BBC Radio 4 welcomed Made in Britain’s John Pearce onto its consumer affairs programme this week to discuss the role of the organisation and the need for a strong British manufacturing sector to drive economic growth.
John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain, appeared on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme on Monday, July 14, reflecting on the importance of buying British from a consumer perspective, as well as the positive impact British manufacturing can have on the wider national economy.
Made in Britain finds itself at the epicentre of this national conversation, supporting its 2,200 members through the use of its officially recognised trademark, which you can see on hundreds of thousands of products at all levels of the production line, from creation to packaging and placing on shop shelves.
Supporting Britain’s jobs, economy and environment “not mutually exclusive”
When asked if the British consumer’s top reason for buying British goods was a result of supporting British jobs, helping to boost the economy or doing their bit for the environment, John stated that the three are not mutually exclusive.
“A Made in Britain product effectively ticks all of those boxes at the same time,” he said. “I think people want to know that when they’re making a decision to buy something made in Britain, they are making the right decision both for themselves and the British economy at the same time.”
John was then asked what using the official Made in Britain trademark means to manufacturers, to which he replied: “I think what it means to the manufacturers that use it is that they are very proud of the fact that they are in business and profitable.”
Discussing whether or not there has been an increase in demand from consumers for British-made products, John continued: “Every time there’s an emergency of the supply of anything, the British public are forced to think again about where things come from; we saw this with the ship getting stuck in the Suez [Canal], we saw it with the pandemic when we didn’t have enough PPE.
“Every time we are all forced to think about where things are coming from and where they are made, people are asking these questions. We’re providing a database and a website that they can visit and check who is making the things that they want to buy, what those companies are up to, what they are making, and what the evidence is to say that we should be buying those things to support the British economy towards the growth we all need.”
You and Yours, the long-running consumer affairs radio show, attracts an audience of over three million listeners and is a regular feature on BBC Radio 4, which is the largest speech radio station in the United Kingdom.
You can listen back to the full episode of You and Yours on BBC Sounds here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002fv83, with John's interview beginning around 28:12.
By Made in Britain 2 days ago | Media coverage