Tackling Ethical Rug Production with GoodWeave Certification

From Humble Beginnings

Since partnering with GoodWeave in 2023, Industville endeavours to achieve child labour-free rugs across our supply network. GoodWeave's rigorous certification process includes thorough inspections and extensive supply chain mapping, striving for change with ethically produced rugs. By supporting GoodWeave, we advocate for a brighter future, where better rugs mean better living for artisans and their communities, upholding the high moral standards set by British consumers.

“Do something so that I can buy a new rug.”

Today, 1 in 10 children are trapped in child labour. In the early 90’s, GoodWeave founder and activist, Kailash Satyarthi, went on German television to highlight this issue. He protested the rampant child exploitation in South Asia’s carpet industry, which continues today.

During the broadcast, an elderly woman called in to speak to Satyarthi, challenging him to take action where she no longer could, “I am very old, I only have 10 years left. You must do something so that I can buy a new rug.” Satyarthi’s solution was the GoodWeave organisation.

Founded in 1994, GoodWeave monitors the rug making & textile making industries in India and Nepal, with a mission to eleiminate illegal child labour in all supply chains. Satyarthi was duly recognised for his ongoing efforts in 2014, sharing the Nobel Peace Prize award with Malala Yousafzai. 30 years since its founding, GoodWeave has restored freedom to over 10.495 children, provided them with 96,400 children in weaving communities with direct educational opportunities, and protected 117,817 workers in 2023 alone - all with the power of 114 employees.

The Process

GoodWeave has a three-stage system to combat these harmful practices: build market demand for child labour free products, rescue and rehabilitate children caught in forced and bonded labour and prevent tens of thousands of children from entering exploitative work in the rug industry. After undergoing an initial assessment, GoodWeave requires any participating company to comply with complete transparency of records, with regards to multi-level supplier networks and production sites.

By facilitating ethical business practices, our group of passionate and skilled local artisans handweave our organic rugs with care and quality. This enables us to achieve remarkable standards, whilst also empowering the local community to make their own impression on our rugs. We are excited to grow the relationship between our local communities and connect with more people.

GoodWeave continues to enforce these standards, with frequent, unannounced site visits from dedicated inspectors and extensive supply chain monitoring and auditing. If a child is identified, they are immediately removed from supply chains and placed in rehabilitative services.

Every GoodWeave rug comes with a numbered label, which can be tracked back to the producer. This provides direct insight into the communities affected by this wonderful organisation and the countless opportunities they afford.

Better Rugs for Better Living

The GoodWeave label is in demand and licensing is a premium. This money is subsequently fed back into local communities to educate children and improve the working conditions for adults. GoodWeave also conducts various research into working conditions across their other sectors, currently studying garment supply chains in Bangladesh.

As GoodWeave’s second biggest market, UK distributors have a responsibility to uphold the high moral standards set by British consumers. We are dedicated to supporting these values through our own handmade artisan rugs. By maintaining equally sustainable and ethical practices, we can preserve the beauty of our works and elevate the quality of life for our artisans – safeguarding our workers and the environment.

It’s imperative that we utilise our influence as an industry leader to enforce these ideals on a wider scale. Elevating human rights and sustainable practices reflect the very best of society and highlights the impact our business can make on entire communities. We also reflect nature prominently in our rugs, taking inspiration from wild and natural landscapes to celebrate the intersection of natural and synthetic.

Professional Care

Our manufacturing partners have weaved rugs for generations. By working with artisans who share our passion for design, we maintain remarkable quality finishes whilst upholding our creative and moral ideals. Refined through handmade processes, our rugs have a thick fibre perfect for embellishing your interior with texture and elegance.

Doing your Part

There is a lot of good being done to combat child labour, but it’s still not enough. Join the fight, educate yourself on the parties involved and their individual responsibility. You can subsequently better inform your friends and family and encourage them to take a more proactive approach.

Make it a National Conversation

Contact retailers directly to learn about their production methods and suggest more respectable alternatives. You can also reach out to legislators to encourage policy suggestions concerned with ethical and sustainable practices. Finally, invest in your future and promote more costly yet fulfilling fair trade opportunities; you aren’t just paying for quality but also the peace of mind that your rug was made with care from like-minded artisans.