Country of origin claims
Goods that have claims that they come from a certain country, must meet a number of standards. A claim that a good is made, produced or grown in a country may include:
- 'made in' a country
- 'produce of', 'product of', 'produced in', or 'grown in' a country
- use of certain logos such as the ‘Australian Made’ triangle
- goods, ingredients, or components were 'grown in' a country
The claim may be:
- attached to the goods (e.g. on a label)
- in promotional material.
Words or pictures that are a part of a good may not be making a claim about the country it has come from. For example, a t-shirt with a ‘Made in Australia’ label, makes a claim about country of origin, where as a t-shirt with the word ‘Australia’ as part of its design, does not.
'Made in' statements
A 'made in' statement on a good means:
- work in that country changed what the goods look like or do
- the business spent at least half of the producing or manufacturing costs in that country.
The ‘Made in Australia’ stamp is an example of a ‘made in’ statement.
'Product of' statements
A ‘product of’ or ‘produced in’ statement means:
- the product was nearly all produced or manufactured in the country
- all of the significant parts or ingredients came from that country.
'Grown in' statements
A statement that goods are grown in a certain country claims that:
- at least half of the finished product was grown or processed in that country
- nearly all of the production or manufacturing happened in that country
- all of the main ingredients or components came from (and always come from) that country.
Using a logo
Businesses can only use logos like the 'Australian Made' triangle if:
- work to make the product was mostly done in that country
- accounts for a certain percentage of their costs (at least 51% for ‘Made in Australia’).
Certification trademarks
Use a certification trademark to represent the country of origin of a product.
An example of this type of trademark is the ‘Australian Made, Australian Grown’ logo . You must have permission to use these types of trademarks.
Related information
This page has been produced and published by the Consumer Building and Occupational Services Division of the Department of Justice. Although every care has been taken in production, no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy, completeness, or relevance to the user's purpose of the information. Those using it for whatever purpose are advised to verify it with the relevant government department, local government body or other source and to obtain any appropriate professional advice. The Crown, its officers, employees and agents do not accept liability however arising, including liability for negligence, for any loss resulting from the use of or reliance upon the information and/or reliance on its availability at any time.