The GoodWeave System
For over 25 years, GoodWeave has pioneered and innovated a system that harnesses market power through its work with brands and producers. Most recently, the organization has expanded into apparel, home textiles, fashion jewelry, and bricks where its reach and impact continue to grow. This impact goes beyond numbers as GoodWeave has positively influenced societal norms and corporate practices to eliminate child labor.
Harness Market Forces
Our system combines the power of consumers and businesses to ignite the engine of social change. In partnership with brands, we’re creating a market for goods made without child labor by preventing and rescuing children from lives of bondage, and by distinguishing select products with the GoodWeave label. This relationship with business provides the influence needed to permanently change behavior and practices, making “no child labor” a market requirement for their producers, along with design, price and other features.
Clean Up Supply Chains
Even the most well-intentioned brands find exploitation in their supply chains. And now, in this era of fast fashion—with hurried timelines for new styles to hit shelves—the situation is getting worse. GoodWeave establishes clear and rigorous standards, and we verify compliance by regularly mapping and inspecting factories, worksites and facilities all the way down to cottage industry and individual homes. These inspections—which are random, unannounced, and frequent—lead us to exploited children and serve as a powerful deterrent to bad labor practices.
Create Educational Opportunities
GoodWeave’s social programs serve survivors and address the root causes of child labor. In the countries where we work, GoodWeave tailors interventions to the context. Over the years, we have offered early childhood education, non-formal education and bridge schooling, and community-based school sponsorship. Through our center-based rehabilitation we have also made a second home for children who desperately need one. Casework and counseling for children and families are integral to our approach.
Improve Conditions for All Workers
Addressing child labor effectively requires more than simply prohibiting the practice as a matter of law, policy or standard. One important part of the equation is ensuring that adult workers are better compensated and better treated within their workplaces.
Promote Best Practices
Our 25-plus years of experience in the carpet sector have yielded a holistic system that leverages consumer choices, as well as business and community partnerships toward the ultimate goal of freeing children from bondage — giving them a chance to lead normal lives filled with school, play and family. With the GoodWeave System, tested and proven as an effective model for combating child labor, we are expanding our reach by focusing on capacity-building efforts and promoting best practices. We know that to achieve our mission of stopping child labor permanently, we must accelerate efforts, create partnerships, and spur the uptake of our successful model in new sectors and geographies.
