Target

“Target is committed to the highest standards of responsibility in our global sourcing practices,” says Irene Quarshie, vice president, product quality and responsible sourcing at Target. “We are proud to partner with GoodWeave to support their mission to end child labor in the rug industry. Our guests can feel confident that by purchasing an owned-brand rug at Target, they’re helping support the elimination of child labor in the rug industry and the education of thousands of children in India.”

Target has a long history of ensuring all of its manufacturers follow the highest standards in ethics and safety and GoodWeave is the only group of its kind that fully penetrates corporate supply chains to protect against child labor.

Child labor is an issue of concern for virtually every major global brand, affecting 168 million children under the age of 14, who are frequently trafficked into still more exploitative circumstances, including the sex trade. GoodWeave has designed its program to reach the most vulnerable workers, in readily accessible factories and also remote, home-based sites that comprise third and even fourth tiers of production. These efforts are combined with community-level interventions to increase school enrollment and worker empowerment.

“As one of the country’s largest and most recognized retailers, Target has made a great stride for human rights in offering GoodWeave certified rugs to millions of consumers within approximately 1,800 retail stores,” says GoodWeave executive director Nina Smith. “With Target’s support, we hope to continue our effort to address critical human rights issues in supply chains.”

To find out more about Target rugs, go to www.target.com/rugs.