Why APPLE & BEARS chose a practical approach to manufacturing and sustainability.
At APPLE & BEARS, we believe the true cost of making a product is about more than the number printed on an invoice.
There is the financial cost, of course. But there is also the environmental impact of transporting products and materials, the effect on local economies, the jobs and livelihoods supported by manufacturing, and the skills and craftsmanship that can disappear when production moves elsewhere.
These costs are not always visible.
But they matter.
This thinking has been part of APPLE & BEARS from the beginning.
Our Philosophy: Practical Manufacturing and Sustainability
Make locally where practical. Source globally where necessary. Consider the wider cost.
We don't believe everything should be made locally. Modern manufacturing simply doesn't work that way.
Products can require specialist materials, components and processes. Some are produced in relatively small quantities, while others depend on economies of scale that cannot reasonably be replicated in every country.
Global manufacturing therefore has an important role to play.
Our belief is not that everything should be made in England.
It is that businesses should consider whether something can reasonably be made closer to home before automatically choosing the cheapest production option elsewhere.
We don't claim to be perfect. We claim to be deliberate.
Why Made in England Matters to Us
For APPLE & BEARS, Made in England is about more than heritage or British provenance.
It is about the manufacturing ecosystem around us.
Our formulations are developed and owned by APPLE & BEARS.
Our bottles are manufactured in the UK and printed in the UK.
Our bulk products are manufactured by independent UK companies, and our products are filled in the UK.
Our outer packaging is manufactured in the UK.
Our reusable eco bags are supplied by a UK business.
Much of the manufacturing and packaging behind our products therefore takes place within the United Kingdom.
Keeping these stages of production closer to home helps us work with British businesses and supports the manufacturing, employment, skills and knowledge that exist around them.
Manufacturing is not simply machinery and buildings.
It is people.
It is experience.
It is craftsmanship.
It is knowledge built over time.
Once those capabilities disappear, rebuilding them can be extremely difficult.
Practical, Not Absolute
The objective of our philosophy is not isolation.
It is intention.
There are components for which local manufacturing simply isn't practical.
Our push pumps are one example.
We purchase our pumps from a UK supplier, but the pumps themselves are manufactured outside the UK because there is currently no UK company manufacturing the range of push pumps and specifications required by businesses such as APPLE & BEARS.
Push pumps are produced in many different designs and specifications for different products and industries. Demand for individual variations may not be sufficient to support manufacturing every type locally.
In this situation, international manufacturing makes practical sense.
This is not a contradiction to our philosophy.
It is why our philosophy is practical rather than absolute.
Modern products can involve hundreds of different materials, components and processes. It would not be realistic or necessarily sensible for every country to manufacture every specialist component it needs.
The Question of Distance
Where products are made also affects how far materials and finished goods may need to travel.
Raw materials move to manufacturers.
Components move between suppliers.
Finished products move to warehouses and distributors.
Eventually, they reach the customer.
Transportation has an environmental impact. The precise impact depends on factors including distance, transport method, shipment size, materials and manufacturing efficiency.
That is why we believe distance should be part of the conversation.
It becomes particularly relevant when finished products contain large quantities of water or other heavy materials.
If suitable manufacturing capability exists closer to the customer, it is reasonable to ask whether a finished product needs to travel thousands of miles simply because it can be produced more cheaply elsewhere.
There may be legitimate reasons for doing so.
But it is still a question worth asking.
The Cost That Doesn't Appear on the Invoice
The financial benefits of lower-cost manufacturing can be significant.
But there can also be consequences that are much harder to measure.
A local manufacturer loses a customer.
A supplier loses an order.
A skilled worker loses an opportunity.
An apprenticeship disappears.
Specialist knowledge becomes harder to replace.
A community loses part of the economic activity that once supported it.
These consequences rarely appear on the original manufacturing quotation.
That is what we mean by the wider cost.
Manufacturing can create more than products.
It can create employment, develop skills, support suppliers and give people opportunities to build livelihoods within their communities.
We believe those things have value.
A Philosophy That Can Apply Anywhere
Our decision to manufacture in England reflects where APPLE & BEARS is based and how we have chosen to operate.
But the principle itself is not uniquely British.
A business in England can support English manufacturing.
A business in France can support French manufacturing.
A business in Japan can support Japanese manufacturing.
A business in the United States can support American manufacturing.
The principle is the same:
Local manufacturing can create local opportunity.
It can help sustain employment, skills, suppliers and communities while encouraging businesses to consider unnecessary transportation and resource use.
This does not mean every country should manufacture everything.
It means there is value in asking what can reasonably be made closer to where it is needed.
Consumers Are Part of the Equation
Consumers also have a role.
Local manufacturing can sometimes cost more than producing the same product elsewhere.
We don't believe consumers should be expected to pay an unlimited premium simply because a product carries a sustainability message.
But we do believe people can be willing to accept a reasonable additional cost when they understand what they are supporting.
That might mean supporting local employment.
Maintaining manufacturing skills.
Supporting local businesses.
Strengthening communities.
Or making a more considered choice about how far a product and its materials have travelled.
Consumers influence businesses through what they choose to buy.
Businesses respond to those choices.
Together, those decisions can influence the direction of manufacturing.
Responsibility Over Perfection
For APPLE & BEARS, sustainability has never been about claiming zero impact.
It is about making better, more considered choices where we can.
We use recyclable bottles.
We use reusable eco bags.
We manufacture and fill our products in the UK.
We work with independent British manufacturers and suppliers across much of our supply chain.
And where international manufacturing is necessary, we recognise that reality.
We believe this is a more honest approach to sustainability.
Practical rather than absolute.
Why This Matters
The world is changing.
Environmental pressures are increasing. Global supply chains are becoming more complex. Manufacturing capabilities have disappeared from many communities, while businesses and consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental and social consequences of how products are made.
No individual company can solve these problems.
But businesses can make choices.
They can ask:
Where should this be made?
Does it need to travel this far?
Could it be manufactured closer to the customer?
What happens to the people and businesses that depend upon local manufacturing?
And what is the true cost of choosing the cheapest option?
There is no single answer.
But we believe these are questions worth asking.
Made in England — With a Global Perspective
Made in England is not the whole philosophy of APPLE & BEARS.
It is an expression of it.
We chose to manufacture in England because we believe there is value in supporting British manufacturing, working with British businesses and maintaining skills and employment closer to home.
At the same time, we recognise that international manufacturing has an important role to play where local production is not practical.
We believe that balance matters.
We cannot change how the entire world manufactures.
We cannot control every supply chain.
We cannot manufacture every component ourselves.
But we can choose how we run our own business.
And perhaps that is where meaningful change begins.
Not with perfection.
Not with pretending every problem has a simple answer.
But with businesses making considered choices and consumers supporting the choices they believe in.
Because the true cost of making something can be much greater than the number on the invoice.
