Made in America Economically it has been a difficult five years for our country, but as an old friend of mine used to say, “everything bad is good for something”. That “good something” seems to be the realization that we, as American consumers, need to be more conscious that the purchasing decisions we make have real consequences for our economy, ourselves and our nation.
The Awakening
As a clothing manufacturer and local retailer, we produce all of our organic cotton products here in the USA. We have made a real commitment to local sourcing and as a result we have attracted many new customers over the past few years. When we started our business almost eight years ago, it was our certified organic cotton and sustainable business practices that attracted so many people, but we have since learned that it is just as important to our customers that our products are all American made. In our communications with our customers and suppliers we are witnessing a dramatic awakening on the part of American consumers. They now realize the importance of products Made in the USA. In fact, that is now considered their single most important reason when deciding whether or not to purchase an item. We hope that this trend of local consciousness endures because the ripple effect of purchasing goods produced in America is huge. When you make the conscious choice to purchase American goods you are not only supporting employment for other Americans, you are also helping to keep local dollars circulating in local communities. Some studies suggest that up to sixty cents of every dollar spent locally goes directly back into the community. The continuing circulation of these dollars spent helps to promote additional employment, creating a virtuous circle. 42
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Cotton, the environment, cheap labor and Made in the USA
From an environmental perspective, when it comes to producing and purchasing clothing made of cotton, the importance of Made in the USA increases exponentially. Few people realize that most cotton grown in the United States is subsidized by our government. Every year between 40% and 60% of that subsidized cotton is then sold to Chinese garment manufacturers. The cotton is shipped from the US to China where it is used in clothing production in low wage, low cost factories that often operate without strict labor, safety and environmental standards. The finished garments are then loaded back onto a ship and exported back to the US. This creates a huge carbon footprint and a trail of wasted resources, all in the name of lower labor costs. This makes little sense to us, yet retail shelves around our country are packed full of these items, all of which are made by paying less for labor and simply ignoring the environmental impact that is brought about. In addition, there are global financial issues involved as we help to support and create a stronger China; a China that might very well turn out to be our most ardent rival in the world economically and militarily.
Read the label
So, when it comes time to make your next purchase, whatever item that may be, we hope you will give some serious thought about what that purchase means and we hope that the information we have provided will help you decide on Made in the USA (retailers nationally and at the Outlet Store on 210 W. Oxford Street or visit www.greenlabel.com). Story by Rain and George Lipson. They design, merchandise and own Green Label Organic: Sustainable Threads, based in Floyd, their Made in USA clothing can be found at better outdoor and organic clothing retailers nationally and at the Outlet Store on Oxford St.
Spring/Summer 2013