Julia Ormond
Julia Ormond is an acclaimed actress, activist and the first UN Goodwill Ambassador against Trafficking and Slavery. As founder of ASSET Campaign and the source of the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, she created the first game-changing global legislation legally requiring large companies trading in California to disclose what they are doing to prevent child and adult slavery, human trafficking and forced labour in their supply chains.
Through investigative trips to cocoa farming communities in Ghana, child fishing operations at Lake Volta and carpet weaving workshops in India, Julia has seen firsthand the human cost of global supply chains. Each time, she found herself asking the same question: is there any chance I'm buying this product? That question has driven her advocacy ever since.
A passionate believer in consumer power, Julia argues that every transaction is a vote for the kind of world we want. She sees rigorous, independent measurement and verified information as the most powerful tools available to drive systemic change, giving consumers, investors and companies alike the data they need to act with integrity.
She is a champion of the Chocolate Scorecard, calling it "one of the best scorings of a product in terms of social impact."
Actions Julia recommends you take to fight modern slavery:
Use scorecards and rankings when you buy, including the Chocolate Scorecard, to make purchasing decisions that reflect your values and push companies to improve their practices.
Ask questions at the point of purchase. Whether in store or online, asking "where does this come from?" and "what are the labour conditions?" plants a seed, raises awareness and signals to companies that consumers are paying attention.
Believe in your power as a consumer. Companies depend on you. Every transaction is an opportunity to vote for the world you want — and collective consumer pressure, sustained over time, is one of the most effective forces for change available to ordinary people.