June 2009 – After 15 years of protecting children and promoting ethical carpet and rug production, RugMark International (RMI) is phasing out its existing certification label and logo and replacing it with a new brand, and a new plan to strengthen and enhance its core mission.

GoodWeave will have the same meaning as the RugMark label: a deep commitment to

• the deterrence of child labor,
• the education and rehabilitation of rescued child workers in the carpet industry, and
• the families and communities of more than 3,200 children in India and Nepal that we actively serve.

Both the existing RugMark label and the new GoodWeave label assure that no children under age 14 were employed by the facility responsible for making the labeled rug.

In addition, GoodWeave will, in time, represent an enhanced set of values that places the RugMark mission in a broader context of environmental and social responsibility. Through a new set of standards under development, GoodWeave label directives will be more rigorous, transparent and defined, and with input from a multi-stakeholder standards committee. For guidance in this effort, RMI is an associate member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL), a global leader in setting norms and best practices for certification. The new RugMark International website at www.GoodWeave.net will make policies and procedures available to any interested party and facilitate comment on standard-setting.

If you are a RugMark licensee or marketing partner, visit www.GoodWeave.net in the coming weeks to download GoodWeave materials. For general information, please contact us at info@rugmark.org.uk or 07740 459279.