The Re:Source Project

The Re:Source Project is a browser extension, research project, and emerging open data community. By pairing investigative research with open data about labor issues and corporate social responsibility (CSR) statements, The Re:Source Project aims to help users cut through corporate jargon, combat corporate disinformation, and make informed decisions.

Through the browser extension, the project informs users about companies while they browse the web in real time: displaying data and stories regarding workers rights, organizing efforts, and supply chain issues.

In its prototype form, the project has been crafted around a curated dataset of companies, but eventually aims to build an open research community that engages in critical investigations, collects labor data, and organizes on existing platforms like Wikirate, Wikidata, and Wikipedia.

Project documentation

Link:

License of the content created:

License code:

Social media:

Interim report from September 2021:

Showcase at the UNLOCK Demo Day in October 2021:

Project description

What problem does the project solve?

The year 2020 has made it clear how integral supply chains are to modern life, but also that they are deeply vulnerable.

However, despite a growing awareness of their importance, supply chains remain abstract and invisible to many. Existing initiatives and projects centered around supply chains tend to use academic jargon, or attract industry experts and lack greater accessibility. On the other hand, artistic interpretations tend to focus on visual impact, thereby losing a great deal of their informative and educational purpose.

What is the intended purpose of the project?

“Our vision is a world where no supply chain depends on exploitation.”

The mission of The Re:Source Project is to bridge information and engagement gaps surrounding technology supply chains by bringing the conversations about supply chains (and the labor enabling them) from predominantly techno-managerial settings into the public and political realm. 

In a wider sense, the project wants to help shape a public that is more collectively attuned to the transnational processes that shape our lives, their collective independence, and the deeply uneven nature of this interdependence.

Which target groups does the project address?

The Re:Source Project addresses a two-fold audience. Firstly the project hopes to engage a broader audience in the conversation about what supply chains are, how they work, and who they serve. Secondly, the project hopes to forge stronger connections between individuals or groups who share an interest in these topics and strive to build stronger interdisciplinary bridges.