GERMANY - Since August 1, 2020, the RAL geographical guarantee of origin "Furniture Made in Germany" (RAL-RG 0191) has been used by consumers as a decision-making aid when buying furniture.

The label identifies quality furniture made in Germany that has been proven to meet strictly defined criteria. A new visual appearance of the sign and revised award regulations will ensure even more transparency and a strong recognition value in the future.

The modified version of "Furniture Made in Germany" was recently approved by the German Institute for Quality Assurance and Labeling (RAL).

"Based on previous experience, we have further tightened the criteria for the award of ˏFurniture Made in Germanyˋ in the area of ​​definitions and requirements and optimized the graphic implementation," says Jan Kurth, Managing Director of the Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM), who developed the label of origin together with RAL and the German Furniture Quality Association (DGM).

The strict criteria of "Furniture Made in Germany" stipulate that the design, assembly and quality control must take place in Germany. In addition, the manufacturing process relevant to the quality must take place primarily in Germany.

The furniture ranges from 61 manufacturers have now been certified for "Furniture Made in Germany".

The products may be labeled with the label of origin in a way that is clearly visible to consumers. "We expect continued high interest in the label from the industry - especially now after the new version," says Kurth.