Northfield Carpets International Joins RUGMARK: Helps to Move Children Overseas from Carpet Looms to Classrooms

Furniture World Magazine

As the newest member of RUGMARK Foundation, Northfield Carpets International (NCI), of Northfield, Minnesota, has joined a growing number of carpet importers committed to helping Nepalese children go to school instead of work. Tracy Davis, NCI’s Founder and CEO, knew she wanted to join the certification program when she launched her business earlier this year. “I've been a fan of RUGMARK since I first learned about it,” says Davis. “When we began manufacturing, it was a priority to work with a RUGMARK mill in Nepal.” Both Davis and NCI’s Executive Vice President, Danielle Freudenthal, are parents themselves, and they don’t want to exploit other people's children any more than they would allow someone to exploit their own. Working with noted designers from around the world, NCI offers distinctive handmade rugs crafted by skilled artisans. “Our carpets are not just floor coverings,” explains Davis, “they’re the culmination of centuries of tradition in the decorative arts.” South Asian carpets destined for export to North America and Europe come from a handmade carpet industry known to employ illegal child labor. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that as many as one million children were weaving rugs in Pakistan, Nepal, and India. Since then, RUGMARK’s efforts have helped. In Nepal, for example, a UNICEF study revealed that the incidence of child labor in the carpet industry has dropped from 11 to 3 percent of the workforce since RUGMARK began. “RUGMARK provides an easy way for rug companies to actively help eradicate illegal child labor,” says Nina Smith, RUGMARK’s Executive Director. “Industry leaders like NCI understand the importance of giving back to the communities that help their businesses succeed.” To accomplish its mission, RUGMARK inspects looms in India, Nepal, and Pakistan and certifies carpets as child labor-free. Since its inception in 1995, RUGMARK has freed more than 2,000 children from work and now provides schooling or rehabilitation for more than 2,400 former child weavers and children of adult weavers. Davis believes that child labor is unconscionable and will reap bigger social problems later. “As a global citizen doing business on three continents, I have a responsibility to fight it [child labor].” More information about Northfield Carpets International is available at www.northfieldcarpets.com or (507) 664-9500. Details on RUGMARK may be found at www.rugmark.org or by calling 1.866.RUGMARK.