Washington, DC - GoodWeave International has announced a partnership with Target Corporation to prevent child labor in the production of Target's owned-brand woven rugs.  The licensing program covers handmade rugs, including all hand woven and hand-tufted products carrying Target's Threshold brand.  These rugs are produced in India.

A GoodWeave announcement said that Target has a long history of ensuring all of its manufacturers follow the highest standards in ethics and safety and that GoodWeave is the only group of its kind that fully penetrates corporate supply chains to protect against child labor.  "As with all our licensing programs, we are not just certifying tier-one suppliers; we certify all the way down the chain to subcontractors," said Carolyn Turnbull, business development associate at GoodWeave, who explained that since February of this year, all owned-brand woven rugs made in India have been GoodWeave certified as indicated by a numbered GoodWeave label affixed to the back of the rug.  The tracking number can be traced back directly to the maker in India.

"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."

"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."