Not For Sale has turned 18, and we’re celebrating sustainable business for people and planet. This is how more businesses can benefit the world, through social enterprise and thinking differently about the impact of a charitable organization.

Mark Wexler, co-founder of Not For Sale, looks back on 18 years of operation. That’s almost two decades of assisting tens of thousands of vulnerable people escape the danger of exploitation.

“Not For Sale turns 18 this month,” exclaims Mark. “I can’t believe it – what an incredible ride! As I reflect back on these last 18 years, I really think about things in three different phases. The first one was trying to explain to the world what human trafficking was. And the fact that modern slavery is something that still exists.

“I spent a lot of time those first five, six, or seven years just going around the world and sharing with people about the reality of forced labor and human trafficking.”

The relationship between the economy and exploitation

After those initial years of raising awareness, the real challenges came. How do you fight modern slavery and human trafficking? Mark continues sharing the second phase of Not For Sale’s journey.

“It really moved into this phase of solution sets and how we really go about combatting the crime. That first phase was very much focussed around philanthropic engagement, which is still a very core piece of working with survivors.

“This second phase was more around social enterprise and sustainable business for good. It was about working upstream to try and address root causes of forced labor.

“One of the root causes that we identified in conversation with communities that we’ve been working is that, if you don’t have a strong economic underpinning, vulnerability will persist.”

The fine line between perpetrator and victim

“In many communities where people are at extreme risk, the line between perpetrator and victim is shockingly close. But if you create a healthier economic condition for the broader community, perpetrators don’t want to perpetrate. Those who have been affected by forced labor and human trafficking obviously don’t want to be in that situation either. You can almost alleviate both sides – not all the time, but in some cases.”

It’s this nurturing of environment and circumstance that can directly link to those at fault making better decisions. But it’s looking after the global environment that removes the risk of vulnerability that leads to exploitation in the first place.

Mark continues to explain about the third phase of what ensures Not For Sale is having the biggest impact on a global scale.

“Extreme weather and environmental degradation has become an increasing risk point and causation of human trafficking.

“For example, in the Peruvian Amazon, we identified immediately that the two main conditions leading to people being trafficked out of the Amazon were extreme environmental degradation and economic vulnerability.

“We’ve been working closely with the indigenous communities in the southern part of Peru to alleviate both sides of that, through conservation work and economic development work. We’ve been really scaling up the financial conditions for the communities.”

An important origin story: Not For Sale the book

“There was a case of forced labor and human trafficking in the San Francisco Bay Area that came to our attention. In fact, it was in co-founder of Not For Sale David Batsone’s favorite restaurant.

“It came as a shock. It got him sharing the news with a friend of his who was very high up at the publishing company HarperCollins. They started talking about how they could use this experience to research what human trafficking was. It led to them writing a book about forced labor and what we could do to stop it.

“When Dave picked up that mantle and started to write the book, one of the first people he met was a woman named Kru Nam in northern Thailand. She is the reason really why Not For Sale exists today.

“Dave committed to her to build a house. We’d talked about how we could utilize the book as a jumping off point to do more. We wanted to build that for her and 27 kids that she’d rescued from forced labor.

Today, Kru Nam is still fighting exploitation and corruption, and she’s still rescuing children; providing them with a better life. She strives and succeeds to do great work in a challenging environment. However, to see out 2024 she received the National Humanitarian Award from the Thai government.

Kru Nam has been the heart and soul of Not For Sale, dedicating her life to protecting and supporting vulnerable children. Her strength and determination, what she calls “su su” (‘strength, strength’) inspires all of us to keep pushing forward.

A new reward for supporting Not For Sale

“These were the humble beginnings of Not For Sale. It was a new way of thinking about sustainable business for good. The book launch was also actually in collaboration with a movie called Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce and the movement to end historical slavery. Of course, we know now that slavery never went away, it has just changed the conditions of how it manifests itself.

“If you’ve not read the book, I do recommend that you check it out. For a short time only, we’re going to provide an opportunity for people that become sustaining supporters of Not For Sale to receive something special.

“We’ll send you a package containing a T-shirt and a signed copy of the book as a thank you.

“If you’re not already a supporter of Not For Sale, please consider becoming a sustaining member. You’ll not only receive the package, but also a first-look at upcoming news and content over the coming months.”

Reflecting on 18 years of making a difference

“Over the last 18 years we’ve touched nearly 450,000 lives. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around that. I know it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the Not For Sale team.

“The fact that our work has been able to have that ripple effect and touch so many communities is astounding. We’re so grateful for it.

“In addition, more recently, our environmental work has meant we’re able to engage more on sustainability project, planting close to 55,000 trees. Our conservation work in collaboration with our co-op that we helped start in the Peruvian Amazon that annually, to this day, is protecting 753 square-miles of rainforest is another success that I have a hard time grasping.”

Sustainable business and social enterprise

“Through our social enterprise phase, we’re bringing in sustainable business that helps alleviate the economic pain points in at-risk communities. I just have to look to my book shelf and I start coming across things that we’ve created along the way.

“From coffee projects and ongoing initiatives producing Brazil nuts from the Amazon, to the very first bottle of REBBL health drink, which is now available across the United States.

“I also take time to reflect over the ongoing projects we’re working on such as Regenerate Technology, which is a battery recycling company that we’re involved in. Or M2i Corp, that’s working to create ethical supply chains around minerals and metals, engaging with the US government to bring them into the country.

“Blending together the people, the planet, and the sustaining economic work that we’ve done, it’s hard to pick just one area of focus. For me it comes back to the people that we work with.

“I’m deeply grateful to all of the people working on the front lines in places such as the Netherlands, East Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, the DRC, South Africa, Mozambique, Vietnam, Thailand, and Peru. Plus there are other projects more to do with social engagement in Japan and Australia…

“I’m blown away by all of our partners and the core Not For Sale team who go to work every day and roll up their sleeves to get the work done on behalf of the people who need it the most.

“Happy birthday Not For Sale, and deep gratitude who has made all of our impact possible.”

• Support Not For Sale in fighting modern slavery through sustainable business.