Who Cares if it's Made in Germany?

In Germany, the Social Democrat-Green coalition is fighting for its political life in the coming federal election. Some politicians are championing unusual policies in their attempts to boost their parties' popularity with the electorate. Consumer Protection Minister Renate Künast is one.

Künast has positioned herself on the side of German manufacturers and by doing so has also placed herself in the cross hairs of the media. Proclaiming her allegiance and support for German products, the Green Party minister appeared in the popular Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag to urge her compatriots to buy domestically produced goods and help protect the jobs of fellow Germans.

The move backfired and Künast was accused of protectionism. In an attempt to calm the stormy waters, a government statement attempted to spin the story into something a little more palatable. Künast was not calling for a boycott of foreign goods, it claimed, but for an environment where workers' rights are upheld and child labor abroad is not rewarded.

But what do the consumers of Germany think about Künast's rallying call to "Buy German?"

Cheap goods flooding German market

Digging deeper past the ill-conceived initial rant, one finds a central argument to the minister's call, one which has been a matter of debate for years: the trend toward discount products, especially food. The no-frills product ranges have come under fire mainly due to the fact that they are produced in other countries where labor costs are cheaper but sold in Germany.

But does the consumer really have the choice to support German products?

In the Bonn branch of the nationwide department store chain Kaufhof, an investigation into the country of origin of most of the clothing available there reveals an overwhelmingly international trend. Labels on trousers, t-shirts, belts and hats disclose many different origins: Made in China, Made in Bangladesh, Made in Turkey and Made in Romania. Not one says Made in Germany.

Moving to another floor, the story is the same. Even the world famous Steiff animals, cuddly toys associated with high-quality German manufacturing processes, carry the label: "Produced in China under quality control of Steiff Germany ".

"Made in Germany" not the whole story

"The consumer generally does not have the possibility to find out where the product has been produced," says Holger Brackemann from German standards watchdog Stiftung Warentest. "The famous 'Made in Germany' label, that they may find on textiles and other products, may not be the whole truth, that it may not have been produced here from the first through to the last manufacturing step."

The government's statement that Künast was looking to prevent worker exploitation and child labor in foreign countries by urging Germans to buy locally produced, in theory, is a good example of trying to kill two birds with one stone. On the one hand, promoting German goods is a tick for trying to protect jobs at home while trying to put pressure on countries that use child labor is stab at promoting an ethical foreign policy.

German consumers want quality items

But do German consumers know about the origins of their products or whether ethical practices were used in their production? Do they even care?

When asked if she takes any notice of where products are produced, one shopper in Bonn replied: "No, not at all." Another added: "I shop for quality. Quality goods not only come from Germany. And Germany makes a lot of rubbish as well."

Another shopper said: "I look first at the quality and then at the price, and then if I decide if buying this is worthwhile, then I get it. The country of origin doesn't really feature."

"The argument about child labor is an important one," says one man. "But they must also earn their money. Not buying the products may actually endanger that."

It seems that in this election year, the issue will not be where the products come from but whether or not consumers will have enough money in their pockets to buy anything.