About the Organization

Mission

RugMark International e.V. (RMI) is an international non-governmental organization working to end illegal child labor in the handmade rug industry and offer educational opportunities to children in India and Nepal. The GoodWeave label is issued to rug manufacturers that adhere to the Generic GoodWeave Standard, agree to its independent verification and voluntarily join as licensees.

To learn more about the GoodWeave program at work, follow the country links to the right of this page.

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Operations

Governance

Policies & Procedures

Strategic Objectives

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GoodWeave Operations

If enough people decide to buy one rug over another because it was made without child labour, then retailers and importers will demand only child-labour-free rugs from their manufacturers in producing countries. This is GoodWeave’s theory of change. There will be a snowball effect, a “tipping point” in the market: businesses will sign with the GoodWeave certification program, because they need to stay competitive and because they recognize the need to address child labour. In other words, GoodWeave will reduce the demand for rugs made with child labour and replace it with demand for certified child-labour-free rugs.

GoodWeave’s five-country network, operating in both producer (India and Nepal) and consumer countries (U.S., U.K. and Germany) fulfils its mission through:

  • Standard-setting – GoodWeave establishes the standard behind the certification label. The current standard’s core requirement is no illegal child labor. Recognizing that child labor is a complex issue and cannot be addressed in isolation, GoodWeave’s standard is currently being broadened to include additional humanitarian and environmental criteria.

  • Monitoring and Certification – Inspectors in South Asia visit licensed manufacturers on a surprise, random basis. Companies that join GoodWeave and meet its strict no-child-labour standards are issued unique, traceable certification labels for their carpets.

  • Rehabilitation and Education to Child Workers – GoodWeave inspectors rescue illegal child workers who are offered rehabilitation, education, vocational training, and (eventually) job placement. Children are reunited with their families when possible. To date, GoodWeave has freed more than 3,600 children from weaving looms and prevented thousands more from ending up there.

  • Child Labour Prevention – GoodWeave takes several direct actions to prevent child labour, from awareness work at all levels of producer communities, including the provision of day care and early childhood education for the children of carpet weavers and school sponsorship for children at-risk of working.

  • Market Promotion and Expansion – GoodWeave offices in the U.S. and Europe implement consumer awareness campaigns and recruit importers and retailers to carry products certified child-labour-free with the GoodWeave label.

  • International Governance and Accountability – A representative council from producing and consumer countries governs the international network and standards.

GoodWeave believes that ultimately industry should pay for its own regulation and was set up as a self-financing model. Importers and exporters who use the GoodWeave label on their rugs pay licence fees totalling 1.25 to 2 percent of the export value of shipments. The majority of these fees help to fund social programmes in South Asia, while the balance is invested in building awareness among consumers and developing a marketplace in which child-labour-free certification is demanded and available.

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Governance

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 (Terms of Reference / Standards Committee Biographies)
  • GoodWeave national initiatives in producer and importer countries carry out the work of the GoodWeave program.

RMI Board of Directors

Chairman - Terry Collingsworth
Vice Chair - David Ould
General Secretary - Govinda Adhikari
Treasurer - Dieter Overath

Member Countries

USA - Nina Smith
UK - Samantha Towle
Nepal - Ajay Karki
Germany - Tina Gordon

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Policies & Procedures

  • The Members Council delegates decision-making on the content of GoodWeave Standards to the Standards Committee. Issues relating to standard-setting are decided using a consensus approach.
  • The GoodWeave Standards Committee’s work is guided by the Standards Committee Terms of Reference.
  • 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.

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Strategic Objectives

  • Development of new Generic Standard for the rug industry
  • Full Compliance with the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice
  • Market expansion into new importer and exporter countries
  • Policy Development

Click here to download the RMI Secretariat Work Program.