Do you make a point to buy NZ made products? Is there something about the made in New Zealand label which attracts you? Is it the perceived value of the product you like? Or that you want to support our local economy? There are many reasons why people deliberately source and buy NZ made products, and today we’re sharing them with you.
5 Reasons to Buy NZ Made Products
In 1988, the Buy New Zealand Made campaign began. It encouraged consumers to purchase NZ made products over those made overseas. As a marketing tool, businesses used it to demonstrate to their customers that they sold locally made products. Today the Kiwi trademark is the marketing symbol NZ businesses can apply and pay for to use within their marketing campaigns or on their products. While this confirms the products are NZ made, many small businesses choose not to purchase the license due to financial restraints. Remember that not having the trademark doesn’t mean that their products are not NZ made.
The question then becomes, why should and do customers buy NZ made products? Let us share just five of those reasons with you:
- Ethical manufacturing – when a product is made overseas, there is no guarantee regarding the safety of and the working conditions for the workers. All too often factories are crammed with too many people, have poor lighting and expect long hours for little pay. Here in NZ, we are legislated regarding both the working conditions and pay for workers.
- Fair wage – NZ has a minimum wage for workers. While we as yet don’t have any employees, we pay ourselves a fair wage for making our soy candles.
- High quality – products made in NZ are known for being of a higher quality than replicas made overseas. This is true for our handmade candles, where we only use the best materials available, and the best manufacturing processes too.
- Support the local economy – by keeping the dollar in New Zealand; we’re keeping our local economy running. This has a flow-on effect for all, right from supporting a family through to encouraging NZ businesses to hire more employees.
- Better for the environment – when purchasing products made overseas, you need to factor in that it has travelled thousands of kilometres to reach our shores. Most likely fossil fuels were used to transport it here, and you cannot be certain that harmful environmental manufacturing processes weren't used in its creation. An NZ made product containing locally sourced materials just doesn’t have the same negative effects on our environment.
At Earth Candles Co, we fully support buying NZ made products. To us, it’s about reducing the impact we have on the environment, plus helping other New Zealand families like us have a better life. Will you join us?