As of 2016, the United States imports $120 billion worth if textiles and apparel, nearly 40% of which come straight from China. Our exports add up to just $21 billion, as we import almost six times what we export. Many of us are familiar with the pleasant surprise of seeing a “Made in the USA” label, as those words have become synonymous with high quality and fair wages, but the implications of American manufacturing go much deeper than this. In the past 25 years, US manufactured goods have quadrupled, and for good reason.
Today, 80% of consumers prefer to purchase products made in America and 60% of them say that they are willing to pay on average 10% more for products that are made in America. But what does “made in America” actually mean? According to the Federal Trade Commission, for an item to labeled as being “made in America”, it must meet certain criteria in the manufacturing process. The most pertinent being that the majority of products that go into the manufacturing must be sourced from American soil as well as final assembly.
American made products bring communities together while stimulating the economy at the same time. This infographic brought to you by Standard Textile details exactly what American manufacturing means for workers, national and local economies, and how it gives the United States a much needed competitive edge within the global trade economy.
