Would you buy ‘Made in Britain’ items even if they cost you extra?
I feel very passionately about products being designed, manufactured and or grown in Britain, and it seems that I am not the only one.
The results from a recent survey performed by My Voucher Codes showed 40% of UK shoppers would pay extra for ‘Made in Britain’ products. If you would like to read the full article, go to DailyContributor.com.
I’m not saying everything I buy is made in Britain and to be honest if we look deeper into each products history even some products that are made in Britain, would have had their parts/ingredients still purchased from abroad, but I believe it is important to buy as much as we can.
Every effort made to buy products that are made in Britain be it big or small, is a positive move in the right direction.
Although we may see some of the product as more expensive in the short-term, in the long run it can work out less expensive if you add into the equation the larger knock on effect ‘Made in Britain’ products have within the local and wider community.
One
If a company is based and makes their products in Britain, the taxes should then go into the British economy.
This is money that especially in the present financial climate, is desperately needed to fund everything from education, healthcare, & prisons, to the local day care centre and street cleaners.
Two
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The companies making and producing items in Britain are not just sole traders, they can be big companies, for example Numatic International Ltd, that produce the much loved Henry Hoover in the South West of England.
The more consumers purchase a product made in Britain rather than a product from abroad, the more financially secure the business becomes, which then in turn enables the company to employ more members of staff and offer them a secure long term position.
Three
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Climate change is a very important issue. Products that are made abroad have to be transported over to Britain, be it via sea, land or air. We may find the product cheaper abroad, but does the overall cost to the planet outweigh the benefits?
Four
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Many manufacturing jobs need a certain skill set, which in turn needs to be taught, be it day release at the local college or further education at University level.
The colleges and universities also need a continuous flow of students (the local business helps guarantee this) to keep them open – they are also a business after all, and have to balance the books at the end of the year too.
In fact a number of business owners in the past have actually built colleges and universities as they knew they would need employees educated to a particular level.
Education also has many positive knock on effects within the community, from empowering people to strive for a better life, to enabling people to gain employment that pays a decent wage.
Five
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Community spirit can never be calculated in cost. When Britain was a thriving industrial nation, villages, towns and whole cities were built or grown around a particular industry and business.
Homes were built to accommodate the employees, general medical practices were set up, along with dentists, corner shops, and many other services and business that were encouraged by the needs of the resident workers and the growing community.
These businesses helped build strong communities in their time, and once again we are seeing this happen in Britain, from the increase in local Markets to the local grocer shop selling local organic produce.
To grow a strong, healthy community, we each rely on each other. From the local business relying on members of the public to buy their products, to the members of public in turn finding well paid local employment.
Britain is starting to once again embrace ‘Made in Britain’, I hope this continues to grow from strength to strength.
