How you can still buy American
MSN MoneyFinding US-made goods may take longer -- and cost more money -- but there's lots of evidence to dispel the myth that everything is made someplace else these days. By Karen Aho MSN Money
Think nothing's made in America anymore? Not so. The United States has a robust manufacturing sector, the largest in the world. It's just that our export strengths -- airplane parts, industrial machinery, wheat, corn, meat, soybeans, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors -- aren't enough to offset the foreign goods that line retail shelves. We buy a third of the world's consumer electronics but sell only 4%. Nine out of 10 items of clothing we buy are made elsewhere, mostly in Asia. All told, we import goods worth $750 billion more than we export. That's almost a whole economic stimulus package. No wonder we're willing to believe the worst: that we've lost the ability to make it ourselves. But we haven't. Consumers can find U.S.-made retail goods right now, if they're willing to look and willing to pay. MSN Money slide show
It only feels like everything you buy today is from China. Here are bicycles, appliances, clothes and other products made by companies committed to US labor and materials.
In the longer term, consumers who want to buy American can pressure their lawmakers to enforce trade laws and restock the shelves: withdrawing tax benefits for offshoring, for example, and enforcing anti-dumping and other trade laws already on the books. "It's a lot better than just ranting endlessly on bulletin boards," says Stephanie Sanzone, a working mother who started StillMadeinUSA.com, which lists companies that manufacture, at least in part, in America. "Don't feel powerless." How much is American-made? Wal-Mart won't sayIn 2008, the U.S. trade deficit with China accounted for roughly $73 a month in spending for every man, woman and child in America. Wal-Mart, widely credited with driving up the volume of low-cost goods imported to the U.S., won't disclose what percentage of its products are made in America other than in the produce aisle (70%). Nor does give it preference to domestic manufacturers, identify its U.S.-made goods or train its employees to find them. Customers have to check the labels. "We work to provide the best value for our customer regardless of country of origin," company spokeswoman Linda Blakley says. "Part of this is, what's manufactured in the States? It may not be possible to source it domestically if there are no domestic producers." Whether that policy accurately reflects the sentiments of the 138 million Americans who shop at Wal-Mart each week is difficult to gauge. Poll after poll points to a preference for locally produced goods -- a preference that seems to crumble in the face of the extra time needed to locate them or extra dollars need to buy them. More from MSN Money But the goods are out there, and they come with many fewer concerns about who might have made them and how safe they might be to use. When the Chinese government ignores laborers' rights, subsidizes producers and manipulates its currency, critics say it falsely prices its goods and undercuts the competition. "Absent that, would it really be cheaper to ship that 8,000 miles from Beijing to Kansas?" says Michael Stumo, the head of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a nonprofit that promotes trade-policy reform.
What's it to you?Consider a standard 4- by 6-foot cotton American flag. The has two versions available: domestic for $32.95 and imported for $22.95. If you weren't buying a flag, you probably would grab the cheaper item and not even think about:
"Someone who only buys American-made goods but doesn't participate in politics is only doing part of the work," says Mark Levinson, the chief economist with Unite Here. "We need both. We need socially conscious consumers, and at the same time you need the right policies." Government can dictate how its money is spent. Military and postal uniforms are made here (preserving nearly 25,000 apparel jobs), as are U.S. flags on federal property. The buy-American provision of the recent stimulus bill requires that infrastructure projects seek domestic iron and steel before imports. Beyond that, it's left to consumers to demand, and pay for, U.S.-made shoes. If you're ready to put your money where your politics are, here's how to start: Clothing and shoesPresident Barack Obama sent a buy-America message when he ordered his inauguration tuxedo from , a Chicago menswear firm. (Obama's favorite suit maker, opened in 1883, filed for bankruptcy but is still in operation.) Men can follow his lead without much trouble. Find Gitman Bros. shirts at retailers (and look for Cole Haan and Thom Browne), or order direct from White Dress Shirts. Other U.S.-made clothing: shoes from Corcoran and Matterhorn and Red Wing Shoes, socks from Fox River Mills and work coats from Schaefer, to name just a few products. Soark makes running gear, and New Balance has the only remaining U.S.-made sneaker, the 990 line, with five New England plants employing 1,500 people. "We are privately owned, so it has been a commitment by our owners to maintain that," spokeswoman Amy Vreeland says. For women, it can be trickier. The J. Crew label that Michelle Obama and her daughters famously wore could have been made in America. But the 10% sales bump the company enjoyed likely went to Asian manufacturers. J. Crew says it is forced to make most of its clothing overseas as suppliers leave the States. MSN Money slide show
It only feels like everything you buy today is from China. Here are bicycles, appliances, clothes and other products made by companies committed to US labor and materials.
But change is possible. The first lady might buy some fashionable boots from Frye (ask for the American line), inexpensive children's clothes at CWDKids and warm, colorful scarves at Quality Fleece. And there's plenty more to find at sites such as StillMadeinUSA.com, U.S. Stuff and Justice Clothing. Or order through such businesses as ShopforAmerica, MadeinUSAForever, BuyAmerican, USAB2c and the All American Shopping Mall. "It's not that much harder," says Unite Here's Dirnbach. "As you start delving into Web sites, it becomes easier over time." It pays to check labels and ask companies directly about sourcing. Some that appear on made-in-America lists may manufacture limited items here, have since moved or be incorrectly listed. When Dorel Juvenile Group, listed at StillMadeinUSA, was asked which car seats and baby carriers were made here, the company declined to respond. Household goods and electronicsWhen it comes to appliances and electronics, the pickings can get slim as plants shut down. The heavy stuff -- washers, ovens, grills -- can be found, if you do your homework. The Kenmore brand, for example, available at Sears and Kmart, includes some items made here. But ask before you buy. Even KitchenAid, an iconic American brand, is largely gone. StillMadeinUSA's Sanzone concedes that her kitchen is now tough to outfit and jokes that if the toaster dies she'll have to hold the kids' bread over the stove burner. The Japanese have long dominated the consumer electronics market, although some have U.S. manufacturing divisions. Even Best Buy -- the country's largest consumer electronics retailer -- has a tough time responding to whether it carries any U.S. brands. (Dear Best Buy: We're still waiting for an answer.) "Manufacturers in Asia have been eating away at the market for some time, and local manufactures just can't compete," says Toon Van Beeck, a senior industry analyst for IBIS, a research firm. There's good news: The U.S. makes -- and excels at -- speakers. Try Bose and B&K. And Texas-based Dell, which assembles its PCs close to sale, including in this country, is the largest computer manufacturer in the world, followed by California-based Hewlett-Packard, also with some facilities in the States. For about $150 to $200 more, companies and individuals can order through Union Built PC, which assembles computers in Maryland and Michigan using as many American parts as possible. Cars
Automakers must list where each car is assembled and what percentage of its parts is imported on a new car's window sticker. When Cars.com researches its annual American-made index, editors walk the car lots. They then rank the 20 most popular vehicles that are assembled in the States and contain at least 75% domestic parts. For years, the Ford F-150 truck has landed at No. 1, with several Toyotas and Hondas following in the list. Chrysler builds some cars in Canada, and Ford in Mexico. At the same time, Japanese automakers employ thousands of Americans at its plants in the South that, thanks to pressure from U.S. auto unions, offer good wages. Some might argue that the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, made at the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, with suppliers on site, is a truly U.S.-built car. But nobody escapes the global supply chain these days. "It's an issue of degrees, and there are a lot of degrees," says John Neff, the editor-in-chief of Autoblog. FoodWe spend nearly one-third of our cash on food, beverages and tobacco, and one look at the trade numbers reveals that nearly all of it is made here, grown here or killed here. But that hardly tells the whole story. Though as much as 90% of processed food is "manufactured" in America, that label reveals nothing about the ingredients, more and more of which come from China (citric acid, a preservative; apple juice concentrate, a sweetener; milk powder; wheat gluten, which poisoned pet food; ingredients in vitamins and medicine). "There are a lot of companies that make money sourcing ingredients from where it's cheapest, and they don't want people to know that," says Patty Lovera, the assistant director of Food and Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. Meat and produce run into a similar problem. Under the Country of Origin Labeling law, which took six years to overcome industry objections, they, too, must all be marked. But the law excludes food that has been altered, such as roasted peanuts. And hamburger containing cattle from different countries can get a USDA label. (For more on food labeling, see this sheet from Consumer Reports.) "Unfortunately, the burden is on consumers to think, what do they know about the brands, and come up with their personal list," Lovera says. Call the toll-free number on the package. Companies that are proud of their ingredients and inspection will talk openly. "Even their willingness to disclose is an indicator to me," Lovera says. Get past the foreign ingredients and deceptive labeling and you can likely find whatever you need -- fish, produce, chicken, meat, ice cream, beer -- that's made in America. Published Feb. 24, 2009 |
10 ways you can still buy American
