationBy partnering directly with workers and communities to investigate supply chain abuses, the organization exposes systemic labor and environmental harms and drives accountability, because centering frontline voices increases the credibility and impact of advocacy and creates pressure for reform.