Catalyst Promotions Blog

Buying products that are produced domestically is important to many people, especially in times of economic hardship.  It is natural to wonder where the products you buy from Catalyst Promotions comes from.  The easy answer to this question is that we offer both domestically made and imported products.  Here is what you need to know to make an informed decision about what products you buy and where they come from.

To start, it is good to know what Made In America actually means.  While researching for this post, I have come across several definitions, but the government has an official standard(even if it is a little vague).  You can look at the document here.  The official standard for Made in the U.S.A. is “all or virtually all”.  I am still a little fuzzy on how big “virtually all” is but I would think it is a much higher standard than the “51% made in the U.S.” standard that I saw on some websites.  What this means is that any company claiming to have U.S. made products must meet this “all or virtually all” standard.

Catalyst Promotions offers many products that carry this label.  You can browse through some of them here.  If buying product that is produced domestically is important to you, we can provide options for you.  There are a couple of things to consider if you choose to make this a priority.  The first is cost.  For a variety of reasons American made goods tend to be significantly more expensive than their imported counterparts.  This could put a strain on your marketing budget.

The second and maybe more significant hurdle is availability.  There are some types of products that are hard or near impossible to find from an American made factory.  We will do all we can to track down the products you are after, just keep in mind that requiring U.S. made product may limit your options in some cases.  This could be a minor annoyance such as limited style options, or it could be that a particular product is simply not made in this country any more.

If the “all or virtually all” standard is not a priority for you, I have good news.  Even though the majority of the products we sell are manufactured oversees, almost all our products are decorated here in the U.S.  I can’t tell you what percentage of labor and materials are domestic in each product, there are too many to calculate each one.  I can say that purchasing promotional products does help employ many people in this country.

Knowing where the product you buy comes from is an important factor in deciding what to buy for many of our customers.  Many business types or situations require product that is domestically made.  We will always be happy to help you find the product that fits your priorities and goals.  You can also know that no matter what product you choose, promotional dollars spent with Catalyst Promotions helps keep the wheels of the American economy rolling.