A Central Coast nonprofit is working to combat forced labor and child labor in the global rug industry by partnering with a Pakistan-based company to sell fair trade rugs in San Luis Obispo.
Bunyaad, a fair trade rug company, partners with more than 850 families in Pakistan to provide a sustainable living wage for rug weavers. The company is joining forces with the nonprofit Humankind Fair Trade to sell sustainably produced rugs in San Luis Obispo.
Yousef Chaman, Bunyaad’s program director, says rug making is a family tradition for him. His father started a similar program decades ago.
“My dad made rugs, my aunts and uncles and his parents made rugs,” Chaman said.
He adds that in his father's village, nearly 95% of people are rug makers, but they have long struggled to ensure fair compensation.
“The challenge they always felt was that the artisan did not get the fair share of the market,” Chaman said.
Back in the 1960s, Chaman’s father provided a consistent income for 10 Pakistani families, allowing them to set the price for their rugs rather than relying on the market. Chaman continues his father’s legacy today.
“We try to eliminate layers so more money goes to the artisan, rather than to the middle people,” Chaman said. “Plus, there's a quality guarantee for every rug because rugs are made to last a lifetime.”
In 2021, Pakistani garment workers were paid the equivalent of $133 a month after the country increased its minimum wage, according to Open Democracy.
Chaman emphasizes the goal of the company is to improve the quality of life for the artisans.
“At the end of the day, you can put food on the table, provide education for their children, and have a good house that can withstand natural disasters,” Chaman said. “Most people didn’t want to leave their villages. You know, this notion that people want to migrate, leave their home—that is not how it works. People want to live where they've lived for centuries.”
Chaman notes that each Pakistani-made rug tells a story, from the dyes used to the way the wool is spun, offering insight into where and when it was made.
HumanKind Fair Trade in Downtown San Luis Obispo will be selling a variety of Bunyaad rugs Wednesday through Sunday.
