Goodweave

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Every Organic Weave rug is certified free of illegal child labor
by the internationally recognized organization, GoodWeave.
We make the rugs, you make the difference.

 

How did you get involved with the fight to end child labor in India's carpet industry?

Although I’ve only worked in the rug business, this wasn’t my original plan. After my undergraduate studies, I took a year off to travel around the world in 1990. Mid way through my travels, my parents invited me to join them on a rug buying trip in India. During our tour of the carpet weaving area surrounding the city of Varanasi, I was introduced to our company's network of 13 rug suppliers.

With only one exception, these rug manufacturers used child labor, and made no effort to hide it. When I expressed my concern, my parents challenged me to "do something about it”. I took on the task, decided not to pursue law school, and I joined our family rug retailing business. Within one year of becoming the rug buyer, I was purchasing from only one source – THE ONLY SUPPLIER WHO WAS COMMITTED TO USING ONLY ADULT LABOR and a company that became a founding member of RugMark (now GoodWeave), an NGO dedicated to eradicating child labor in the handmade carpet industry.  Fast forward to 2022, and this company is my partner in Organic Weave.
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women rug weaver in India
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We firmly believe that by offering sustainable income to adult artisans,
families will prosper.
What mother would send her child to work if she had an alternative?
Founder, Organic Weave