55% do not check country of origin labeling on apparel products!

2022/11/24

55% do not check country of origin labeling on apparel products! (2022/11/24)


Survey Summary

When you purchase apparel products, do you check the country of origin label?

This time, we conducted a survey of men and women in their teens to fifties nationwide on the question, "Do you check the country-of-origin label on apparel products when you purchase them? We have conducted a survey on "Do you check the country of origin label when you purchase apparel products?

Survey population: Men and women in their teens to 50s nationwide Number of responses: 100 Survey period: November 22, 2022 - November 24, 2022 Method: Internet survey

Respondent Attributes

men and women

age

region

job

 

55% don't check country of origin labels!

When purchasing apparel products, do you check the country of origin label?

(not confirmed: 55, confirmed: 45)

 

《not checked》
  • I know that cheap products are usually made in China or Vietnam, so I often judge by price. (20s / Female / Kyoto / Part-time job)
  • I care whether or not food is made in Japan, but I think clothes are less likely to be made in Japan. I don't particularly care where they are made. (20s / Female / Osaka / Student)
  • I don't care which country it is made in. I care about sewing, dirt, design, etc. and check them carefully before purchasing, but if they are well-made and I like them, it doesn't matter where they come from. (30s / Female / Tokyo / Full-time employee)
  • I don't buy anything that expensive, so most of my purchases are from overseas. Even if I buy something a little more expensive, I don't look at the country of origin. I look to see if there are any loose threads or if the item is broken. (30s / Female / Aichi / Part-time job)
  • I often choose fast fashion items, which are usually made in China or Korea, so I rarely check them, but on rare occasions I am happy when they are made in Japan. (30s / Female / Kyoto / Housewife)
  • I am not particularly concerned about the country of origin, as the days when quality varied greatly depending on the country of origin are long gone. Also, even if a product is made in Europe, many of the people actually engaged in manufacturing it are immigrants from Asia, so from this point of view, I think it is meaningless to be concerned about the country of origin. (40s / Male / Tochigi / Self-employed, freelance)
  • Since most of the clothes sold are of foreign origin, I do not bother to check the country-of-origin label because I do not think anything in particular when I check it. If the clothes are made in Japan, the price is higher or the fact that they are made in Japan is clearly indicated, so I think I would notice it before checking. (40s / Female / Hyogo / Housewife)
  • Many Japanese products have large labels on them that make them easily noticeable, so I don't bother to check them because I can see them instead of checking them. Other than that, I don't bother to check because they are probably foreign-made. (40s / Female / Ibaraki / Housewife)
  • I care about the material, but rarely look at the country of origin. I don't see as much mishandling of sewing due to differences in country of origin as I used to. (50s / Female / Kanagawa / Housewife)
  • I check foodstuffs, but when it comes to apparel products, I am concerned about the brand, but not the country of origin (50's / Male / Osaka / Full-time employee)

 

《check》
  • Because I try to choose domestically produced goods as much as possible for my shopping, including daily foodstuffs. Because it is important to reduce CO2 emissions from imports and because local production for local consumption in Japan is important. (20s / Female / Osaka / Self-employed, freelance)
  • I will take a look. I think Japanese-made products are the most reliable. (20s / Female / Aichi / Unemployed)
  • This is because we want to have an idea of the cost of raw materials and labor before purchasing an item. Also, for expensive clothing or items that I plan to wear for a long time, I check to make sure that they are made in Japan. I don't necessarily buy items just because they are made in a foreign country. (30s / Female / Fukuoka / Housewife)
  • They are concerned about whether it is Japanese or not. I don't buy something because of where it is from, but I feel lucky if it is from Japan. (30s / Male / Chiba / Self-employed, freelance)
  • In my experience, I have come to avoid products made in China because they are often very poorly made and quickly become useless. (30s / Female / Tokyo / Company owner, executive)
  • If the products are made overseas and are inexpensive, they often do not last long, so I always check the quality. (40s / Female / Tokyo / Full-time employee)
  • We check everything, including food products, so it is a weekly thing. Even so, I try to refrain from buying Chinese products as much as possible because there are many areas of concern, such as human rights issues. (40s / Male / Hokkaido / Full-time employee)
  • I always check the country of origin because I think the safety of the fabric and the care of sewing are reflected in the country of origin. (40s / Female / Aichi / Part-time job)
  • Because there may be differences in sewing. Also, there may be differences in overall quality. (50s / Female / Saitama / Part-time job)
  • I check the country of origin because I want to see if the materials used are genuine. (50s / Female / Hyogo / Part-time job)

 

summary

Regarding whether they check the country of origin label when purchasing apparel products, 55% said they do not and 45% said they do, indicating that the majority of respondents do not check the country of origin label.

Many of those who "don't check" stated that they "know that the product is roughly foreign," "don't care much about the country of origin," or "trust the brand more than the country of origin.

Many of those who "check" said that "quality varies depending on the country of origin," that "just because it is from a foreign country does not mean I won't buy it," and that "I am concerned about human rights issues and environmental issues.

Given the current situation in which domestic products account for only 2 to 3% of the products distributed in Japan, i.e., most of the products distributed are foreign-made, the opinion that "you don't have to bother to check to know that they are foreign-made" is a nod to the fact that the Japanese market is still in a state of flux.

In addition, with the increase in the number of quality Chinese and Southeast Asian apparel products, more and more people seem to believe that country of origin does not necessarily have anything to do with quality.

However, we found that a certain number of people tend to avoid purchasing apparel products from certain countries of origin, as indicated by the statement "I am concerned about human rights and environmental issues" among those who check country-of-origin labels.

 

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