Britain proudly brought the beginning of the industrial revolution to the world in the 18th century. Since then the US, China, Japan, Germany and India overtook as industrial powerhouses. In fact, as of 2010 China has been on top of the game with an estimated $4.566 trillion industrial output in 2016 compared to the UK which had an output of $505 billion and now comes eighth in the industrial ranks. This decline is something to bare in mind when sourcing materials and products as it not only has an effect on the country, it has an effect on the globe.
Why Does This Matter?
1. The Economy.
Buying British goods supports British industries and helps protect and create jobs in the UK rather than spending money abroad. The money from these companies goes back into the country for improvements to things such as education, policing and medical care. Products that once brought in the majority of country funding is the UK steel industry, which has been in decline for some time. A variety of factors contribute to this decline, such as overcapacity in EU steelmaking and Chinese state-subsidised firms flooding the global market with cheap product. An industry that employed 323,000 people in 1971 now employs less than a tenth of that, at 31,900. The ability to make steel is also seen as a crucial component of a developed nation’s defence capability, not to mention its role for strategically important industries such as transport and oil and gas. There are many other materials and products such as car production heading to the same fate within the United Kingdom.
2. Quality and Ethics.
Products are generally imported to the UK from other countries because they are much cheaper to buy than UK made. This however, is usually due to a compromise on quality, using cheaper materials and cheap labour in a fast mass production facility. There aren’t as many regulations surrounding labour in countries such as China and so poor working conditions, low pay and excessive overtime are frequent in factories.
A study carried out in the Guandong Province on four toy factories in 2016 showed shocking workplace standards when they discovered that “workers are paid wages of $300 or less per month for 174 hours of work. They make toys such as Barbie, Thomas the Tank Engine and Hot Wheels. These products are sold by Mattel, Hasbro, Disney, McDonald’s and other large American companies.” This is a huge difference from in the UK where you can be safe in the knowledge that the people making your products are governed by strict regulations which ensure that they are paid fairly and treated well.
3. Transport emissions
Not only is it ethically better to buy from Britain, but it is also much better for the planet. As of 2019, the level of CO2 in our earth’s atmosphere is almost 48% above pre-industrial levels. One way to reduce this global warming causing gas is to reduce vehicle usage. Buying within the UK is a huge reduction on transport miles in comparison to when sourcing from other countries. Fewer fossil fuels are used to pollute the air through lorry and plane travel or into the ocean from boat imports. Not only does this mean there is less pollution, transport times within the UK are much quicker, meaning you get what you need within hours or days rather than weeks.
Here at Blackwood Ovens, we are committed to helping Britain thrive by sourcing our materials in the UK and manufacturing all of our products here too. This way you know that there has been no compromise on quality and your new smoker or grill has been made by happy manufacturers with minimal damage to the environment.
Please contact our team for any further information on 0161 250 9577 or via email at sales@blackwoodovens.com.
