It is easy to get caught up in designing our perfect home and forget to decorate responsibly. When selecting our plush rugs, designer fabrics, and other home furnishings, we should be mindful of the business practices of the manufacturers and stores that we are patronizing.

Decorate responsibly by being an educated consumer

Fair trade Certified ™  and GoodWeave Certified ™  rugs are two great labels to look for when shopping. They often tip the scale for me when making decisions. When I see those labels on products, I know I can feel good purchasing them.

Fair Trade Certified™ 

Fair trade is a global movement made up of a diverse network of producers, companies, shoppers, advocates, and organizations putting people and planet first.

quoted from https://www.fairtradecertified.org/why-fair-trade

One thing you can do to decorate responsibly is to shop Fair Trade Certified ™  products. Fair Trade ensures that companies pay workers fair wages, and that they have safe working conditions. In addition, Fair Trade means that the company is environmentally friendly. You can check out stores, brands, and products before you purchase from them by using this link. When you purchase a home product that is Fair Trade Certified ™ you can feel good about putting it in your home.

GoodWeave Certified ™ 

When purchasing rugs, look for ones that are GoodWeave Certified ™ . GoodWeave is an organization that is working towards ending forced and child labor globally. A business has to meet specific criteria in order to become GoodWeave Certified. Furthermore, GoodWeave makes regular surprise visits to all production facilities to verify the company’s compliance. I have noticed that Target sells GoodWeave Rugs. Knowing that their store is ethically aware, makes me more comfortable purchasing any product there, in addition to rugs.

If you read Design to be Happy, you know that this site is all about creating look-good and feel-good spaces. Now taking care to decorate responsibly we can also feel great about what we put into our homes.

Additional Resources To Learn More

I was first made aware of some of the unethical business practices that take place around the world by attending a Human Rights Lecture. Follow the link to view it. I had no idea that child labor, forced labor, and bonded labor still occurred. These labor practices are all considered a type of modern day slavery.

The sad truth is that slavery is in every industry, and we may be unknowingly supporting it. To learn more about this, go to slaveryfootprint.org. They have a survey that you can take, which asks you about your purchasing habits and in the end, will let you know your impact and slavery footprint.

Another good resource to help you buy slave free products can be found at http://www.endslaverynow.org/act/buy-slave-free . They have a product guide that can be downloaded. You will also find links to companies that produce products made from slave survivors. Supporting these companies will keep slave survivors employed and prevent them from becoming victims again.

The first thing you can do to help is to spread awareness. I believe many people have no idea about these issues. Use the social media buttons below to share this post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram because together we can make a difference.