During the recent pandemic, lanyards were perhaps more popular across the United Kingdom than ever due to the government using the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard scheme. This has seen a surge in popularity to help people indicate they are unable to wear a mask on account of personal circumstances.
More people saw the benefits and convenience of a good lanyard, either by wearing them or by learning to pay attention to them, and this is one aspect of the pandemic that we should not be so quick to shed now that people are back in the office. Lanyards are a practical and versatile tool; like any tool, it is paramount that you make the right choice when buying them.
Here are a few reasons why you should make sure to go with lanyards made here in the UK and how this can help both you and the country at large.
1. It cuts out the middleman
Many companies and businesses across the nation use lanyards to carry their identification, and they all need a lanyard supplier. It makes sense to go with one already working in the United Kingdom for the sake of convenience, but many of these suppliers outsource the actual production process to other countries, even other continents sometimes.
This means that the job might end up being more expensive and time-consuming than it needs to be. Usually, with arrangements like this, there needs to be a much greater minimum order to make it more cost-effective for the supplier – and this same cost is usually not very effective for the consumer, especially when they may not even need that many lanyards (though it never hurts to have spares).
2. It helps with extortionate shipping fees
On top of this, the supplier will have to add shipping costs that go beyond sending from within the UK, and these costs will find their way back to the buyer. This is not a knock against overseas companies or the work that they do but, throughout the entire process, the supplier could be cutting corners and trying to make money back on their own purchase from the lanyard makers.
This should not ever be part of the equation – the focus should always be on getting you the best lanyard as well as the best service possible. Lanyards manufactured in the UK can avoid costly shipping fees, as well as a whole host of other factors that can result in a much better customer experience. Whatever the final price, it will better match the product you pay for and the faster, tighter service that you might just need.
3. It supports local businesses
Over the past 18 months, local businesses in many sectors have struggled at one point or another – more than they usually do when so much of their work is outsourced to international or generally bigger companies. This is why it is more important than ever to buy British. Your lanyard purchase becomes an investment in the local production of lanyards, one which will inevitably go back towards our country and help to stimulate the now-recovering economy.
Simply put, more people buying within the UK means more people are needed on the supply chain, and this will provide plenty of extra jobs to help supply match demand. It might sound unrealistic that a single lanyard purchase can have such an impressive domino effect, but if more people in the country made an effort to buy local, there would need to be more jobs to accommodate this.
4. It gets you a quality product
At the end of the day, you cannot overestimate the importance of a well-made product – one that will serve you for years without imperfection or failure. With so many jobs done overseas, the pressure is on to make sure local services can compete. We can guarantee that, when given a fair chance, a British-made product wins every time.
In addition to this, overseas manufacturing can sometimes be less ethical, and it would help to know that you are supporting a company that compensates its workers in full. Buying a lanyard that has been manufactured in Britain lets you know that it has been produced in strict accordance with national labour laws and that you have not contributed towards exploitative practices of any kind.
5. It helps the environment
Similarly, buying British is good for the environment – as mentioned above, it massively cuts down on shipping which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the final product. The manufacturing laws and processes of the United Kingdom are also more environmentally friendly than many other countries, meaning there will be a stark difference in the environmental impact between a local lanyard bundle and one that has been outsourced.
Ultimately, there are innumerable benefits to purchasing lanyards for your company – and the best way to reap these benefits is to buy those made in the United Kingdom. Not only does it help both the environment and the economy, but it ensures that you end up with a quality product that is exactly what you paid for and without the worry that you are paying for somebody else’s shipping fees.
At Just Lanyards, we have been producing and distributing lanyards directly from our Chorley headquarters for nearly twenty years now. Not only do we offer free standard UK delivery, but our heat transfer processes are built from the ground up to ensure that you are getting the bespoke design that you need at a cost that suits you. For more information or just to see how much your lanyards will cost, be sure to send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can.