Local Production

What?

The product’s manufacturing phase takes place as close as possible to development, material production and/or retail.

Why?

Local production can:

• minimise use of resources i.e. transport costs and CO² emissions.
• enable design innovation and production flexibility, in close collaboration with manufacturers.
• support local communities.
• support transparency in the supply chain.

Challenges

Lack of locally situated manufactures in Denmark, Scandinavia and Western Europe due to the general outsourcing.

Examples

• High-end textiles company, Wallace & Sewell use their choice of local production as part of the product history build-up.
• Local production can be used to promote and invigorate a specific geographical area through a joint platform, see for example MINYC.
• OpenDesk lets customers choose their furniture design online, and connects them with local carpenters or makerspaces.

Further Reading

Clarke-Sather & Cobb (2019). Onshoring fashion: Worker Sustainability Impacts of Global and Local Apparel Production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 1206-1218.

Diez (2016). Locally Productive, Globally Connected Self-Sufficient Cities. Fab City.

Stewart & Tooze (2015). Future Makespaces and Redistributed Manufacturing. Making Futures Conference, Plymouth.

Twigger Holroyd (2018). Forging New Futures: Cultural Significance, Revitalization, and Authenticity. In: Design Roots. Bloomsbury Academic.