RugMark USA to Debut Ethical Rug Sourcebook
More than 70 North American rug companies with products certified child-labor-free will be listed.
Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 3/10/2010 12:00:00 AM
RugMark USA is continuing its heroic efforts to stamp out the use of child labor in the carpet industry, this time by publishing the GoodWeave Rug Sourcebook, a guide for designers looking to source handmade rugs that are ethically produced.
More than 70 North American rug companies with products that carry RugMark’s GoodWeave label, certifying they were made with no child labor, will be listed in the book, which will be distributed to thousands of North American designers. Interior designers can also receive free copies by writing to info@GoodWeave.org.
“Even though many of us don’t realize it, we as designers have a choice to make every time we recommend a rug to a client: will we fight child labor or will we support it?” says Betty Wasserman, a RugMark USA board member and interior designer. “I’ve been a designer for nearly 15 years, and I’m still amazed at how easy, and yet so incredibly powerful, that choice is.”
The number of children used in carpet-making work has declined from nearly 1 million to 250,000 since RugMark USA was founded in 1995. Former child laborers and at-risk children are provided with rehabilitation, daycare, formal schooling, vocational training, and other services through funding provided by the organizations certified rug sales and donations.
“Designers are so essential to advancing GoodWeave’s work,” adds Nina Smith, RugMark USA’s executive director. “By making their clients aware of this issue and advising them on the importance of purchasing child-labor free rugs, they can have a significant impact on the lives of children who are being exploited.”
Images courtesy of RugMark USA.
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We should thank Mr. Wiggins for his pertinent reminder of the significance of the socially conscious brand, the AfghanMark , and what it means to the women who weave the high quality carpets so beloved around the world. The genesis of the AfghanMark is/was to certify that women on the looms received 150% of the typical day-rate for weaving and were given health care and educational opportunities, including literacy training. The launch of this brand-mark was so well recieved that even the logo was given several national and international marketing design awards. As one of the 25,000 women in the intial program said to me at the time of the launch, the AfghanMark signified a sense of future for the women on the looms and for their daughters, too.
Daniel Kennedy - 2010-03-17 09:10:00 EDT -
I think that by not mentioning AfghanMark, the article missed something important. The first thing that comes to mind is that Afghan weavers produce arguably the most popular rugs on the market today (in my personal opinion).
You should know that AfghanMark has been around for 5 (?) years now. What makes AfghanMark significant is that it's run by and for women (impossible 10 years ago). Rug making is a significant if not the main part of many family's incomes. Which is why buying Afghan rugs helps fight terrorism and why Afghan rugs fly at (Afghan) government expense duty free into the US. Companies like Pottery Barn have recognized this in a big way.
A Reader - 2010-03-11 09:19:00 EST
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