May 15, 2023
'The Cost' of outsourcing v UK manufacturing and what we are hoping to achieve with our business practices.
In a time where maximising profits often takes precedence, it's crucial to recognise the importance of ethical and sustainable business practices and the advantages of manufacturing in the UK over outsourcing to countries like India and China. The majority of homewares businesses will likely outsource because in the short term it equates to lower manufacturing costs, cheaper products for consumers and higher profits for businesses.
But at what cost?
Poor labour conditions for those designing, producing and shipping your products.
The quality of the product produced, if you don't want to pay for quality you're probably not going to get it!
The impact on the planet.
What we are trying to achieve at Fayego
- Putting people first. outsourcing manufacturing to countries such as China and India whose labour regulations are not inline with the UK's can lead to poor working conditions, low wages and exploitation of workers. In contrast by manufacturing in the UK it ensures that our business operates within a framework of robust labour laws that protect the rights and well-being of employees. By supporting UK manufacturing we believe we are standing against labour exploitation and investing in the welfare of the workforce.
- The UK has a long standing reputation for exceptional quality and craftsmanship. By manufacturing locally, we can maintain high quality control of our products making sure that our products meet customer expectation.
- Being mindful of our carbon footprint, energy consumption, pollution, waste, deforestation, habitat destruction and transparency.
- By manufacturing in the UK we have no need to transport goods overseas.
- UK laws typically have more stringent environmental regulations when it comes to energy usage and therefore manufacturing locally will result in lower energy consumption when compared with outsourcing where regulations can be outdated or inefficient.
- The UK requires businesses to operate with regard for pollution control - even our warning candle labels will tell you how the containers and contents need to be disposed with.
- Outsourcing can often lead to the destruction of habitats rich in natural resources, particularly regarding the extraction of raw materials. We only work with suppliers for our waxes and oils that maintain the highest of ethical standards when it comes to sourcing these products. Our pots are made in Sheffield ensuring as few travel miles as possible, transparency of the quality of the product produced and stringent rights for those producing them.