Kooches Carpets Joins GoodWeave
November 17, 2009
Luxury rug vendor Kooches Carpets, which provides sophisticated handmade vegetable-dyed carpets, has joined GoodWeave, an independent inspection and monitoring program working to end exploitative child labor in the carpet industry and give educational opportunities to children in South Asia.
"GoodWeave is going to be a helpful force in this industry for a long time coming," said Kooches founder Tom DeMarco.
Kooches carpets are sold around the world through an extensive network of dealers, including Steven King and Driscoll Robbins. These carpets can be found in Swiss embassies in a dozen countries and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, among other notable locales.
Kooches Carpets raises the number of licensed GoodWeave rug importers to nearly 70 companies. These companies not only agree to adhere to GoodWeave's no-child-labor standard, not to employ any person under the legal working age of 14, and allow unannounced random inspections by local inspectors, they also pay fees that help support GoodWeave's monitoring, inspections and education programs.
Child-labor-free certified rugs currently account for more than 3 percent of the handmade rugs sold in the United States.
RugMark USA Executive DirectorNina Smith said having Kooches Carpets on board helps broaden the scope of the organization's work. RugMark, an international nonprofit organization working to end exploitative child labor in the South Asian carpet industry through the GoodWeave certification program, which inspects weaving looms and provides rehabilitation and education for former child weavers.
"Not only will certified child-labor-free rugs be more widely available, but ongoing support from an industry leader such as Tom DeMarco will help motivate others to make the same commitment," she said.
Dealer locations and more information on Kooches Carpets are available at www.kooches.com and here.
To date, RugMark says it has rescued more than 3,600 children from exploitation on carpet looms and offered them rehabilitation, education, vocational training, and other services.
"GoodWeave is going to be a helpful force in this industry for a long time coming," said Kooches founder Tom DeMarco.
Kooches carpets are sold around the world through an extensive network of dealers, including Steven King and Driscoll Robbins. These carpets can be found in Swiss embassies in a dozen countries and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany, among other notable locales.
Kooches Carpets raises the number of licensed GoodWeave rug importers to nearly 70 companies. These companies not only agree to adhere to GoodWeave's no-child-labor standard, not to employ any person under the legal working age of 14, and allow unannounced random inspections by local inspectors, they also pay fees that help support GoodWeave's monitoring, inspections and education programs.
Child-labor-free certified rugs currently account for more than 3 percent of the handmade rugs sold in the United States.
RugMark USA Executive DirectorNina Smith said having Kooches Carpets on board helps broaden the scope of the organization's work. RugMark, an international nonprofit organization working to end exploitative child labor in the South Asian carpet industry through the GoodWeave certification program, which inspects weaving looms and provides rehabilitation and education for former child weavers.
"Not only will certified child-labor-free rugs be more widely available, but ongoing support from an industry leader such as Tom DeMarco will help motivate others to make the same commitment," she said.
Dealer locations and more information on Kooches Carpets are available at www.kooches.com and here.
To date, RugMark says it has rescued more than 3,600 children from exploitation on carpet looms and offered them rehabilitation, education, vocational training, and other services.
