The Buy Local movement is sweeping your local ecosystem these days. People are becoming more self aware of the economic and environmental impact on their purchases. Everything from 100 mile food source (https://www.longlanefarms.ca/) to your local furniture maker (https://www.liveedgeforest.com/). What is really exciting about this industry trend, is that it will create many small business that will employ local workers, sponsor kids team, volunteer and even create spin off jobs. It’s almost transitioning back to the 1800’s when people would barter their products at farmers markets, only now we have the power of online ecommerce through the power of (https://www.shopify.ca/).
One of the benefits of living in the age of online shopping is the ability to have something delivered to your doorstep in two days, for what is usually the cheapest price on the market. Though the nature of global enterprise nowadays means that the cheapest option might not necessarily be the closest/best one. A lot of manufacturing has moved overseas where the labor costs are considerably cheaper, theoretically giving consumers the same product for less. Most of your clothes come from Southeast Asia, while the smartphones in your pocket were produced in factories that were the center of controversy for their harsh working conditions. But what if there were other costs that don’t make their way into the final price tag? What if that extra dollar you saved just got moved around, adding up over time resulting in a debt you might never be able to pay off?
More insidious costs might reside in the very air you breathe. Most goods cross the oceans in container ships, the backbone of oceanic trade. One of these vessels produce as much emissions as 750 million cars and with 9, 535 in service as of 2010, the costs add up considerably. So if you’re concerned about climate change and want to help make a difference, try to find local alternatives for your everyday items. That way the emissions produced per product is drastically cut as they’re transported along local roadways not in supertankers.
Another more talked about result of the global economy finding the cheapest source of labor is the moving of jobs from local communities to distant shores. It goes without saying that when you buy locally- sourced products you’re helping create jobs in your community. So you’re both helping your neighbor and helping the world at large! What else is very important to Riverwood Acoustics is supporting local charities. Over the last year, we have donated over 10 thousand dollars in speakers for local charities silent auctions which have a huge impact in these charities.
Riverwood Acoustics works with businesses in our local community. In fact 78% of our building cost are driven from local business 100km or less from our Renfrew, Ontario manufacturing and R+D center. We strive to help enrich the region by buying from local businesses whose commitment to quality matches our own. By buying from local suppliers we’re making an investment into the region.
By helping everyone, we all succeed. Here are some of the companies we work with:
- Logsend- a local family owned and operated logging company that doesn’t log, rather they retrieve logs nestled in the depths of the Ottawa river. The leftovers from a booming 18th century timber trade. The Black family business is dedicated to protecting the region for future generations to use, we’re proud to work with Logsend to get the best timber in the region for our Hudson Speakers. (https://www.logsend.com/)
- Bode’s Cabinets- With over 25 years of experience, Bode’s cabinets have a fixture in eastern Ontario and continues to grow. They help us transform the logs from Logsend into the finished product you see on our Hudson speakers. (http://bodescabinets.com/)
- Virtucomm metals - This custom metal manufacturer has the ability to create anything from metal with lasers, punches and unique fabrication process. (https://www.virtucommetals.com/index.html)
- Induspac - For over 45 year this company designs and locally manufacturer custom boxing solutions to ensure our speaker can withstand shipping of our product in presitine condition (http://www.induspac.ca/en/home.html)
- BICN - Renfrew based graphic design and printers have the ability to print anything from user manuals to promotion gear. (http://www.bicn.ca/)
We’re proud to work with businesses in our region, helping each other grow as we strive to deliver a quality product to the communities we call home.