Made in the U.S.A.— Marketing or More?

The Fourth of July weekend is a popular time for summer sales and retail deals on "Made in the USA" products. We're all for good deals and American-made products. But is "made in America" just good marketing or is there more to it? 

The FTC Has a Say

Turns out that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a say in what does—and doesn't—meet Made in the USA claim standards. Nothing requires products made in the U.S. to be labeled as such, or disclose their content, except for automobiles, textile, wool, and fur products. In these cases, there are specific labeling requirements. 

For a product to be called Made in the USA in an unqualified claim, it must be "all or virtually all" made and sourced in the U.S. with reliable back-up proof. A qualified Made in the USA claim describes how much content or processing is done in the U.S. The product label might say "assembled in the U.S." or "60% U.S. content." Products that are designed in the US but manufactured in other countries can't be labeled Made in America. Nor can a product be advertised as Made in the USA with just one part made in the U.S. and the rest imported. The FTC has much more extensive guidance available on labeling rules and enforcement.

At DandyLion, we take Made in the USA seriously. More than just our products and their components, "Made in the USA" also determines our approach to quality, labor, and material selection:

• Textiles: Our pillows are designed and manufactured in Vermont. We source cashmere, wool, linen, and linen/silk fabrics from France and the U.K. for their unparalleled quality, which we currently can't equal from U.S.-manufactured fabrics. Our U.K. and European sources have manufactured the world's finest fabrics for generations and it shows. Color subtleties are unsurpassed, and our wool and cashmere products do not pill. This means that our textile products are Made in the USA from imported fabrics.

• Wood: Eighty percent of our wood comes from the U.S. and 20% comes from Canada. We use Vermont cherry, walnut from Ohio, and red oak from the northeast. We source wood from Canada only when exceptionally long lumber is needed. All wood products are designed and manufactured in Vermont.

The Other Perks of Made in the USA—Quality and Sustainability

With our wood sourced regionally, we minimize shipping costs and environmental impact. Pillow inserts are also sourced locally. We recycle our scraps through local arrangements that benefit other businesses. Wherever possible we're working towards a local or at least regional circular economy that benefits other American businesses and workers. 

Quality control and waste prevention are boosted by making our products here. We don't have to wait for an entire run of products to arrive from overseas and risk finding defects or problems, resulting in loss. In the workshop, we immediately see any challenge that arises, enabling us to stop, resolve it, and prevent the waste of materials and time.

Finally, we much prefer having real team members, who we see every day, than sweatshop labor far away, where we never know their names or can vouch for their working conditions. We value our talented, local American team, and we're committed to paying a livable salary.

Happy Fourth to our readers. We're proud to be making in America!