Dalton, GA, August 30-- Four more companies--A+ Designs, Amy Helfand, DuncanArts, and Mat the Basics--recently committed to the inspection and certification program implemented by nonprofit Rugmark.
The program against illegal child labor in the carpet industry verifies that illegal child labor is not used and creates educational opportunities for children in the weaving communities of India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
"As I began to make more rugs, it only made sense to become a Rugmark licensee so that my business would reflect a philosophy of integrity," says artist Amy Helfand, who transfers her abstract landscape collages onto contemporary wool rugs.
Last year, 20 percent more certified carpets were sold. Next year, Rugmark will launch a consumer education campaign with a focused effort to substantially increase the market share of Rugmark certified rugs.
Groups including UNICEF, the ILO, and the U.S. Department of Labor indicate as many as 300,000 children currently work on South Asian rug looms.
According to Rugmark, over 3,000 children have been freed, and many more enrolled in one of 11 Rurgmark-sponsored schools.
