GoodWeave International

GoodWeave aims to stop child labor in the carpet industry and to replicate its market-based approach in other sectors. Operating in the U.S., Europe, India, Nepal and Afghanistan, the GoodWeave System to end child labor has four interlinked components: Leverage Market Influence: GoodWeave cultivates demand for child-labor-free rugs and signs importers and retailers to its certification program, harnessing market forces to motivate producers to forego child servitude. Develop Child-labor-free Supply Chains: Importers who join GoodWeave open all source weaving facilities for random, unannounced inspections. Those that meet the strict standard are issued certification labels for their rugs. E... read more GoodWeave aims to stop child labor in the carpet industry and to replicate its market-based approach in other sectors. Operating in the U.S., Europe, India, Nepal and Afghanistan, the GoodWeave System to end child labor has four interlinked components: Leverage Market Influence: GoodWeave cultivates demand for child-labor-free rugs and signs importers and retailers to its certification program, harnessing market forces to motivate producers to forego child servitude. Develop Child-labor-free Supply Chains: Importers who join GoodWeave open all source weaving facilities for random, unannounced inspections. Those that meet the strict standard are issued certification labels for their rugs. Each numbered label can be traced back to the production site. Offer Educational Opportunities for Children: GoodWeave rescues child laborers and offers them counseling, medical care, education and - if needed - a home. GoodWeave also invests in ensuring all children in production communities are enrolled in school through various programs, such as Child Friendly Communities and daycares - especially in "hotspots." Ensure Decent Work for Adults: Child labor cannot be addressed in isolation, so in January 2016 GoodWeave officially introduced an expanded standard that includes criteria addressing adult wages and working conditions. Since GoodWeave's founding, the prevalence of child labor in South Asia's carpet industry has dropped 80%. More than 3,600 victims of child slavery have been directly rescued from the looms, and more than 14,000 children have received an education with GoodWeave's support. Three hundred plus importer and exporter licensees, including major brands like Macy's, Target and Otto Group, representing 9% of the global handmade rug market, have helped to drive this change in India, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Kimberly Trauner