FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
American Made Matters Changes Logo and License Agreement to Comply with FTC Standards
ADAMSTOWN, Penn., January 15, 2018 — On July 4, 2009, Bollman Hat Company launched Save an American Job, LLC (SAAJ) after going through a painful downsizing in its US factory. A board of directors was formed to advise SAAJ, comprised of US companies that are passionate about American manufacturing. In 2010, SAAJ adopted the name American Made Matters (AMM). AMM’s mission is to educate consumers on the importance of buying US-made goods.
AMM understood the difficulty that many US manufacturers have with obtaining raw materials and components from domestic sources for US-produced products. They also understood how hard it was for consumers to find products manufactured in the US. Thus, AMM created a logo and standards for its use—that at least 50% of the cost (labor, material, overhead) of the product is incurred in the United States and the final assembly or transformation takes place in the United States. Members could license this logo for use on their products if AMM’s 50% standard was met.
From its beginning, the AMM standard was intended to be different than the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Made in USA standard so as to promote jobs, stronger communities, and a robust economy with a standard that was more achievable, given the growing difficulty to source US-made components. The FTC standard that “all or virtually all” of the product be made in the US is an increasingly difficult standard for US makers to comply with in many industries, like apparel and accessories. AMM communicated its standard through its website and to its members with a licensing agreement, noting the difference between the AMM standard and the FTC’s standard.
Last February, the FTC sent AMM an inquiry stating that it received information that AMM was promoting a logo that implies, when used on a product, that the product meets FTC standards.
The FTC has determined that the AMM logo is an unqualified Made in USA claim.
AMM has taken corrective action in order to comply with the FTC’s rules and has revised its licensing agreement if AMM members want to use the logo. Specifically, four logos have been created to provide consumers with a better indication of when an AMM member company has self-certified their claim or had it done through an independent third party, and whether they are complying with the AMM standard or the FTC standard.
AMM accepts the federal law and guidance on US origin claims as it is today, but hopes that it will one day reflect today’s business realities.
About American Made Matters®: American Made Matters® was launched on July 4, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.americanmadematters.com/.
Contact:
American Made Matters
(717) 484-6230
contact@americanmadematters.com
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