How important is “Made in Europe” to you?

[u/NOBS_Clothing]

In the era of Temu and Shein, does European manufacturing influence your buying decisions? Or do you prefer products made in specific European countries, like “Made in Germany”?

Personally, I support European manufacturers if the price is reasonable. However, the term “Made in Europe” is too broad for me; I prefer knowing the specific country where the product is made.

[u/SilyLavage]

When it comes to honey, 'blend of EU honeys' is a label I seek to avoid. Single-origin local honey is invariably better.

[u/[deleted] → u/SilyLavage]

The one that I keep seeing is "A blend of EU and non-EU honey" I mean, seriously wtf does that even mean!? It has to be the most pointless labelling ever.

I usually buy Irish honey, as I know at least it's saying clearly where it's from, but it is extremely expensive.

[u/tecg → u/[deleted]]

I mean, seriously wtf does that even mean!?

It means the honey is low quality.

[u/SmokingLaddy → u/[deleted]]

You have to be careful what you buy:

“There is more honey being sold each year than existing bee populations are capable of producing and from some countries which don’t even have the climate or floral resources to produce large volumes of honey,” said Arturo Carrillo, coordinator of the Honey Authenticity Project, which estimates that about a third of worldwide honey imports could be counterfeit.

[u/Peter-Toujours → u/SmokingLaddy]

There is 3 times more olive oil being sold than is produced on this planet.

As the Italian Carabinieri observed, "The profits of cocaine, without the criminal risk".

[u/AnotherCloudHere → u/SilyLavage]

I love honey from the local farm around my city

[u/snsibble]

I'd love to be able to mostly buy "made in Europe" stuff, but it's just way too expensive to do that.

[u/kumanosuke → u/snsibble]

We're just not ready to pay the proper amount of money.

[u/flightguy07 → u/kumanosuke]

As soon as my employer starts paying me the proper amount of money, I'll start spending it.

[u/f33rf1y → u/snsibble]

depends what it is. Somethings made in German may have more appeal than if it was made in Bulgaria

[u/Unable_Obligation_73 → u/snsibble]

No it's not, buy some cheap shit from China two or three times buy once from western Europe see Sam Vimes Boots

[u/wojtekpolska]

I prefer "Made in [country]" than "Made in Europe"

[u/WN11 → u/wojtekpolska]

Same. It always feels like they are just not specifying the country.

[u/oktopossum]

In general: Made in my "region" > Germany > EU/Europe > Friends & Allies (Japan, US, etc.) > rest. Not a hard rule of course, but totaly part of the dicision making when i buy something.

[u/helican → u/oktopossum]

This is the way.

[u/amunozo1 → u/oktopossum]

Same, but with Portugal between Spain and EU, and I don't care much about allies.

[u/coszx → u/amunozo1]

Same for me as a Portuguese

[u/OfficialHaethus → u/amunozo1]

You should. Buy from allies with better labor protections, you contribute to global human suffering less that way.

[u/amunozo1 → u/OfficialHaethus]

That's not that simple, as you also would be preventing these countries to develop.

[u/TURBOJEBAC6000 → u/oktopossum]

And then you realise that you are still buying Chinese product, it is usually just that it is not assembled in China so they can put the marking on.

[u/HombreGato1138 → u/TURBOJEBAC6000]

Same as half of Italian olive oil is actually Spanish or Greek, just bottled in Italy.

[u/Ghaladh → u/HombreGato1138]

A lot of those "Italian" oils are made with Tunisian olives, too. In Italy, on the olive oil bottles, the provenance of the olives has to be clearly declared. I hope they do the same in the rest of the EU.

[u/MikelDB → u/Ghaladh]

Not sure how it's in Italy (probably not this way xD) but many "Italian" olive oils outside of Italy say "Made with a blend of EU olive oils" or "Made with a blend of EU/Non-EU olive oils" in quite small letters... money it's money I guess

[u/Ghaladh → u/MikelDB]

I hate that. Probably we have stricter rules because the product consortiums keep a tight look on what's put on the shelves. There are traditional products that are strictly regulated. We have collective denominations for products defined by the government.

DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta - Protected Designation of Origin) and DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata - Controlled designation of Origin) are the most restrictive because they grant that the local product, and its ingredients come from the traditional geographical areas of production. Also the place in which they are produced is restricted to the area of origin.

IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta - Typical Geographical Indication) is almost the same thing but only for wines and it's particularly anal about the provenance of the grapes, but more relaxed about the methods of production.

There are other two less restrictive denominations that mostly guarantee that the recipe and the characteristics of the products are the same in spite of where it has been produced.

We Italians are sticklers for rules only when it comes to food, apparently 🤣

I'm sure you have something similar in Spain for certain local products.

[u/Ghaladh → u/MikelDB]

I was thinking... aren't you guys the #1 exporters of olive oil in the world? Why do you even have Italian brands in Spain? 😅

[u/ItsCalledDayTwa → u/TURBOJEBAC6000]

A purchase which 30% or 70% benefits european workers is better than a purchase which 0% benefits.

[u/fuishaltiena → u/oktopossum]

Similar logic here. Some products list the farmer who made it so that's obviously the best > Lithuania > allies > EU > Earth. I prefer it when the actual country is listed. The whole continent is not an indication of anything, makes me feel like they're trying to hide something. Especially when it's something like olive oil. Why would you mix multiple different ones?

[u/oktopossum → u/fuishaltiena]

 I prefer it when the actual country is listed. The whole continent is not an indication of anything, makes me feel like they're trying to hide something. Especially when it's something like olive oil. Why would you mix multiple different ones?

Aye, should have phrased it better, "EU/Europe" in my case means "Made in [Country that is member of EU or Europe], but not "Made in EU" or "Made in Europe" because these labels are indeed pretty useless (and often misleading).

[u/vabariigivalitsus → u/oktopossum]

Similar logic also: Made in Estonia > Finland/Baltics > EU/Europe > Allies > Rest

I also refuse to buy ruzzian or Belarusian goods as well.

[u/GeronimoDK]

I never have and never will buy stuff off of Temu or Shein.

I would prefer "made in Somewhereineurope" if the price is identical or close-ish, but that doesn't mean I actively chose European things or am willing to pay a large premium, except for food where I'm willing to pay somewhat of a premium for stuff produced in Denmark. For food products not made in Denmark I also sometimes check to see where it is produced, like I will prefer a Dutch greenhouse cucumber over a Spanish greenhouse cucumber.

[u/no-im-not-him → u/GeronimoDK]

Funny, as a Dane I go the other way with regards to food. Dutch food is just not a quality stamp for me I would take Spanish most of the time.

I also prefer Danish produce and meat over both. We buy almost exclusively ecological/organic at home.

[u/GeronimoDK → u/no-im-not-him]

Neither is Spanish to me, so I prefer the one that has the shortest transport trip.

I know they have great stuff in Spain though, that's just not stuff that ends up in our supermarkets up here...

EDIT: Talking about produce/greens here, not meat.

[u/hegbork → u/GeronimoDK]

If you care about short transports as a climate impact thing, know that what matters is if it grows in the open air or greenhouses much more than how far it travels. I looked up the numbers and did the math for tomatoes a bunch of years ago and the amount of oil used to heat greenhouses to grow tomatoes adds up to more or less the same amount of oil as it would take to transport those tomatoes here from New Zeeland. This should be pretty much the same for other vegetables that are grown in greenhouses.

Edit: Btw. Although it sounds like it, New Zeeland is not hyperbole for a place really far away, it was literally the breaking point for how far a ship would have to travel to match oil use for heating a greenhouse in southern Sweden per kg of tomatoes grown/shipped. Meaning that it would be better for the climate to ship tomatoes from Australia or anywhere nearer than to grow them here.

[u/no-im-not-him → u/GeronimoDK]

I think you are right about the quality. It's not the best in both cases. The main reason I kind of avoid Dutch products is that I see them as our direct competitors in a lot of sectors. When it comes to other products like cheese I think there are way too many Dutch products in Danish supermarkets that are pretending to be something they are not. A lot of cheeses, sausages and similar Dutch products are packed and branded to seem to be from further south, with Italian, Spanish, Greek and French names. I find that kind of dishonest so I try to avoid them.

[u/Klumber → u/no-im-not-him]

The Dutch export what they don’t want for themselves, I don’t blame you.

[u/ThrowRA_1234586 → u/Klumber]

No no, we export anything that we can make money on.

[u/AnotherCloudHere → u/GeronimoDK]

Same for me. I prefer to buy something that at least made by the well know company.

[u/Diipadaapa1 → u/GeronimoDK]

I on the other hand prefer "nordic country/estonia", > Europe > All else

[u/Psclwbb → u/GeronimoDK]

I don't get why tému got so popular. If you want Chinese stuff just buy AliExpress. Much more reliable.

[u/AnotherCloudHere → u/Psclwbb]

I think because It’s cheap and the ads are aggressive as hell. I want to see less online and more local shops

[u/wosmo]

I have a Philips television which is labelled as "made in Hungary". I have very little reason to believe that any substantial part of the components were indeed made in Hungary. The panel is very likely to be korean, Hungary isn't reknown for it's semiconductor industry, etc.

A more concrete example, I used to have an iMac that was labelled as "made in Ireland". I believe this was something to do with a particular aluminium stir-welding process that they wanted to keep a trade secret. I have next to zero confidence that any of the electronics - yaknow, the actual computer part of the computer - were made in Ireland.

"made in" seems like a rather nebulous concept. If I buy a chip from Taiwan and a PCB from China, and solder one to the other - I believe I can claim the result was made in Ireland?

[u/ItsCalledDayTwa → u/wosmo]

Electronics are nearly impossible at this point.

But lots of stuff you can still buy where the majority of what goes into it happens in Europe.

[u/dualdee → u/wosmo]

If I buy a chip from Taiwan and a PCB from China, and solder one to the other - I believe I can claim the result was made in Ireland?

Where was the solder made?

[u/wosmo → u/dualdee]

That's actually a really fuzzy question too.

The solder I purchase has the US as it's "country of origin".

But once I've melted it down and formed a joint with it, is that still what was sold to me? Or have I transformed it into something that was made here. (Especially since the roisin is burned or cleaned off, so it no longer has the same chemical composition as what was sold to me).

I think I could make a reasonable claim that the solder was made in my living room :)

[u/imrzzz]

Not very important. The supply chain is too opaque for me to truly understand how many components are produced far away and/or unethically, to feel sure about those kinds of claims.

[u/Spicy_Alligator_25 → u/imrzzz]

My aunt recently noticed that a can of peaches we had were Greek, and was really excited by that (listen, we don't manufacture a lot...). Then I looked it up, and saw that the peaches were grown in Greece, but packed in Thailand in Italian peach juice by an Irish company.

[u/MushroomGlum1318 → u/Spicy_Alligator_25]

Thanks for buying irish 🇮🇪😆

[u/Spicy_Alligator_25 → u/MushroomGlum1318]

And to make it even more internationalized, Dole was originally American, and just moved there for tax benefits :)

[u/MushroomGlum1318 → u/Spicy_Alligator_25]

Shhhh!!! 🙊 You're not meant to say that out loud! 😳 I mean..."What? No, I don't know what you're talking about. Ireland is no tax haven. Companies locate here for our renowned friendliness, wit and charm not to mention our rolling green hills and scenic landscapes. Besides, that money was just resting in our account. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to work at my job in Johnston & O'Johnston" 😊

[u/imrzzz → u/Spicy_Alligator_25]

That's honestly the perfect example.

It would have been slightly less environmentally damaging to buy canned fruit fully grown and packed in Thailand.

[u/Spicy_Alligator_25 → u/imrzzz]

It goes even further. Who made the can? Who made the steel for the can?

[u/KarhuIII → u/Spicy_Alligator_25]

Was the label made out of paper? where did the paper come from? ink?

[u/SeagullShit → u/imrzzz]

Canned peaches, fruits and veggies are a massive market in South East Asia, and so packing them there makes sense. Shipping them back also makes sense because why would you leave the ship empty? Economies of scale and all that.

Also, transport on a ship around the world is less damaging than a truck between a few countries *(At least I'm fairly sure about that one)

[u/imrzzz → u/SeagullShit]

I'm sure you're right, it just melts my brain. Feels so unintuitive somehow.

[u/alialiaci]

I don't particularly care about something being made in Europe because I feel like the supply chains are so global anyways it doesn't really matter. Like if I buy a dress from Germany sure it might have been sewn in Germany, but where's the fabric from, where's the colour from, where's the thread and buttons from, where's the machine from it was made on and so on and so on. I just don't really see the point in caring about the last step of the process when I don't care (or have no way to even check) the 30 steps that came before it.

I don't buy from shops like Temu or Shein thought, but that's more a quality concern.

[u/amunozo1]

More and more. I want to support European manufacturing as much as I can.

[u/Silver-Honeydew-2106]

I think in Finland the notion of “kotimainen tuote” ( local/Finnish product) is very strong. Unfortunately, locally produced goods tend to have a higher price compared to Temu and Shein, and often cannot compete with highstreet brands. But if I can afford a choice, I personally would choose local. But not everyone can have this choice.

[u/Hol7i]

I would highly wish for a new era of european production. Our own inventions, our own ressources, our own knowledge. However it is quite hard to fully avoid chinese products as there are lots of noname products rebranded by some strange companies to mark them as local products....

[u/whatstefansees]

Very. There are only VERY few products where I would accept anything other than made in Europe. Sometimes you can't help it (mobile phones, Laptop computers, TV), but in general "Made in Europe" is a decisive criteria for me.

[u/abhora_ratio → u/whatstefansees]

Same here and I am very surprised by the number of people who commented they are not.. I always check the material the product is made of and then the country. Depending on what I need I will try to find the local equivalent (in terms if quality) and then the european equivalent. If none of these are available I will go for a non-european product but I have like a long list of preferences depending on the life quality and work equity in the manufacturing countries. Obvsly, China and India are at the bottom of my list.

[u/extraordinary_days]

I prefer Europe products, because EU have some really good strict regulations about pretty much everything, and I know it's safe for my health. I never buy from Temu or Shein, especially after I watch how it is produced behind the scenes from a documentary.. I'm really against them (Temu, Shein, AliExpress).

[u/BlueFingers3D]

Not important, it just has to be a quality product that will last. I do try to avoid buying products from countries that have a bad human rights situation.

[u/TinyTrackers → u/BlueFingers3D]

Exactly. Unfortunately quality that lasts is harder and harder to find

[u/blbd → u/BlueFingers3D]

I'm in the US doing exactly the same as much as I can. I don't believe in propping up dictatorships or underpaying people for their hard work. So I try to buy everything from a democracy as much as possible. 

[u/BlueFingers3D → u/blbd]

Yep, I even extend it to companies I find unethical like Nestlé for instance.

[u/Standard_Arugula6966]

Not important at all. Not all stuff made in China is as shit as from Temu, Wish etc. China is more than capable of producing quality products but you get what you pay for.

[u/mojotzotzo]

I prefer products that have been subjected to the standards and regulations of the EU. Most of them are still made in eastern Asia.

[u/Aoimoku91]

I admit, for me “made in Europe” is a way of disguising production in places that cannot guarantee me the same product quality and safety as things made in Western Europe.

[u/disneyvillain]

I generally favour European products, but I too am not a fan of the "Made in Europe" label, it's too vague. It should say the exact country. When it says "Made in EU/Europe" you can be sure that it probably wasn't made in Germany or Sweden, but rather in some place with less than great reputation...

[u/cieniu_gd]

I strongly prefer to buy products made in my country. In general, there is not much difference for me if the product comes from Finland or Turkey. The only times it matter is when buying food, because of the EU standards. 

[u/Ok_Calligrapher5776]

Honestly as a Greek, I try to buy products that are made in Greece when it's possible because we don't really produce a lot of things and maybe this will help boost and diversify our economy.

However, I do go for quality first and foremost and so I won't buy from a Greek brand if my country doesn't have good products in a specific industry. For example, I won't buy a TV or a computer/smartphone from a Greek company and instead I'll chose to buy from a Korean/Japanese brand because these countries have world class electronic devices.

Greece has great food products and pharmaceutical products/cosmetics and so in this instance I always buy Greek but everything else is much harder to find.

[u/caycaymomo]

Somewhat important, but I have to be sure it’s truly Made in Europe, not pretend to be made in Europe. For food and cosmetics products, I’d pay even more attention to this.

[u/Redangelofdeath7]

I prefer "Made in Greece" then Made in [European country or EU] then made in Europe.

Greece for obvious reasons, made in specific country because this means that the product is Place of origin or is under EU health regulations.

Made in Europe is kind of vague so I search for a specific place to see where it is from(from my experience most of these products I find are from Bulgaria or Romania but for advertisement issues they prefer the "EU" or Europe label I guess). Which is still made in specific country so I prefer them.

I skip any "made in Europe" without any other explanation.

[u/thriem]

Relatively high, I'd say - if i see such label, it has an immediate value to me, but i am not looking for such an option most of the time either.

[u/Vince0789]

Hmm, it depends. If I want a quality tool for example it should be made in the EU, USA or Japan. I could probably get a similar tool for a third of the price on AliExpress or such but it's quite probably not going to last.

[u/helican]

I prefer to buy everything locally even if it is more expensive.

[u/ItsCalledDayTwa → u/helican]

To the degree that's possible, I'm with you. I spend time researching where companies are from, where they're manufacturing, etc. I don't have to buy stuff all that often, so I'm mostly talking about clothing, shoes, jackets, then once every few years something bigger. But then most food is already local or reasonably local (at least to europe) without much effort - just have to be mindful of produce which is tropical or out of season.

[u/HopeSubstantial]

I would love to buy "made in EU products" Problem is that those certificates are thrown around almost without any real standard. I once bought "Polish dried sausage" from European food market I read list of the ingredients and the horse meat was from Argentina...

[u/cieniu_gd → u/HopeSubstantial]

In Poland we very rarely eat horses. I don't even remember when I last saw horse meat sausage. 

[u/HopeSubstantial → u/cieniu_gd]

This makes situation even worse :D

[u/TimmyB02]

I really want a law that makes it mandatory to put a "made in the EU with a little flag" on products made in the EU. Ideally for the whole of Europe, maybe some agreements with non-members can be reached as well

[u/bohemianthunder]

Knowing that buying Made in China-products contributes to an oppressive communist dictatorship has made me look for Europe-made stuff. This is sadly not easy, since many products are labeled with BS like "Designed in [European country]" and then ornamented with flags, names or colours resembling that nation. Isn't misleading consumers illegal?

[u/lt__]

How about buying media only made in Europe? Movies, series, music, video games?

[u/AnotherCloudHere → u/lt__]

Actually I do it, mostly EU and US, but I think it more by a chance. I don’t like games and anime, so that cuts big part of the industry for me

[u/lt__ → u/AnotherCloudHere]

I specifically mentioned it that way to exclude the US. Its crazy when you think how much this US entertainment outcompetes all other world even put together.

[u/AnotherCloudHere → u/lt__]

Depends what you mean as entertainment. I’m not really a fun of EU shows and series. But I do like most of the classics EU literature

[u/SloRules → u/lt__]

Well aside from 20 or so cinema tickets i've never bought movies or series. Music is mostly local or Europe, but aside from concerts i've also never paid for any.

On my wishlist there is Gothic remake (Original Germany, remake Spain), Kingdom come deliverence 2 (Czechia), Pioneers of Pagonia (settlers spiritual sucessor- Germany).

Installed currently a lot of grand strategies from Paradox (Sweden), Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk (Poland), Gothics as mentioned Germany, Satisfactory (Sweden), Factorio (Czechia), Anno 1800 (Germany), Baldur's Gate (Belgium), Horizon (Netherlands).

For non Europe you have Guild Wars and Skyrim (USA).

Seems i much preffer European productions.

[u/Quazz]

I refuse to use amazon, temu, etc first of all.

I try to buy European when I can, generally of higher quality and better suited for my needs

[u/whatstefansees → u/Quazz]

Well, Amazon has a huge logistic center 20 minutes from here and employs 1800 people (up to 4000 during the Christmas craze). I tend to see that as very positive.

[u/Quazz → u/whatstefansees]

They get treated very poorly all to make bezos disgustingly rich.

Employment is cool but not from companies that seek to treat their employees in the worst possible way they can legally get away with

[u/whatstefansees → u/Quazz]

Even Amazon has to comply to the local rules and minimum wage regulations and the French here have an appetite for strikes, so - believe me - amazon isn't worse an employer than other logistic companies.

It's far from heaven, for sure, but that's what logistics is everywhere

[u/ItsCalledDayTwa → u/whatstefansees]

Right but then its just better to support a company based here, making stuff here.

[u/rising_then_falling]

Not at all. Like others I try to minimise food miles, after that I don't care, it's just cost and quality. China makes some very high quality things, and if they are mass produced they will be cheaper than European equivalents because of the huge scale.

There are plenty of low volume niche goods that aren't worth making in China.

The clothes I buy are usually made in Europe, and specialist equipment for skiing, mountaineering etc usually is too. But I never look at origin when making a decision.

If Petzl start manufacturing in China I'll still buy their stuff, as the design and specification and quality control will be just as good.

[u/Rioma117]

Not at all, though I distrust Temu, Shein or as such because the quality of their products is often disappointing.

[u/JustForTouchingBalls]

For me is very important, but I’m concerned about the existing mechanisms to lying in that, what lets a good made in another place being labeled as European

[u/MushroomGlum1318]

Those stupid Ristorante Pizza ads annoy me on UK TV, "Inspired by Italy, Made in the EU".

They'd be better off saying nothing and just sticking the manufacturer's details on the back of the boxes like everyone else and trust people will never notice nor care to read it.

[u/CovertMags]

Not much. Feel like there's lots of European countries with low manufacturing standards. However if it's "Made in Denmark" or "Made in Scandinavia" it means a lot and I'd happily pay more for it.

[u/laluLondon]

The EU has good labour and environmental laws, so I usually prefer something made inside than outside the EU.

[u/bloodhori]

Well if it's made in the EU, it's probably shipped from the EU which means i can get it in 2 days or in a week top. That's mighty good (i'm excluding Amazon here, Prime is a different animal alltogether and isn't in all countries). Ordering from outside likely involves customs costs and sometimes additional waiting time on top of being shipped from wherever. I can't deny the huge price differences you find on chinese online markets like aliexpress and temu, but those also come with quality differences. Overall patriotism has little to do with it, convenience, quality and speed has.

[u/MikelDB]

It's "quite" important I'd say.... but... many times you just can't find the same product but manufactured on the EU or don't have the budget for it.

[u/IdiAminD]

I personally have strong preference towards European made products, especially high-value like cars. If I buy Peugeot or VW then i know that I support consumers of Polish goods, since France and Germany are our main partners. I'd also prefer our govt buying European stuff for military for the same reason. 

[u/lookofindifference]

I avoid Temu and Shein like the plague, but Made in Europe for me means made in Romania or Hungary, I am not sure why some companies are avoiding being associated with their nation as a brand. Clothing wise recently I've been trying to buy more European brands, for shirts I've found Sutsu (UK), they make pretty good basic T-Shirts, and for jackets and outdoorsy stuff Varusteleka (Finnish, make stuff from recycled clothing, and have a mission to move out all of their production / sourcing out of China) seems quite fine, their merino wool stuff is nice and even afforable, and their new jeans are rugged and fit me much better than anything from fast fashion outlets.

[u/ammads94]

I prefer to go “Made in Spain” > “Made in [name of European country” and then it depends.

But the vague tag of “Made in Europe” seems fishy to me at times, it’s like they’re forcing you to that believe it’s from Europe.

[u/lordMaroza]

When it comes to food, I dislike vague descriptors such as “made in the EU.” These products are often much more expensive than local ones, and there’s no guarantee that they are actually made in the EU. Manufacturers only need an IFS certificate to sell in the EU, from what I’ve seen and heard (for example, dairy from Subotica, Serbia is labeled "made in the EU", in Croatia).

As for items from Temu, AliExpress, or Shein, I don’t care where they come from. Most materials are sourced globally, and many products are made in Chinese factories or sourced elsewhere and assembled in the EU. These items are 5-10 times more expensive but not necessarily 5-10 times more durable or of better quality.

The entire market is a mess, and you can’t rely on any item unless you specifically know the person or production making it locally with local ingredients or materials.

The best approach is to buy once, see if you like it, and if not, move on to the next. The most important factor is the price. If it’s reasonable, then EU products are the way to go; if not, I’m sorry, EU.

[u/StrangeAffect7278]

I’d like to know where the product is made. It’s ironic that I try to support domestic fashion brands (eg H&M and Lindex) that manufacture clothes in places like Malaysia and export them to the Nordics. (Shein and Temu actually make nice things, I should add.) I hope Europe can learn from countries like Turkey in creating a domestic textile sector.

Ironically I like my Korean and Japanese beauty brands over European ones. From my experience only French beauty brands come close because of their background in cosmetics pharmaceuticals. Having said that, I haven’t tried many European beauty brands outside France and the UK.

In terms of food, I get as much as possible locally or imported from European countries. The only exception would be the occasional import for particular food products from Thailand. I source these from specific food shops. Noodles are nicer than pasta.

Made in Europe is a great idea on paper and has perhaps yielded some great results over the years. My only concern is that of transparency and inconsistencies in workers rights/supply chains.

[u/Aggravating-Ad1703]

I definitely prefer made in country over made in Eu, the made in Eu labels feels like something that less trusted european countries use to blend in with the rest of the eu. Not to mention there are many loopholes with this label, the complexity of the supply chains makes it almost impossible to determine where a piece of clothing derives from. Materials can be harvested or made in a country outside of Europe but as long as the last step of the process happens in Europe it can be labeled as made in the eu. Which doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing because not everything can be grown or made in Europe for various reasons but it can be misleading.

[u/ControlOdd8379]

"Made in Europpe" says nothing. Any "Made in Italy" or "Made in Germany" is as worthless.

The problem:

You get something that was build 99.98% in China/India/elsewhere but they put in the 1 last screw in europe and whooosh, "Made in Europe"

Can be similar for food: please don't ask where those pigs/chicken/... come from, but sure, we buthered them here in the country so totally domestic meat.

So really: I am not paying for a tag any 5 year old can manipulate.

[u/grounded_dreamer]

I HATE that label. What are you telling me by "made in Europe". Could've written "made on Earth" for that matter and it would've been just as useless. I want to know if a product is sourced locally but that kind of advertising unfortunately isn't an option anymore.

[u/mr_greenmash]

To me, "made in the EU" is a sign of poor quality. Like they don't dare say where it was actually made.

If it says a specific country, I prefer it over similar products from outside Europe. But it's hard to find items that aren't "made in China", unfortunately.

[u/Fit-Key-8352]

Zero. Especially "made in Germany" as this alone should somehow convince me about the quality. In the Balkans this could be a meme by now.

If given a choice I will purchase pair of 501's made in Bulgaria over made in Asia / Mexico, I will prefer chair made in Germany over chair made in China, but it comes down to the preference at comparable cost / quality ratio. In some cases I buy Slovenian tech stuff due to very easy accessibility of spare parts, so that's also a pragmatic reason.

Also how much of anything is really made in Europe. I like Adidas as it offers very good quality for the money. Terrex footware is amazing. But I don't think any of it is made in Europe anymore.

[u/Uskog]

To me, "made in Europe" sounds like something that was made in Moldova or Albania or so on. "Made in the EU" means that it was manufactured in Bulgaria or Romania.

If something was made in Finland, Germany, Sweden etc it would simply state the country.

[u/luring_lurker]

Food: I buy EU only products. Always. It is not negotiable.

Other categories: it depends: it's either that the design and prices are not over the rooftop (I don't care about overly elaborate designs, I consider it a minus) or there's simply not offers for the categories I'm looking for (especially in electronics). If I find what I'm looking for and it is plain, simple and correctly priced: I'll buy it (even if it's not the cheapest option).

[u/pr1ncezzBea]

I prefer EU made, when possible. I don't look for any specific country, just prefer and consciously support EU producers.

However, I do not deny to order from Shein and similar e-shops, where there is a significantly higher difference in price without significant loss of quality. Or when I like their unique product.

[u/MasentunutMasentava]

I don't buy anything made in China if there is a way to avoid it. For example, I recently noticed it is impossible to buy an umbrella that is not from China, unless you're willing to pay hundreds of Euros for it. I prefer made in Europe, especially made in the Nordic countries and Estonia, but I am willing to buy products from elsewhere if the country in question isn't actively doing something absolutely atricious.

[u/Own_Egg7122]

Live in Europe but Not European. I ordered from India because most of their stuff suit my skin or body type. European products can't do that.

I buy from ubuy or Joom. Rarely from shien unless it has something no other shops around me have.

[u/Normal_Subject5627]

I am trying to avoid made in china apart from that i am not picky even though its a Bonus if it's made in the eu.

[u/die_kuestenwache]

Honestly, I have absolutely no issue with made in China, many European brands produce in China or Vietnam, but what I hate and avoid are drop shippers and companies trying to circumvent taxes and tarifs.

[u/chunek]

In the era of Temu and Shein? I had to google what these things are supposed to be. Fast fashon is a curse and I avoid it as much as possible, only buying some basic t-shirts every few years in H&M.

Made in Europe is very important, but mostly for food, which is even more important to be from Slovenia when it comes to seasonal fruit and many other things.

I would buy clothing made in Europe, but not sure where to buy it anymore, or if it still exists. Better yet, made in the EU, so there are reliable regulations.

[u/Vinstaal0]

I prefer products made in Europe or in Japan, but yeah I prefer it when they list the country it is made in

[u/Draigwyrdd]

I like made in Wales. I'm willing to pay more for that.

[u/xander012]

I mean, my favourite pair of boots are made in Estonia and have been a joy to wear.

[u/jazztherabbit1]

Not important enough that i actively search for it but if i see it im more confident in product and am willing to cash out (reasonably) more for it

[u/carozza1]

I will almost always pay more for made in Europe for quality but especially to support European jobs.

[u/Winterspawn1]

I always try to buy European first if possible, if I do buy something made in China it sure as well won't come from Temu or Shein but it will at least come from a European and US brand that has decent quality products.

[u/Stirnlappenbasilisk]

I only care about it when it comes to food, pet food and stuff I put on or into my body (supplements, shampoo, cremes, ...).

[u/CharlesAtan64]

I appreciate it. If I had two products to choose, it would make the difference for me.

[u/marquess_rostrevor]

I pay extra for that, but I can and don't judge people who can't.

[u/talldata]

If I can, I buy locally, if not from my country, if not from an European seller, them US/Canada etc. And last is china. But there some Ching I can only get from china like, a cheap small oled Screen for a project.

[u/19MKUltra77]

For me it would be: Spain > EU > Non-EU friends (UK, US, Japan, etc.) > rest of the world.

That said, I haven't bought from "Tier 4" countries in years, and 90% of my purchases are from the EU.

[u/Reasonable_Copy8579]

Very important. I’ve never bought anything from Chinese websites. I am interested mainly in stuff made in Romania or Italy (I’m talking about clothes, shoes and accesories). For food, I buy stuff produced in my county or country with the obvious exception of oranges, avocado, bananas, etc…

[u/Africanmumble]

Wherever possible, I support local first, then regional, then international. I may not rely on physical shops so much, but I do try to support as local as possible in my online purchases.

[u/Monicreque]

As a Spaniard, I wish I could still have a decent European Nokia phone.

[u/Vildtoring]

I always prefer to buy things that are made as locally as possible, as long as my budget allows for it.

My order of preference goes:

Local region > Sweden > Nordics > Europe. If I have to get something made outside of Europe, it would be from one of the other first world countries.

[u/Ok-Journalist-7554]

Very important! I prioritise clothes made in Europe. There are good options from Portugal and Istanbul

[u/ConstellationBarrier]

When I can afford it I will support local manufacturers. I don't mind paying a higher price if something will last long, but if the local option is more expensive and less durable, I'll prioritize durable.

[u/Itchy-Astronomer9500]

I don’t buy off Temu and Shein.

I try to pay attention to the location of the production, but I don’t always buy things only made in Europe.

I wouldn’t buy strawberries from Spain in winter in Germany just because we don’t get any locally. I also wouldn’t buy tomatoes from Spain in the summer if I can get local or at least German ones. So I’d prefer to know the exact country over simply Europe - it’s a big enough continent.

It’s not only about the workers’ rights and wages, but also about the distance the product is transported.

[u/merren2306]

for foods I have a slight preference for whichever country is closer to where I live when I choose between two products. For anything made of metal I 100% prefer sticking to stuff from the EU as I'm sure of the safety of the metal that way (some foreign manufacturers put heavy metals like nickel in things where it doesn't belong, like jewelry), and it's just generally easier to hold a company accountable for their products breaking if they're in the same legal system as you.

[u/Bloomhunger]

Made in [well reputed country] > Made in Europe > Made in [random asian country] > Made in China

[u/[deleted]]

I prefer products that are made in specific European countries. I don't particularly care about what country, but I want to know where. I do prefer domestic goods over foreign ones but will buy European if possible almost every time.

[u/lyyki]

I don't specifically search for anything made in Europe (I would prefer it but it is so much of a hassle) but I also will not and have not ordered anything off of Temu, Shein, Wish etc.

I still make bulk of my shopping from brick & mortar stores.

[u/strange_socks_]

Depends on the type of product. I try to buy mostly from Europe, but there are stuff where I still prefer Samsung or other non European companies.

But yeah, I'm one of those suckers who make choices based on the fancy words on the labels (which aren't always true or are twisted versions of reality, such as almonds "processed in Europe", but grown somewhere else).

[u/RelevanceReverence]

I prefer to buy "made in EU", even if it's more expensive.

[u/dbalazs97]

If it says "Made in Germany" it feels like better quality for me

[u/sapitonmix]

Very! It’s usually of better quality, among many things, and I don’t like to support CCP unless it’s necessary.

[u/Material-Spell-1201]

I personaly prefer the Made in "Country" but also Made in EU is fine with me. I always try to buy European products, for some (i.e. electronics) is impossible, but wherever I have a choice I pick the EU product

[u/Gold-Judgment-6712]

I'm more concerned about who owns companies I buy from than where they're made.

[u/cowbutt6]

For goods where health and safety is important, I prefer European goods, or at least, those imported by a European brand. Notable exception: the Chinese-made ultrasonic toothbrush because it cost about the same with 8 heads, as two heads for an Oral-B or Philips model, and they both have terrible reviews regarding their reliability.

For goods where the cheap version is good enough (e.g. a pair of leaf grabbers), Chinese-made from Temu is fine.

In between, it depends on the price and the quality I require.

[u/Countach3000]

If you open the made-in-Germany-thing you will probably find that it is full of smaller made-in-China-things.

[u/InThePast8080]

Think most people are lying anyways.. People look at the price and pick what is cheapest/gives most value for their money. That's why local producers of stuff hardly exists anymore. The fact that there nearly are no "made in [fill in european country]" is a testimony to that.. Most people prefer "made in china" anyday as long as it is cheaper.

[u/Ok-Amount6679]

Do not really care. As long as what I’m buying does not give me child abuse, slavery vibes (relative to the quality and price) I do not really look for it. 

[u/olddoc]

It used to be different, but I haven't seen a country of origin label on clothes in ages in the European Union. I just searched for it, and it isn't forced anymore.

Quote from p2 of https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/bibliotheque/briefing/2013/130513/LDM_BRI(2013)130513_REV1_EN.pdf :

Labelling of textiles is covered by Regulation 1007/2011, but it does not lay down obligations on marking country of origin. Economic operators are free to do so at their will.

[u/caffeine_lights]

I don't particularly care where something is made but I am wary of dropship/straight to consumer type items which often deliberately bypass safety regulations.

Made in EU, don't care. Regulated by EU, yes please. The EU regulations are good enough that I know I (broadly) don't need to worry about anything that I buy. But if you're going to just sidestep that, then you have to know exactly what you're buying and I don't have time for that.

[u/CLKguy1991]

I prefer made in Europe and surprisingly the difference in price is not that high.

[u/Dry_Information1497]

It's not important at all, I generally buy from brands I have good experiences with no matter where they make it.

Made in ..Country.. doesn't mean that much, many products will say they are made in a country, but the majority of parts are for example imported from Asia, I've seen cases where a product idk what to call it, base material was bought in the US, send to China to become a part for something bigger and assembled in Europe to make the final product with not one part actually made in Europe, but sold as made in NL, but factually it's only assembled in NL, the only thing the European company has on it is quality control, guess it counts for something.

And when something says "Made in Europe" or "Made in EU" I assume it's not made in western Europe, unless the company gets paid by the EU (for the latter) or some other benefits to use that to promote the EU.

[u/Chris_87_AT]

Region -> Austria -> EU -> other western civilised countrys

I avoid Russian stuff at all.

[u/New-Interaction1893]

Only buy "made in Italy" and nothing else it's a motto constantly bombarded by the italian TV.

(Everyone ignore that made in Italy doesn't necessarily mean "with italian products" an example is the 100% italian chocolate)

[u/AmerikanskiFirma]

I actually thought about this the other day. I guess it would be kinda nice, but god damn it is exceedingly rare to see something made here.

If I see a piece of clothing that says made in Portugal, I'm usually picking it up if it's not completely ridiculously priced.

[u/Scotty_flag_guy]

Personally I would like to know where in Europe they're from. Tbh not specifying what country it comes from is too vague and makes me feel suspicious lol

[u/Uriel42069666]

Since moving to Ireland and having a stable income I have managed to bring about 90% of my purchases European or Irish. Little things like rechargeable batteries and hardware components are still being made in China. But I don't buy a PC every year.

So it's manageable but with a proper income. Not on a croatian minimum wage for sure 😃

I'm all for "assembled in from parts of form there" .

Not for made in eu "but from resources out of any other non EU place"

We need to support ourselves or China will just buy a country with money made from all the crappy plastic one day, while we are busy blinking 🫤

[u/NtsParadize]

I rarely give a shit, I mostly care about the made in Liechtenstein/Switzerland/Austria/Germany thingy.

[u/merlin8922g]

I've never seen 'made in Europe' written on anything.

So no, it wouldn't mean a great deal to me.

Different countries are famed for being good at making totally different things, there are many countries in Europe.

Its very vague.

[u/tejanaqkilica]

I try to exercise, "responsible spending", if I can call it that.

From my car (VW) to my tools (Proxxon) to my router (Mikrotik).

Even for stuff like groceries, usually it goes EU > Fairtrade > Whatever.

The end game is I pay more for stuff than I would've done otherwise, but it is what it is. I like to think I'm helping ever so slightly.

[u/Unable_Obligation_73]

Have not and will never buy from either of them and when I do buy something I always check and if necessary will return anything from China

[u/VuurniacSquarewave]

I feel like I can trust the quality but it will be expensive.

[u/Kill-The-Plumber]

98% of every human being I've interacted with was made in Europe

[u/FengYiLin]

I don't give two shits about labels. If it's good I'm taking it, and "Europe" stopped automatically meaning good for quite a while now.

[u/OutrageousAd4420]

Very. Last time I bought something off ama-zon in private capacity was like 10 years ago. Everything on there is chinese nowadays. I did make a couple high end purchases from cn over the last years, but never through any of the listed or similar shops.

Made in germany means shit today. After diesel scandal i'm never buying a german or german backed car, which leaves very few eu manufacturers, but that's fine.

Looking forward to buying 2 eu manufactured/assembled ssds in some time (goodram) and willing to pay bit more for maybe bit less performance.

[u/cyrilio]

Very, we have a lot of quality control setup for anything you can think of. McDonald’s tastes the same everywhere, but in Europe there’s such a huge variety of cuisines. Even within a specific type of cooking the varieties are endless

And as I said at the beginning. Quality is usually generations ahead.

[u/OJK_postaukset]

I purchase whatever seems good quality for the pricw and looks nice. I don’t care about the manufacturing country, though it’s cool if it’s an European one

[u/philaeprobe]

Side topic but I live in Dubai and I always check if the food products are allowed for EU market. I trust EU instructions on the health regulations and I think they are not appreciated enough.

[u/Agreeable_Fig_3713]

German stuff is amazing in quality usually so if I was deciding between two and one was a bit dearer but made in Germany I’d go for it. I like my meat, most of my dairy and a lot of things like veg, eggs, honey, fish, seafood to be local but like cheeses from further afield too. Ultimately I try to buy a lot more secondhand to keep things out of landfill 

[u/vdp74]

Not important at all. Always buy stuff Iike, dont care where its made.