What is the Fifty Eight Project?
Fifty Eight is all about good work for people everywhere. It’s a project that partners with businesses, academia, government, and civil society to spot and tackle exploitation in supply chains. The goal? To raise the bar on working conditions globally. By blending innovative research, actionable data, and smart tech solutions, Fifty Eight addresses worker exploitation and harmful child labour. It’s a unique approach that connects insights from grassroots communities right up to boardrooms, making the fight against labour abuse and modern slavery a shared mission.
Main Benefits of the Fifty Eight Project
Here’s a quick snapshot of what makes Fifty Eight stand out:
- Workers using the Just Good Work app.
- Countries where the project operates: 1 (but growing).
- Company, NGO, and academic partners: 0 (yet, but open to collaboration).
- Among the 10,000+ B Corps worldwide, Fifty Eight ranks in the top 100 — that’s 100% in the top tier.
Innovative Solutions to Modern Challenges
Fifty Eight offers cutting-edge technological tools designed to help organisations monitor and combat modern slavery, child labour, and other human rights issues. The flagship platform, Just Good Work, is an interactive mobile app that empowers individuals to make informed choices about work abroad. It shines a light on the entire recruitment and employment journey, promoting responsible recruitment and safe migration, especially for migrant workers.
Gathering Ground-Level Data with MEL
Another powerful tool in Fifty Eight’s arsenal is MEL — a system that enables organisations to collect grassroots data. This helps analyse how effective and efficient human rights programmes really are. MEL focuses on critical issues like child labour, human trafficking, modern slavery, and broader human rights concerns. It’s about turning raw data into real impact.
Research at the Heart of Everything
Research isn’t just a side project for Fifty Eight — it’s the core of everything they do. Rigorous, evidence-based research drives measurable impact and supports all the solutions and innovations developed in partnership with clients and collaborators. This commitment ensures that every step taken is grounded in solid knowledge and real-world effectiveness.
Project Impact and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
The Journey and Global Reach of Fifty Eight
Fifty Eight’s story began in 2014 in Liverpool, UK, founded by Quintin and Angela Lake after a life-changing trip around Asia in 2011. Inspired by the power of good business to improve lives, they launched the project to create workplaces free from exploitation and injustice — a vision drawn from a chapter in Isaiah. Since then, the journey has included key milestones like research on corporate approaches to modern slavery, joining the PACE consortium to tackle child labour, and launching the Just Good Work app in multiple countries. Today, Fifty Eight operates across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and the Pacific, partnering with major supermarkets and other organisations to support worker rights globally.
