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Everyone in the world buys things made in China everyday, it's the largest manufacturing country in the world, that's a non-sequitur. At the same time there ar

by piva00 1y ago

Everyone in the world buys things made in China everyday, it's the largest manufacturing country in the world, that's a non-sequitur. At the same time there are plenty of everyday items still made in the EU, and not necessarily luxury goods. My pets' leashes are made in Germany, my kitchen knives are made in Germany, my pots and pans are made in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. My drinking glasses are made in France, and Italy, my glass storage containers are made in France; lots of my clothing are made in Portugal, my music gear is made in Germany, Spain, Estonia, and Poland. It's up to you to choose items made in the EU and not China though.

graemep 1y ago
Also think about non-consumer items and expensive items such as cars. Even with consumer items the keyboard I am typing this on says "made in the Czech Republic" on the bottom. I definitely have lots of things made in Germany, Taiwan, France, the US, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam etc. People in the UK keep saying "we do not make anything anymore" but in fact lots of things, cars (often foreign brands, but still made here) and car parts, medicines, chemical, medical equipment, jet engines, satellites..... those are just off the top of my head.
- piva00 1y ago
  I didn't mention non-consumer items because OP was complaining about only buying items "made in China". For non-consumer items there's a whole laundry list of high-tech stuff where Europe has a big presence: high-end chemical reactors, high-precision machinery, chip manufacturing machines (not only ASML but also probe cards, vacuum valves/pumps), off-shore wind turbines (including HV submarine lines for transmission), aseptic packaging for food (Tetra Pak, SIG), and lots more. People only look at the brands they recognise without understanding there's a whole lots of standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants going on in the supply chain so Apple can manufacture an iPhone in China using technology from all across the globe, a lot of it from Europe. That laser cutter doing precision metalwork on phones, or cars? Probably German or Swiss... It's not flashy but there's actually very important technology that is developed, and made in Europe.

by piva00 1y ago

graemep 1y ago

Also think about non-consumer items and expensive items such as cars. Even with consumer items the keyboard I am typing this on says "made in the Czech Republic" on the bottom. I definitely have lots of things made in Germany, Taiwan, France, the US, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam etc. People in the UK keep saying "we do not make anything anymore" but in fact lots of things, cars (often foreign brands, but still made here) and car parts, medicines, chemical, medical equipment, jet engines, satellites..... those are just off the top of my head.

piva00 1y ago
I didn't mention non-consumer items because OP was complaining about only buying items "made in China". For non-consumer items there's a whole laundry list of high-tech stuff where Europe has a big presence: high-end chemical reactors, high-precision machinery, chip manufacturing machines (not only ASML but also probe cards, vacuum valves/pumps), off-shore wind turbines (including HV submarine lines for transmission), aseptic packaging for food (Tetra Pak, SIG), and lots more. People only look at the brands they recognise without understanding there's a whole lots of standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants going on in the supply chain so Apple can manufacture an iPhone in China using technology from all across the globe, a lot of it from Europe. That laser cutter doing precision metalwork on phones, or cars? Probably German or Swiss... It's not flashy but there's actually very important technology that is developed, and made in Europe.