Richline Group Working With Key Industry Groups To Push for Updated Made in the USA Guidelines

From the June 18th, 2014 joint statement to the FTC for Guidance on “Made in the USA” Claims:

On June 17, 2014, four trade associations, along with the Richline Group, asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for an advisory opinion stating that jewelry composed of metals recycled in this country could be advertised as “Made in the USA.” The four associations are the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, Jewelers of America and the American Gem Trade Association.

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The request for an advisory opinion was based on the fact that significant time and resources go into collecting recyclable material, delivering it to refiners in the United States, and then processing the items to a purity level of almost 100%. The associations and Richline argued that upon recycling, metal begins a new life cycle, with a new origin in this country – regardless of where it was originally mined. For this reason, according to the request, products composed of metals recycled in this country should qualify for a “Made in the USA” claim. If the request is granted by the FTC, sellers would be able to make the claim – as long as they could substantiate that the metal was recycled at a domestic refinery.

Richline Group is proud to work alongside the JVC, MJSA, JA and AGTA in this attempt to drive the first meaningful change to the “Made in America” guidelines since they were last revised by the FTC in 1997.

It has long been our belief that the current guidelines make it impossible for well-meaning companies to properly market jewelry that has been wholly created here in America. We will continue to work closely with both industry organizations and the FTC to discover viable ways for American refiners and manufacturers – such as our own LeachGarner division – to properly and legally denote jewelry as “Made in the USA” while continuing to protect the rights of consumers everywhere.

Click here to read and download the full press release from the JVC