Fair Trade recycles

The Goodweave® label

When we first saw these soft and beautiful rugs we could not believe that they were made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. They look and feel like our other wool and cotton rugs! They are made in India by a clever process that breaks the bottles down into super fine fibres that can then be spun into thread and yarn. So versatile, these rugs can be used indoors or outside on balconies, decking or even as picnic rugs.

Using plastic bottles in this way means that they avoid going into landfill or becoming litter spoiling the environment. Recycling the bottles takes energy but studies have shown that it is still worth doing and that the overall environmental effect is positive. Also collecting the bottles provides another benefit by giving employment for street children.

These rugs have The Goodweave® label which began in 1995 as a grassroots campaign in India by Kailash Satyarthi, then Chairman of the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude. GoodWeave’s mission is to end child labour in the rug industry and to replicate its market- based approach in other sectors. Satyarthi was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his work.

The GoodWeave® label is the best assurance that no child labour was used in the making of your rug. In order to earn the GoodWeave label, rug producers and importers must be licensed under the GoodWeave certification programme and sign a legally binding contract to adhere to GoodWeave’s no child labour and no bonded labour Standard.

Buying one of these recycled plastic bottle rugs with the GoodWeave® label supports educational opportunities for children who otherwise might be required to work. Handcrafted by adult artisans, these rugs make a beautiful statement at home and make the world a better place.