WASHINGTON–The Rug Company has placed heavy focus on making its business as socially conscious as possible with the addition of third-party ethical audits of its overall business practices, including its new status as a licensee of the U.S.-based RugMark, which will ensure its rugs are manufactured without the use of child labor.
“The lives of workers in the rug industry are of paramount importance,” said Christopher Sharp, co-founder of The Rug Company. “We are happy to be involved with RugMark. What we like is that RugMark monitors the situation on the ground, not from a distance.”
The Rug Company is best known for its collaborations with design luminaries such as Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Diane Von Furstenberg.
“For us, the craft itself is so important,” Sharp said. “Without the skill of the weavers, our rugs would not be so special. The designers we work with appreciate the quality of the craftsmanship and materials we use.”
Their alliance with RugMark is among the many ways Sharp and his wife, designer and The Rug Company co-founder Suzanne Sharp, are working to make a difference in the industry. Among its additional initiatives, the company has engaged an external consultant to do an ethical audit of its entire production process, including environmental and sustainability issues.
“There are so many issues involved,” Sharp said. “The RugMark label is very important to us, but we won’t stop there. We don’t want to just be bystanders in efforts to improve the industry. We will keep finding ways to do more.” — Jennifer Quail