By Carolina Lenzo, LifeWay Network intern and student at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
April 30, 2025
At LifeWay Network, we envision a world where human trafficking is abolished and every survivor is strong, connected and free. As part of our ongoing education efforts, I recently had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Brian Berkey, associate professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, whose expertise in moral and political philosophy offers valuable insights into the corporate responsibilities surrounding labor exploitation and human trafficking.
Drawing the Line Between Exploitation and Trafficking
When asked about the moral distinction between labor exploitation and human trafficking, Dr. Berkey emphasized that the most important difference lies in consent and coercion. “Human trafficking is non-consensual and involves severe violations of people’s rights and autonomy,” he explained. “Because of this, nobody defends human trafficking.”
However, he noted that the debate becomes more challenging when discussing labor conditions that are widely considered exploitative but technically consensual. This creates a moral dilemma for multinational firms regarding the ethical acceptability of employing people in conditions that many find unacceptably exploitative, even when those arrangements are technically consensual.
Corporate Responsibility in Global Supply Chains
Dr. Berkey challenged the conventional wisdom about how companies should frame their responsibilities when sourcing from countries with poor labor protections. Rather than simply avoiding engagement with problematic regions, he argued for a more proactive approach:
“A lot of people, when they think about exploitative or unfair trade, think that what a company should be doing is primarily not engaging in ways that seem exploitative or unfair,” he noted. “One way companies can do that is to ignore people badly off—but that’s an inadequate response due to the importance of the interests of those people.”
Instead, Dr. Berkey suggested that companies should “try to figure out ways to engage that are not exploitative or unfair but improve the lives of people, offering to pay more, refusing to trade unless conditions for people working in certain parts of the supply chain are improved, using economic power to put pressure on relevant other agents to make things less unfair for the people whom we should be concerned about.”
The Promise of Fair Trade
When discussing potential solutions, Dr. Berkey expressed cautious optimism about fair trade initiatives:
“I do think that fair trade is at least to some extent a promising idea,” he stated. The basic concept involves setting minimum standards for worker compensation and conditions, which can influence consumer choices and ultimately pressure all producers in a region to improve their practices.
What makes fair trade particularly valuable, according to Dr. Berkey, is its focus on “improving conditions for people in poorer parts of the world in the right kind of way.” Rather than simply avoiding engagement with challenging regions, fair trade mechanisms work to actually improve conditions for vulnerable workers.
The Profit-Morality Tension
Perhaps the most important misconception Dr. Berkey identified in corporate responsibility discussions is the belief that there’s no real tension between moral good and profit maximization. He described two common but problematic perspectives:
“We see this with students who care about fighting climate change or improving labor conditions and are committed to these kinds of morally important goals—they often say that if you do these morally good things, this will improve company reputation…that there’s just no conflict.”
On the other side, he noted, are those who believe “that there is some kind of way in which everyone pursuing their own self-interest will naturally generate outcomes that are maximally good.”
Both perspectives, Dr. Berkey argued, fail to recognize that “in the messy real world, we have to make choices where these values are in conflict with each other. If you want to do things good for the world, you have to make sacrifices in your own interests or the interests of your company.”
“In the messy real world, we have to make choices where these values are in conflict with each other. If you want to do things good for the world, you have to make sacrifices in your own interests or the interests of your company.”
Paths to Impact
For those passionate about fighting human trafficking and labor exploitation, Dr. Berkey suggested multiple avenues for impact:
“Labor law definitely offers opportunities to make an impact,” he noted. Other possibilities include advocacy work through think tanks, academic research and teaching, and even working within businesses to advocate for better wages and working conditions.
Moving Forward
Dr. Berkey’s insights remind us that addressing human trafficking requires more than just good intentions—it demands critical thinking about trade-offs, a willingness to prioritize moral values even at some cost, and engagement with global supply chains in ways that improve rather than ignore the lives of vulnerable workers.
As we at LifeWay Network continue our work to provide safe housing for trafficking survivors and educate the public, these philosophical foundations help us understand not just what we’re fighting against, but what we’re fighting for: a world where businesses prioritize human dignity over profit maximization, and where economic relationships help rather than harm the most vulnerable.
About the Expert: Dr. Brian Berkey is an associate professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include business ethics, corporate and individual obligations of justice, exploitation and effective altruism. He has published in journals such as Philosophy & Public Affairs, Ethics, and Business Ethics Quarterly.
About LifeWay Network: LifeWay Network envisions a world in which human trafficking is abolished and every survivor is strong, connected and free. We provide safe housing for women who have been trafficked and offer education about trafficking to the general public. Learn more at lifewaynework.org.