A piece made with metals recycled domestically should be allowed to be advertised as “made in the USA,” according to a request to the Federal Trade Commission filed June 17 by four industry organizations and the Richline Group.
Currently, FTC rules say that if a product is advertised as “made in the USA,” it must be “all or virtually all” manufactured in the United States, says a statement from the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), one of the groups that submitted the request. That is not easy for U.S. manufacturers to comply with, the group says, since most of the metals used in manufacturing emanate from overseas, and their origin is hard to determine once refined and smelted.
The request argues that when a metal is recycled, it begins a new life cycle and therefore has a new origin. It asks for a ruling that if a metal is recycled at a domestic refinery, it should be allowed to make a “made in the USA” claim.
In addition to the JVC, groups involved in the request are the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, Jewelers of America, the American Gem Trade Association, and the Richline Group.
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