Made in Britain (campaign)

Made in Britain is a consumer and business campaign promoting British manufacturing in the UK and abroad. It was conceived by Prescot-based British cooker manufacturer Stoves in 2011, and is currently backed by Made in Great Britain Campaign Ltd.

Background

The company, which is committed to UK manufacture with 100% of its built-in ovens, hobs, freestanding and range cookers assembled at its Merseyside headquarters,^[1] believed that some brands were trading off their British heritage, despite now being manufactured overseas.

In January 2011, it commissioned independent market research among 1,000 British adults. The results^[2] showed that half (48%) of those surveyed admitted confusion about which brands could still claim to be made in Britain, with international takeovers and moves towards Far Eastern production all contributing to an increasingly puzzled landscape. Two-thirds (67%) wanted an official seal of approval to show products made in Britain, while half (52%) thought British brands should bring manufacturing back to the UK.

More than a third (37%) of those questioned stated they would buy British if it was easier to identify authentic made in Britain products. A separate poll by Which? in July 2011^[3] asked "Would a Made in Britain logo help you buy British?" 84% (907 Votes) said ‘Yes it would’; 9% (92 Votes) said ‘No it wouldn't’; and 7% (78 Votes) said ‘I don't care about buying British’

The Stoves research showed that more than half (55%) said that supporting UK manufacture and jobs is their main incentive to buy British and one third (36%) claim to buy British whenever they can.

Mistakenly, 40% thought HP Sauce (now manufactured in the Netherlands^[4]) is British-made; 43% thought Royal Doulton was British-made, however, although designed in the UK it is now manufactured in the Far East;^[5] 32% thought Dyson was a British brand despite production now taking place in Malaysia;^[6] 23% said Raleigh bikes were British-made, when in fact it shifted production to the Far East in 2003.^[7]

The research was released in April 2011, with reports appearing in UK newspapers including the Financial Times.^[8]

History

In May 2011, Gavin Williamson, Member of UK Parliament for South Staffordshire, raised a Country of Origin motion in the House of Commons, citing the Made in Britain research .^[9]

On the back of the research, Stoves launched a competition among students at British universities to design a Made in Britain logo.^[10] In May 2011, a panel of five judges, including Martin Allen-Smith, Managing Editor of Designer Magazine (now called Designer Kitchen & Bathroom) and Denver Hewlett, Chief Executive of Stoves, shortlisted 11 entries and chose the winner, which was designed by Cynthia Lee, a student designer from Nottingham University.^[11]

On 11 July 2011 the marque was unveiled and British businesses were invited to apply to use the logo.^[12]

On 6 March 2012, the campaign received support from the British Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband, who, speaking at the Engineer Employers Federation annual conference in London, said: "There should be a standard Made in Britain mark that is backed not just by industry but backed by government," describing the Made in Britain campaign as a "fantastic new initiative". He went on to promise: "The next Labour government will put British design, British invention, British manufacturing at the heart of our economic policy."^[13]

In October 2012, the 600th application was made to use the Made in Britain logo.^[14]

In October 2012 plans were unveiled to set up a Made in Britain committee to oversee the marque and assist with the ongoing promotion of the campaign. On 10 October, companies who had applied for the Made in Britain logo were sent an email inviting them to join. On 12 November 2012, MDs and CEOs from eight companies attended the first committee meeting in London. The committee sat for its second meeting on 15 January 2013 and the next meeting is scheduled for 19 March 2013.

A new, member-funded organisation (Made in Great Britain Campaign Ltd) has launched to promote and support manufacturing in the UK. The non-profit organisation will be run by a committee of Directors from UK-based manufacturers as well as leaders of other groups which support British trade and industry. Central to the campaign is the development of a new marque which companies can, for an annual fee, apply to use to highlight the provenance of their UK-made products.^[15]

Applying for use

Businesses looking to apply for the Made in Britain logo must do so via the application process. Membership fees are dependent upon the financial turnover of the organisation wishing to apply, and successful applicants agree to the usage terms and conditions, which state: "The usage guidelines adhere to the advice on country of origin labelling included in the Trade Descriptions Act 1968.^[16] To qualify to use the marque, the majority of production/manufacturing processes must have taken place in the UK, ensuring the marque accurately relates to the Country of origin. Members must self-certify their eligibility and Stoves is in no way responsible for policing usage. Companies must also ensure that they comply to labelling criteria as laid out by their own industry body. In line with the consumer protection act, companies must be transparent in their claims and whenever possible display supporting information about their manufacturing process and policies – e.g. via a company website. Each application is currently checked by staff at Umpf, which is Stoves’ PR and social media agency. Application to use the new marque can be found on the company website.

See also

• Petition to ask Government for a standardised Made in Britain logo
• Official Twitter account - @madeinbritainGB
• The campaign Twitter Twibbon
• Previous I'm Backing Britain Campaign

References

External links

• Official website