Changing to Buy British and European

Perhapss I should add, that over the years, I am not that adventurous in which shops I have bought from.
Though some of my clothes are from charity shops or given to me by other people. So there is a bit of a range.

Just out of interest I looked at 10 of the items, some quite old, mostly from M&S that I was sorting into charity bags or tip.
India
India
China
China
China
France
France
Portugal
UK
UK
On the other hand, out of 10 books bound for sale to the second hand bookshop
All except one were printed and bound in the UK and most of the wood pulp for making paper here apparently comes from the UK, though that was trickier to pin down.
So, it’s more UK friendly to read books than to wear clothes.

I used to love the British pottery and Sheffield stainless steel was really good. I still look out for British made things in the op shops. Still a few books around. I collect horsebrasses when I see them, too. The things from the UK are always well made.

I bought some games for my GC for Christmas - Orchard Toys. They are mainly jigsaws and board games.

They say this on their website 'We are proud of our British roots, and still design all our products at our head office in the market town of Wymondham in Norfolk'.

www.orchardtoys.com/index/about-us_30.htm

Which is fair enough. However, the games are actually produced in China but they don't mention that.

Astitchintime

I have to shop online for crafting supplies as local shops have all closed down. The quality is dreadful and even things like a simple white shirt button are mass produced to poor standards in the PRC!
Believe me, I would happily pay a little more for better quality and the assurance that goods were produced 'closer to home'.
As for coffee shops, I will not set foot in Costa or Starbucks and prefer to visit smaller, independent establishments to support local businesses.

Not plain white buttons, but if you sometimes want buttons for a special garment I can recommend Jazz and Wow who sells her handmade buttons on Etsy

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Jazzandwow

Not my site, just someone I've bought from in the past.

I fell in love with a beautiful cardigan in M and S. It was made in China. I didn't buy it. Aren't Uighurs used as slave labour in China? I try never to prop up their economy by buying anything made there - though it's really difficult. I'd rather go without.

I do my best.!
Falke socks, made in Germany. Simply the best socks I have ever worn.
An english wool sweater made in England.
Footwear made by Solovair, still largely by hand, here in England. All expensive but are worn daily and will last years.

Just bought a new Charlotte Tilbury mascara, I was so pleased to see it’s made in Italy and my No7 Foundation is made in France.

Whatever you buy, wherever the final build, packaging and distribution takes place, you can bet that the components have come from elsewhere, so you will still be supporting (or exploiting depending on your POV) other countries and their people.

I’m reminded of this video from fifteen years ago but it still holds true - even more so seeing what is going on in the USA now. The Story of Stuff:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

The outer casing of an airfryer is rigid plastic i.e. made from petrochemicals. France imports most of its oil, mainly from the United States, Nigeria, Algeria, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia. The metal compenents in an airfryer are steel, aluminium and iron. France no longer produces iron ore but imports it from the USA, Brazil, Canada, Liberia and Mauritania. France does produce some steel and aluminium but is also imports from many other countries. It also produces some semi-conductor computer chips but the silicon probably comes from China.

Some years ago in France I bought two above ground swimming pools from a French supplier. Everything was made in China apart from the wood facing. In the UK it's very difficult to buy electronic items other than from abroad (China, Japan, S Korea, etc.) and UK made items are expensive and there's little choice.

Someone told me that China subsidises its products to undermine our own, I bought some fountain pens locally pice £20+ but you can get perfectly nice ones from aliexpress less than £2, I'm buying uk from now on, when I can afford it

Labelling is a nightmare as it is currently, not least because you can't be sure it's telling us everything we want to know. If I ruled the world, there'd be certain things I'd demand as compulsory:
1) Country of origin & manufacture - even though that could get complicated if you want to know where all the individual components (including the packaging) came from!
2) Use-by date, in a consistent place on each item so we don't end up turning it over & over trying to find it. I'd scrap the best-before date because it's just a bit of unhelpful non-information aimed at encouraging people to throw perfectly good food away (so you have to buy some more).
3) Properly-worded ingredients list which includes process chemicals (they're the extras that are added to make production easier - such as "flow assisters" to help the real ingredients to go through the machinery without clogging).
4) Accurate instructions on how much product to use (laundry liquid, shampoo, toothpaste, etc). The ads generally show at least two-thirds too much being used, so people get the idea that it's the "correct" amount (so, again, you have to repeat-buy sooner).
Sorry, folks, I've banged on a bit (so nothing new there, then...)

I bought a Tower airfryer believing that it would be British made only to find the inner box on the packaging was printed with The People's Repulic of China.
I have recently bought some Woolovers Jumpers which are made in the UK and have also read Patrick Grant's book.

Silverbrooks

Whatever you buy, wherever the final build, packaging and distribution takes place, you can bet that the components have come from elsewhere, so you will still be supporting (or exploiting depending on your POV) other countries and their people.

I’m reminded of this video from fifteen years ago but it still holds true - even more so seeing what is going on in the USA now. The Story of Stuff:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

The outer casing of an airfryer is rigid plastic i.e. made from petrochemicals. France imports most of its oil, mainly from the United States, Nigeria, Algeria, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia. The metal compenents in an airfryer are steel, aluminium and iron. France no longer produces iron ore but imports it from the USA, Brazil, Canada, Liberia and Mauritania. France does produce some steel and aluminium but is also imports from many other countries. It also produces some semi-conductor computer chips but the silicon probably comes from China.

Understood, but if you think that everything you buy from say, China and is manufactured there means the whole employment, and profit goes to them. If you source an item which is from a company that is British owned, uses some components sourced locally, or is manufactured or assembled here, or in Europe, a higher percentage of the tax and profits is coming to the UK or Europe.

Without the medication from the USA my granddaughters life would be so much worse. It was very much worse before we got it so I cannot in all honesty ask her to boycott it. However I am worried that the orange clown might put a very large tariff on it and cause the NHS to stop providing it.

Friends have started boycotting Amazon. I told them that they are putting lots of UK people out of work if they are successful. Common sense has to avail in some cases. I would rather buy not USA if I can. I was going to apply for a Full Visa so that I could go on cruises that start or end in USA but I am not now.

I’m looking for a projector alarm clock and having the same problem when trying to avoid cheap Chinese goods.

I always buy British when I can. I buy food from local suppliers when I can, I wanted some Blueberries in Tesco this week and the only ones available were from Chile or Peru so I went without. I grow my own in the Summer and they are so much nicer.

We have just bought a very expensive sofa in Harris tweed completely made in Scotland, the whole shebang. It felt good to support our UK craftsmen.

I am on your wave length for sure. I am trying not to buy anything American or Chinese but it is difficult to achieve sometimes, especially if you are not particularly flush.

Buying a holiday is another consideration. We had a lovely family holiday in Florida a few years ago but as things stand now we won't be going back.

Yes, I think I understand what you are trying to do Casdon but didn’t know whether you were trying to avoid all things, say American and Chinese which would be very difficult.

Not specifically American and Chinese only Silverbrooks, for me it’s about trying to do what I can now to support the UK and European economies against all-comers, when we have alternatives made here that we can buy. The hard part is the digging for details needed before purchasing, so there have been some companies people have mentioned on the thread that I’ll bear in mind next time I need something.

spabbygirl

Someone told me that China subsidises its products to undermine our own, I bought some fountain pens locally pice £20+ but you can get perfectly nice ones from aliexpress less than £2, I'm buying uk from now on, when I can afford it

Yes, I believe that is true. They have undermined steel by selling it on the world markets at less than the raw material costs, and appear to be doing the same to the car industry.

Last November I ordered a Hotpoint cooker (thinking that I was doing my bit). It arrived yesterday because they could not get the parts from overseas. Why can't the parts be made here? (Stupid question: the trade unions have ensured that they would be far too expensive). Similarly, a Russell Hobbs tumble dryer - it arrived on time but all parts were made overseas and it was just assembled here. Because of that, it is allowed to be advertised as "made in UK".

There is, I believe, a similar process with foodstuffs which can bear the Union Flag.

Very wrong. It needs to be changed.