RugMark International

In the past two decades, significant progress has been made in reducing the incidence of child laborers in the South Asian carpet industry. The vision of GoodWeave is to bring that number down to zero, to help eliminate child labor from other industries, and to give every child an opportunity to go to school.

In order to better serve children and families in carpet weaving communities and recognizing the need to adapt to the changing marketplace, the GoodWeave program is developing a new, more comprehensive set of requirements for its certification standard. This initiative reflects a growing recognition that the problem of child labor is deeply intertwined with those of adult working conditions and environmental stewardship.

All interested parties are invited to participate in the development of the new GoodWeave Standard. The second  round of public consultation is underway from June 30 – August 10, 2010.

In 2006 RMI began to investigate the need for a new international standard for the rug industry. At the same time it was decided to change the name of the certification program and label to GoodWeave to make it clear that the standards are changing and to position the organization to grow into new manufacturing sectors in the future. A research paper commissioned in 2007, which was based on field research in India and Nepal, as well as desk top research of other existing standards, showed the following:

• The rug industry is still a ‘cottage industry’ in many areas, with wages being paid on a piece-work basis, and no regular employment being guaranteed.
• In many of the smaller manufacturing units, there is no culture of management systems or record keeping, and therefore no accurate information on payment of minimum wages.
• Environmental impacts include smoke emissions, untreated effluent from washing and dyeing plants, and incorrect waste disposal.
• No other existing standard addresses the particular social and environmental impacts of rug manufacturing in South Asia.

Further, the Pilot Project carried out with exporters in Nepal between November 2008 and May 2009 has shown that:

• Nepal has adequate employment and environmental legislation in place, but there is virtually no government enforcement. Government Ministries have indicated that they would welcome voluntary compliance initiatives.
• The introduction of simple water treatment systems could reduce some of the harmful emissions. An initial environmental assessment has shown the main areas of impact to include discharge of acidic waste water from washing and dyeing plants, and damage to water quality from very high Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) rates.
• There is the potential to introduce solar power in many of the work places, and this would help the efficiency of the manufacturers who currently face severe electricity shortages and often turn to burning unclean fuel – further investigation is necessary.
• Existing social standards for workers in many weaving units are fairly low, and the whole industry could benefit from the introduction of basic management systems, proper recording of hours worked, as well as training on occupational health and safety.

Click here to download and comment on the complete public summary.

After 15 years of protecting children and promoting ethical carpet and rug production, RugMark International (RMI) is phasing out its existing certification label and logo and replacing it with a new brand, and a new plan to strengthen and enhance its core mission.

GoodWeave will have the same meaning as the RugMark label: a deep commitment to

• the deterrence of child labor,
• the education and rehabilitation of rescued child workers in the carpet industry, and
• the families and communities of more than 3,200 children in India and Nepal that we actively serve.

Both the existing RugMark label and the new GoodWeave label assure that no children under age 14 were employed by the facility responsible for making the labeled rug.

In addition, GoodWeave will, in time, represent an enhanced set of values that places the RugMark mission in a broader context of environmental and social responsibility. Through a new set of standards under development, GoodWeave label directives will be more rigorous, transparent and defined, and with input from a multi-stakeholder standards committee. For guidance in this effort, RMI is an associate member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL), a global leader in setting norms and best practices for certification. The RugMark International website will make policies and procedures available to any interested party and facilitate comment on standard-setting.

Additional resources are available to GoodWeave licensees and Marketing Partners in the Member Resources area.

The work of RMI is governed by the Articles of Association, also known as the RMI Constitution (view in German / English).

• The RMI Members Council is the highest decision-making body, which determines strategic objectives, sets policies and procedures, and oversees the implementation of the GoodWeave program.
• The GoodWeave Standards Committee leads the development of GoodWeave Standards and reports to the RMI Council
  • Standards Committee Biographies
  • Terms of Reference
• GoodWeave national initiatives in producer and importer countries carry out the work of the GoodWeave program.

Other Policies

• Standard-setting procedures are developed by the RMI Members Council and carried out by the GoodWeave Standards Committee and the RMI Secretariat (view work program).
• RMI’s Child Protection Policy is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and references the Child Protection Policies of Anti-Slavery International and Camfed.
• RMI funds partners to implement programs that address the root causes of child labor in carpet weaving communities, as well as those providing direct services to rescued and at-risk children.
  • GoodWeave Partnership and Funding Guidelines.

RugMark International’s ongoing efforts to meet best practices in standard setting include promoting transparency and stakeholder engagement. In line with these principles, the following documents are available for public review and comment. Click on the title of the document below to open the file in a new window. Click on the link directly below the document name to submit a comment online.

RMI and GoodWeave Operating Procedures (OP) cover the work of the RMI Secretariat:

• GoodWeave OP Development of New Policies
  • Submit a comment
• GoodWeave OP Development of GoodWeave Standards
  • Submit a comment
• GoodWeave OP Complaints Against GoodWeave Standards
  • Submit a comment

Note: Version 1 of the OP documents above were finalized on May 30, 2009. Subsequent revisions have been added based on input from ISEAL and the RMI members.Click here to download a log of comments/complaints.

RMI joins ISEAL Alliance. In an ongoing effort to meet best practices of the growing certification movement, RugMark has joined the ISEAL Alliance as an associate member. The ISEAL Alliance defines and codifies good practice at the international level for the design and implementation of social and environmental standards systems. ISEAL Alliance associate members are committed to creating credible and effective standards systems by working towards full compliance with the Codes of Good Practice.  The ISEAL Alliance provides a global framework for the social and environmental standards movement to coordinate, cooperate and build its capacity to deliver positive global impacts.