Was it really ‘Made in Australia’?

When I cast my vote for the kind of world I want the label ‘Made in Australia’ seems to instill a feeling of pride. Purchasing something that was made in my own country is surely supportive of the economy and reducing unnecessary time, money and waste produced through transportation. I’m am disappointed to say that I have recently learnt that this is not always the case.

Made in Australia

‘Made in Australia’ means that a significant change must occur to the product while in Australia. This is tested by making sure “at least 50% of the cost to produce the product was incurred in that country” (ACCC). This means that while a pair of jeans may be cut and stitched in Australia, the fabric was probably woven and dyed overseas.

Product of Australia

Product of Australia is a stronger claim when concerned about your carbon footprint and support of Australian manufacturers/ producers. A product with this claim requires nearly all manufacturing or processing to occur in Australia and ‘significant’ components to come from Australia.

What the labels mean

Australian Made/ Australian Grown (AMAG)

You may have seen these logos on a variety of products. I know for me it reminds me of a tourist shop! For a company to be registered with AMAG their products must be made or grown in Australia. They undergo an application and inspection process to confirm their claims and are issued random audits to ensure they are keeping up with expected standards.

AUSBUY

AUSBUY focus is on where a company’s ownership lies. For a company to be able to display ‘Australian Owned’ only 51% of the company ownership must be Australian. While there are fully Australian owned companies they display logos stating ‘100% Australian Owned’. This is why it is important to remain alert when looking to purchase ‘Australian’ products as labels may be misleading.

Does ‘Australian Made’ coincide with ‘Ethical and Sustainable’?

If there wasn’t already enough loopholes for companies to slip through here's another- being made in Australia isn’t always a reliably ethical process.

Due to the competitive advantage of clothing factories in developing countries Australian factories have been shutting down and turning to outworkers. Outworkers work from home and can often be paid well below the legal minimum wage for a machinist. Along with this to meet their employers high expectations outworkers have to work 12 to 1 hours a day and sometimes even recruit the help of friends and family.

How can we be sure that the brands we choose are what they say they are?

One of the best screening processes in Australia is achieved by Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA). ECA accredited brands are ensuring that all outworkers and former employees are being treated correctly and only Australian produced products can receive ECA accreditation.