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Does "Made in the USA" or "Made in America" really matter? What do those two statements actually mean from a legal standpoint? Are they marketing gimmicks companies use as a way to make inferior products seem higher quality? Is it a guarantee of workmanship, a way to support the local economy, or supporting companies that pay fair wages? These are all questions and concerns, we've fielded since we started selling direct-to-customer products made in our shop in Mesa, Arizona. We've been approached by retail partners that required us to ensure all of our individual parts were manufactured in a specific location. We've been questioned about how we brand our own products, and because of that made sweeping changes to list the manufacturer and country of origin for all major components that we do not make in-house. I figured it was time to cover this in one place so we can refer future questions to one post that addresses all of these and similar questions.

From a legal compliance standpoint there is the Made in USA Labeling Ruel that was finalized by the FTC in 2021 (16 C.F.R. Part 323). This rule codified the "all or virtually all" standard for labeling products and marketers are subjects to civil penalties if they are making fraudulent Made in USA claims or labeling practices, including in catalogs or online. There is a separate resource provided by the FTC that gives a much more in depth break down of the how Made in USA can be used specifically in marketing, and how it correlates to Brand representation, express vs. implied claims, and other uses. Consumers often look to this type of regulatory compliance for terminology like Made in USA because it also implies there are strict product safety requirements, regulatory measures, quality assurance and compliance standards, and since 2021 a means of filing civil claims for instances where the Labeling Rule has been violated.

Some consumers believe that buying products made in America adhere to a higher quality standard, contain ethically sourced and manufactured sub-components, are of better craftsmanship, or generally last longer. While this can be the case, it isn't always true of products and goods made in America. Many companies that practice made in America manufacturing are small businesses and rely on their craftsmanship and quality as an essential part of their brand. However, this made in America doesn't come with an express warranty, terms, or other guarantees against failure, defect, or other product issue. Companies should also go out of their way to provide assurances beyond the made in America labeling that cover product safety, craftsmanship, longevity, defect, and other consumer concerns.

Environmental considerations and ethical manufacturing practices are often lumped together as reasons people list for buying American-made goods. American manufacturers have strict environmental guidelines for each specific industry, and those companies are often subject to numerous inspections including scheduled and surprise inspections to ensure compliance to these environmental regulations. US manufacturers also adhere to higher standards when it comes to working conditions, fair wages, safety regulations, and other ethical hiring and retention standards. With goods and products made in the USA, consumers can rest assured child or slave labor wasn't used in the manufacturing of the products, that workers were treated fairly, and often-times that support of the business had a direct impact on small, locally-owned businesses.

Which is another reason consumers seek out American-made goods, there is the knowledge that the buyer is supporting a business that employs people in the local community. This isn't always talked about, but the local economic impact of purchasing from a US manufacturer can have far ranging effects. Small businesses frequently spend their dollars in the local community when they source other goods. Purchases of our made in Mesa products, inevitably funnels dollars into other businesses that are local to us or other American small businesses that we partner with or source our products from. Though we may only have a small staff, we purchase products, services, or collaborate with dozens of other US manufacturers and American-made small businesses on a weekly basis. We're just one company in this community that is impacted by consumers deciding to buy US-made goods.

When it comes down to it, quality products can be sourced from almost anywhere in the world. We're well aware of the fact that American-made doesn't mean "the best", and we don't use that branding to portray that image. We frequently source items from Austria, Germany, and Japan because the quality of those products is high and there aren't American companies making similar products that we can source. It's necessary for us to utilize complex relationships that span the entire globe, but we still make decisions on who we collaborate with based on a variety of reasons, one of which is how close they are to Mesa, Arizona.

When you see Made in Mesa, Made in America, Made in the USA on our products that's us informing you that we've manufactured as many of the main components as we possibly can in-house. We list the company and location of the other components that are included in the product you're purchasing. This is a level of transparency we've landed on internally that we think every customer should have access to when purchasing a product. We know that the screws we use for our clips are sourced from several American companies. Our clips that aren't made in-house are sourced from a local stamping company. We source anodize from two companies, one in Tempe, Arizona and one in Salt Lake City, Utah. We partner with a local Cerakote applicator who's shop is fifteen minutes from our own. We think it's important that our customers know who we support with our dollars so they can feel comfortable purchasing from us. That's our statement of intent when it comes to utilizing the Made in America marketing. We don't think it's a gimmick, we don't assume it's a guarantee; we use it to provide information to the customer so they can make informed purchases.

Hopefully, this provides answers for all of your Made in USA questions.