What does ' Made in Italy' actually mean?

Each country has it's own distinctive brand that characterizes it's product. So stands Made in Germany for reliability, Made in the U.S.A. is the sign of an innovative product, Made in Japan symbolizes high tech and Made in Italy expresses craftsmanship. 

In fashion world, Italy is the number one in the high quality of it's own textiles and the elegance and refinement of making them! The whole world trusts a product that is Made in Italy.

But what does Made in Italy actually mean?
It means a product that is entirely made in Italy, from the design and working out on paper, till the product is made and ready for sale. the Made in Italy product OUGHT to stand for the actual and total derivation and production in Italy. Unfortunately in many cases this is not so... Cause actually many products can carry that name even when they are almost entirely made abroad!   

According to article 24 of the European Customs Code  (Reg EEC 2913/1992), a product which has been made in two or more countries is considered to originate in the country where the final transformation or substantial work took place.

So basically that means that an item, let's say a bag, made for 70% abroad and for 30% in Italy (the 30% can be for example: the attaching of the logo)can be labelled as Made in Italy. But the same goes for an item completely produced abroad but commissioned by a firm that is based in Italy. 

With the globalization it's difficult to establish the real origin of the product. And there's nothing bad with producing abroad or keeping the production exclusively in your own country. But when the only part of an item, the label, is produced in for example Italy it doesn't seem right to label it as a Made in Italy product...It should be labelled by where the main part of the production has been done! Like in the case of the 70% abroad/ 30% Italian bag, instead of the Made in Italy tag it should say where the 70% took place. The same goes for the example of the bag totally produced abroad but commissioned by an Italian firm, cause it doesn't mean that the workers abroad were paid fair wages just because an Italian firm supervises the production (and we want to know it's REAL origin). Also in that case, the item should be labelled with the country of production. 

So what's going on?
Many Italian firms, including some of the most prestigious fashion brands, choose to move the largest part of the production abroad. Where labour is cheaper but in some cases also less skilled. The employed personnel takes a lower salary allowing the firm to make an enormous profit. So imagine that the items sold in some of the best boutiques and shops for a sky high price, are made for a few euros in for example Chinese workshops! Where the people are forced to work in unhygienic and inhuman conditions for long working days, under payed. 

In fact a handbag exclusively made and produced in Italy can cost between the 70 and 100 euros in comparison to the same bag made in china where the production would cost between the 14 and 20 euro. So if the big brands work like this, they could even lower their price, become more commercial, and still make a lot of profit.


Obviously this doesn't mean that ALL firms work like that or neither that made in china by definition means under payed workers or poor made clothing. Or even that Italian workers don't work in bad conditions too.
The importance is to understand where every item comes from, that it's made with respect for environment and people. And if we start to understand the exact origin of a product, we can help to change the working conditions and environmental impact for the better.    
 

Text: All text copyright Green Fashion (unless indicated) 

Images: Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. Please alert me if there are omissions. All collages/looks: copyright Green Fashion