Buying French

What does “buying French” mean?

The idea of “buying local” or “supporting the national economy” does not apply only to France.

It can apply to any country or region. 

All over the world, choosing a locally made product helps to support the local economy, preserve jobs and know-how, and reduce the environmental impact linked to the transport of goods.

In France, we often hear, in political speeches, advertising or the media, that we should buy French.

But what does this expression really mean?

At first glance, “buying French” means supporting the national economy by choosing a product or service offered by a company registered in France.

In reality, this notion covers several very different situations, which are not always visible to the consumer.

• The 100% national product

This is the ideal case: a good that is designed, manufactured, assembled and distributed entirely in France, using materials of French origin.

Example:

• an artisan who makes a piece of furniture from wood sourced from French forests and processed locally
• a knife maker who creates blades and handles in their workshop, using local resources, from the metal to the finishing materials

In this case, the entire production chain is French, which guarantees full traceability and genuine national added value. However, this type of product remains rare, as it requires locally available resources, specific know-how, and often higher production costs.

• A product made from French raw materials but processed abroad

A product may have a French origin, for example wood or metal from France, but be worked on, transformed or assembled in another country before being reimported.

Example:

• a tree cut down in France
• sent to another country to be turned into furniture
• then reimported and sold in France

In this case, the final product does indeed contain a French material, but the main added value, such as shaping, finishing and transformation, has been carried out abroad. The economic benefit for France therefore remains limited, even if the origin of the material is national.

• A product ordered by a French company but entirely manufactured abroad

Some French companies have neither stock nor a workshop.

They simply place an order with a foreign supplier, who ships the product directly to the final customer.

In this situation:

• the product has never been worked on in France
• but it is marketed under a French brand

This practice is common in online sales and for products imported under a white label. It allows the French company to distribute a product without ensuring its manufacture, which can sometimes mislead the consumer about the real origin of the product.

• Assembly or finishing in France

Other companies purchase all parts or raw materials abroad, then carry out only a final step in France, such as:

• assembly
• packaging
• or a specific finish, such as polishing or decoration

In this case, the product can legally bear the label “assembled in France” or sometimes “made in France”, even though most of its production has taken place abroad.

So what are we really buying?

In all these cases, the item is purchased from a French company, but this does not guarantee that the product was made on national territory. Buying French can therefore mean several things:

• supporting a French company
• giving priority to local production
• or simply consuming a product distributed from France

It all depends on what one actually wishes to support: national economic value, local production, or complete product traceability.

Why this notion is important

Finding out where products come from makes it possible to better understand economic networks and the real impact of one’s purchases.

Supporting products that are truly made in France helps to preserve artisanal and industrial know-how, maintain local jobs and limit the ecological footprint linked to international transport.

You can find more information on our “French Manufacturing” page, which explains how we work and the choices we make to prioritise local production and quality craftsmanship.