American-Made Furniture: What the Term Really Means

The news this week about Williams Sonoma getting fined $3.17MM by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for false “Made in the USA” claims reminded me how hard it can be for consumers to source these products. Due to confusing terminology or straight-out lying, you may think you’re buying an American-made product, but have perhaps just been duped by a retailer trying to make a sale.

We thought this would be a good time for a quick review on the importance of American-made products, what all these terms really mean, and how to source them.

WHY YOU SHOULD BUY AMERICAN-MADE

We understand it’s not always possible to buy American-made products, but they are certainly worth seeking out. Here are just a handful of good reasons:

• Quality: Typically, American-made products are just better constructed — you can read more about quality upholstery here and wood furniture here, but we find this to be the case with just about everything else: clothes, tools, textiles, even toys for your kids.
• Safety: American-made products are not only less likely to contain harmful chemicals (just Google “lead in children’s toys” or “Chinese drywall”), but also working conditions for employees are significantly better.
• Economy: When $1.00 is spent on an American-made product, $1.82 is added to the economy.
• Sustainability: American manufacturers tend to care a little more about sustainability. From using sustainable wood to recycling to using solar power, we have found they just do more. Also, these longer lasting products mean less stuff in landfills. To give you an idea of what is being discarded every year, 12 million tons of furniture make it to junkyards annually, while 36 million tons of clothing and textiles go straight to the dump.

DON’T BE FOOLED: DECEPTIVE TERMS

A favorite move of companies is to try to make you think a product is made in America when it really isn’t. We go into detail on the deceptive terms companies use here, but here is a quick list of phrases that actually don’t mean anything when looking for American made:

• Designed in America
• North American Hardwoods
• American Company (or a favorite move here is to use “America” or “USA” in the company’s name)
• American craftsmanship or Built with American Pride — while these terms could mean a product is made in the USA, they are not regulated like “Made in America” or “American Made.”

REQUIREMENTS FOR AMERICAN-MADE

So what are you getting with an American-made product? For a product to be labeled “Made in the USA”, “Made in America” or “American Made” the FTC has determined the following:

• Final assembly occurs in the United States, all significant processing occurs in the United States, and all or virtually all ingredients/components are made and sourced in the United States.
• If there are foreign parts, a statement must appear right next to the “Made in the USA” claim stating as much. You’ll typically see something like, “Made in the USA of foreign and domestic parts.”
• “Assembled in the USA” means that the product is substantially transformed in the U.S. and the principal assembly takes place in the U.S. An example of this is something like a drill that is made up of a bunch of parts, some of which are sourced abroad.

HOW TO SHOP

So how can you make sure that you’re purchasing American-made products? Here are some tips:

• Buy from a retailer that specializes in American-made products, like The Stated Home.
• When making a purchase, seek out the manufacturer’s name and then look on their website — those that manufacture in America usually make it very clear through their marketing.
• Familiarize yourself with American manufacturers and make it a habit to check them first for things you are shopping for. We have an extensive list going on Pinterest sorted by category and frequently highlight items on our Instagram. A website we reference frequently is USA Love List. They offer comprehensive lists for almost every type of product. For American furniture manufacturers, we have an upholstery list here and a wood furniture list here.
• Pay attention to price! If a product is significantly cheaper than you think it should be then it is probably imported (Caveat: Even expensive products can be imported, so you should still look for labels).
• Shop less from big retailers and more from smaller businesses. These small enterprises tend to work with select, quality manufacturers, or at least can point you in the right direction of what in their inventory is made in the USA.

NEXT STEPS

We anticipate that this Williams Sonoma case will increase consumer awareness about American-made products and will pave the way to more transparency and education about this in our industry. FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said, “Williams Sonoma’s deception misled consumers and harmed honest American businesses. (This) record-setting civil penalty (of $3.17MM) makes clear that firms committing Made-in-USA fraud will not get a free pass.”

We hope that the information above makes it a little easier to spend your dollars on American-made products — it may require a little more legwork (something we are trying to help with), but your purchasing decisions make a difference. Join us in trying to make a change and please reach out if you have any questions!

Email us at butler@thestatedhome.com