Call goes out to buy local brands

By Nicole Williams
A DANDENONG manufacturer is urging shoppers to by local-made so Australian brands can survive.
Andrew Chaney, managing director of Aware Environmental, said locally made products were getting replaced on supermarket shelves by generic or imported goods.
“Consumers are sick of seeing their favourite products, which they have bought for years, disappearing from their local stores to be replaced by these products,” Mr Chaney said.
“Unless consumers continue to support us and purchase Australian made products, the shelves will eventually fill with private label offers and be dominated by one or two multinational brands.
“It’s disturbing and unfortunate to think that one day consumers may not have these kinds of environmentally responsible options available to them.”
Aware Environmental products, which include Orange Power, Aware and Actizyme, are independently audited by Planet Ark and Good Environmental Choice Australia to ensure quality and eco-responsibility.
“We have Australian-made eco-responsible products that don’t have associated imported ‘carbon miles’ and questionable raw materials,” he said.
“These sorts of things (auditing) will never happen if production goes to Asia and people will buy products that they haven’t got a clue what’s in it.
“I’m not against Asian manufacturing but if people want to good quality products without harsh chemicals, they’re going to have to support accredited products.”
Mr Chaney said Aware Environmental’s brands were well placed in the market but pressure was mounting from the supermarkets.
“We’re expanding and we’re getting good support from the supermarkets but the pressure’s mounting,” he said.
“What the supermarkets are saying now is if you don’t meet the minimum sale rates you’ll be replaced.”
But Mr Chaney said there was no way Aware Environmental would ever shift manufacturing overseas.
“There is no chance,” he said.
“If it got to the point where we had to go overseas we would shut down.”