What stops manufacturers from printing in their products : “Made in country X” instead of any other country?
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A popular underhanded move by fast fashion companies is to employ cheap labor from sweatshops on islands within the U.S territories due to their own independent regulations and labor practices that allow more flexibility to these brands to plaster Made In USA on their tags to “convey” the illusion of a more sustainable production
Most western countries have laws that force manufacturers to put accurate ‘Made in’ labels on certain products.
Generally there’s 2 legal ways around that.
You can import the product 99% complete and finish the production in the US to give it a Made in US label, despite 99% of the manufacturing happening over seas.
The other is what Apple does
“designed by apple in california”
The products are made in China, but they are labeled as ‘Designed’ in the US
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Chinese manufacturers has set up factories in Italy fully staffed with Chinese workers. The goal is produce goods with Made in Italy labelling. With the flexibility in Italian enforcement officers to inducements, some goods arrive almost finished to the factory in Italy (ie mostly, or fully, manufactured in China). There are resentment in Italian countryside where manufacturing was the major employer and now higher unemployment with low prospects. Globalization or capitalism, whatever your bone to pick with (not that communism was a success; that was extremely unsuccessful especially to liberty and freedom).
Laws with $$ penalties attached for incorrectly representing country of origin.
To clarify as others are suggesting a loophole where you do 99% of the work somewhere, then 1% elsewhere and label it that final country, that’s an exaggeration. Most of these laws require you to prove “significant transformation” in that final country, or that >50% of the value was added, depending on the industry.
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ELI5, why exactly do products have to say where they are made? What is the relevance/importance?
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