“I’m an IT guy.” 

That’s how Peter Burrows, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fair Factories Clearinghouse (now part of Worldly) humbly summarizes his career. While information technology is certainly part of Burrows’ legacy, there’s much more to his story. Burrows’ illustrious 40-year career ranges from spearheading innovative software development to championing equity within social and labor practices.

Read on to learn about Burrows’ impactful journey from IT to sustainability, as we celebrate his contribution to the field of supply chain transparency. 

Peter Burrows has been a Chief Information Officer (CIO) at several multinational companies over the last 40 years. While working within the footwear industry, Burrows recognized a critical gap in most brands’ supply chain priorities and education: international production and manufacturing.

While brands were excellent at understanding conventional logistics—such as customs, importing, and procurement—they often lacked a transparent view into their factories’ finer details of production. Brand reputation was at risk as suppliers could invisibly outsource labor to factories cutting corners and ignoring best practices. As many companies prioritized profit, their supply chains were often rife with human rights and labor issues. As headlines uncovered poor production standards and malpractice, a brand’s behavior could be its next financial and reputational disaster.

During Burrows’ time as CIO at Reebok, the CEO at the time challenged him to create a software system that could ensure nothing in the company’s supply chain would cause embarrassment or scandal. Burrows saw this as a mandate to think big and invest in the robust systems Reebok needed to ensure fair and ethical labor practices.

Burrows’ team first developed a data collection tool in Lotus Notes to store supplier information, including data about labor practices, regional considerations, and more. This first system acted as a digital filing cabinet to store vast amounts of supplier details, a critical step towards greater equity in the industry.

As technology advanced, Burrows continued to develop increasingly sophisticated systems to help Reebok manage risk within its supply chain. By the early 2000s, his team had built an online system that collected data in real-time. They iterated with then-groundbreaking technologies such as digital photography and translation tools that greatly facilitated international oversight. Far from being just “an IT guy,” Burrows’ solutions transformed the way Reebok, and later the greater footwear industry, introduced a new level of transparency in the industry to ensure environmental and social equity in all operations.  

Setting the benchmark for brands

As Burrows continued to develop processes at Reebok, which was later acquired by Adidas, it wasn’t uncommon for other brands or consultants to inquire about purchasing their internal systems. However, scaling and monetizing these systems was never the intention.

In stark contrast, Burrows and his colleagues prioritized impact, choosing to establish a new non-profit to more effectively distribute the software and systems they built. This approach would build trust and encourage cooperation to improve conditions across the global supply chain amongst the brands using the software. Burrows became the co-founder and executive director of Fair Factories Clearinghouse (FFC), a non-profit driven to facilitate informed and ethical business decisions for a better and more livable world.

The FFC software enables multiple brands and businesses to collaborate with the same suppliers, creating industry-reshaping transparency, thus improving worker safety and labor equity.

Evolving with the market

While it was originally imperative for FFC to begin as a non-profit, the team later determined it no longer served their vision or mission. As a non-profit, FFC could not raise the money needed to sufficiently scale and make its desired impact at scale.

In 2023, Worldly acquired FFC which initiated the formal process of dissolving the remainder of the non-profit. All remaining cash and assets would go to four carefully-selected non-profits that share the same missions as FFC, ensuring a continued impact.

Entering his new era of retirement, Burrows reflects fondly on his time at FFC, saying the non-profit will always live on within the spirit of its employees, now at Worldly, and within the technology they built as a team. 

Building something that matters

When asked about his continued dedication to making a difference, Burrows simply replies, “When I die, I don’t want someone to say, ‘He was really good at PowerPoint.’” 

With a decades-long career building systems promoting transparency and equity within social and labor practices, it’s safe to say Burrows will be remembered for far more than his ability to make the perfect PowerPoint presentation.

Thank you to Peter Burrows for your continued commitment to leaving the world a better place, your impact and lasting legacy are immeasurable.