Goodweave Honored With Nice Modernist Award For Its Campaign To End Child Labor

Furniture World News Desk on 5/26/2015

The design industry often focuses on the surface beauty of a product. GoodWeave believes a truly beautiful product is one that not only incorporates pleasing aesthetics, but also one made free of child labor.

Since its founding in 1995, GoodWeave has worked tirelessly in its efforts to eliminate child labor from the rug industry with current operations in India, Nepal and Afghanistan. These groundbreaking efforts are now being recognized through a series of accolades, the latest of which is the receipt of the inaugural Dwell on Design “Nice Modernist Award” by GoodWeave’s founding Executive Director, Nina Smith. Dwell Media President Michela O’Connor Abrams will present the award at 4:30pm PDT on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the LA Convention Center in conjunction with the Dwell on Design Awards ceremony. The event will include a special screening of the GoodWeave film short Stand with Sanju.

“We’re always inspired by the caliber of talent on view at Dwell on Design,” says Dwell Media President Michela O’Connor Abrams, which includes 2015 exhibitors and GoodWeave licensed brands Ariana and notNeutral. “We established the Dwell on Design Awards to celebrate not only the quality and innovation of this work, but also the humanitarian side. By awarding Dwell's first Nice Modernist Award to Nina, we are honoring the impact GoodWeave has had in reducing child labor in the carpet industry by 75% from 1 million to 250,000, and it is my hope the awareness raised by this award helps GoodWeave achieve its goal of zero child laborers by 2020.”

Stand with Sanju is a three-minute animated short that tells the true story of a child carpet weaver in Nepal who was rescued by GoodWeave. It was produced by an Emmy-nominated filmmaker with support from Sundance. The film educates rug consumers about the importance of their purchasing decisions in ending child labor and trafficking. This core message reflects the principal on which GoodWeave was founded. Says Smith of the award, “While I’m honored to be recognized as a Nice Modernist, we must remember my work, the work of GoodWeave’s founder Kailash Satyarthi, and the work of everyone at GoodWeave is made possible by the simple premise that the real power for change comes from the consumer. All of us have the potential to be Nice Modernists by insisting on certified child labor free rugs. They’re beautiful rugs with beautiful stories.”

In 2015 GoodWeave expects to increase its global market share from 5% to 7% as it works toward the estimated 17% share tipping point. According to Kailash Satyarthi, winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his lifetime commitment to the protection of children, integral to this growth is the premise that “consumers have to be educated!”

The gains of the past several years have also caught the attention of other industries plagued by labor issues. As a result, in 2014 GoodWeave began working in collaboration with Humanity United and Global Fairness Initiative to bring their methodology to the brick kilns in Nepal, where the rate of forced and child labor is staggering. The importance of both efforts cannot be understated: the increased labor pressures on the handmade brick industry in Nepal are only exacerbated by the recent series of earthquakes and the need to rebuild infrastructure including rug weaving facilities. Nepal’s number one export to the United States is handmade rugs. The country depends upon sustainably rebuilding the carpet industry without exploitative child labor.

About Dwell on Design: Over the past 10 years, Dwell on Design has grown in size and stature to become a leading showcase for the modern design community. This year marks the fifth-annual Dwell on Design Awards recognizing those in the design community whose commitment and vision bring this event to life. More information can be found at www.DwellonDesign.com.

About GoodWeave: GoodWeave is an international nonprofit organization that aims to stop child labor in the carpet industry and to replicate its market-based approach in other sectors. The GoodWeave label is the best assurance that no child labor was used. More information may be found at www.GoodWeave.org.