Nina Smith of GoodWeave International (goodweave.org)
Region: Asia
Country: India, Nepal, Afghanistan
Focus: Child labour
GoodWeave prevents child labour in the global carpet industry by building market demand for rugs certified as ‘child-labour-free’ and by preventing child labour in production sites. In the key sales markets in the United States and Europe, GoodWeave focuses on creating wholesaler and consumer preference for child-labour-free carpets through its certification label. The organisation has recruited 140 global brands including Macy’s, Restoration Hardware and Target, as well as their suppliers and licensees in Asia, who adopt and pay for the GoodWeave certification. At the production sites in India, Afghanistan and Nepal, GoodWeave conducts unannounced inspections. Carpet manufacturers whose sites are found to be child-labour-free are endorsed with the GoodWeave label and cleared for shipment. The number of child labourers in carpet supply chains has been reduced by 80% to an estimated 200,000, in large part due to how effectively GoodWeave’s consumer awareness efforts and certification process have shifted demand and compliance requirements. Based on the organisation’s success in carpets, GoodWeave is expanding its work into more sectors tainted by child labour and other forms of modern slavery, including brick-making and garment production.
