Rugmark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RugMark is a global nonprofit organization working to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Since its launch in 1995 child labor in the carpet industry has been reduced by two-thirds (66%).
As an organization operating independently of the carpet industry, RugMark certifies carpets bearing the RugMark label are free of illegal child labor. This is accomplished by monitoring looms and factories in centres of production through surprise and random inspections. Each uniquely numbered label is traceable through the entire production chain, from loom to importer, by the consumer. RugMark is funded through licensing fees paid by importers (currently 1.5% of the import cost), grants, and contributions. RugMark certified carpets are sold in Europe and North America and are promoted through offices in the USA, United Kingdom and Germany. In the UK, it is associated with the Anti-Slavery International. Currently there are thirty-six (36) licensees selling RugMark certifed carpets in North America. These include key importers such as Lapchi, Odegard, Carini Lang, Angela Adams, Company C, et cetera.
Some carpet manufacturers who employ laborers in South Asia have chosen not to associate with the RugMark label, due to the additional costs involved in this certification, however although an additional cost factually exists, the real cost is approximately 0.5% of the retail price of a carpet. Thus, in the case of a $500.00 (USD) carpet, about $2.50 (USD) is returned to RugMark, by the judgment of most, hardly unreasonable or unsustainable. Additionally Mark Tully's book "India in Slow Motion" contains a journalistic chapter on the difficulty of proving the effectiveness of the RugMark label.
