A label for Luxembourg businesses

(CS) A new series of interviews on wort.lu/en will explore companies that carry the Made in Luxembourg label. For our first feature, we spoke to Daniel Sahr of the Chamber of Commerce to explain what this label is all about.

What does the “Made in Luxembourg” label stand for?

The label “Made in Luxembourg”, a registered graphic trademark, identifies products and services which have been produced or developed within the geographic boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. 

“The label serves to identify those products and services which have their origin in Luxembourg

The label serves to identify those products and services which have their origin in Luxembourg. The label is clearly a label of origin and represents in no way a quality label even though it is usually matched with this idea, similar to the well known “Made in Germany”.

When was it founded and how successful has it been since then?

The label was launched in 1984 as a common initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Crafts and was officially registered as a trademark the same year.

Back in time, larger Luxembourg corporations participated in the Belgian Trade Missions to promote their products on international markets. To give more visibility to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the label was introduced with the clear goal to better distinguish between Luxembourg and Belgian products.

Who is eligible to apply?

In order to be eligible to receive the label, the applicant must be either a member of the Chamber of Commerce or the Chamber of Crafts. This means that a private person will never be eligible to receive the label. However, this prerequisite is only the first step of a quite rapid and efficient procedure to obtain the label. 

After the filing of the application, straight-forward and convenient on a dedicated website, the most important part is the on-site inspection by our auditing team. Auditors will verify directly within the company whether all conditions are met in order to award the right to use the label.

As a company, what are the benefits of having the label?

Two years ago, we modernised the by-law which is the legal basis for the label “Made in Luxembourg” in order to reassure consumers and to give us more power in case of fraud.

At the same moment, a new communication strategy was developed to further promote the label by raising awareness about its existence to the public. A state-of-the-art website www.made-in-luxembourg.lu was launched where all relevant information regarding the label is available in French, German and Luxembourgish.

This website contains a list of the more than 500 companies that currently have the right to label their products or services as “Made in Luxembourg”.

The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce also has an annual presence at the “Foire de Printemps” where, each year, we exhibit products and services from eight companies that carry the label.

How do you see the label developing in the future?

Revamping our communication around the label was the right choice, since the increase in applications was exponential in 2014. In the early years of the label’s existence, the “Made in Luxembourg” branding was most often used by larger export-oriented companies with a focus on highlighting the Luxembourg origin on foreign markets.

“The most famous example was the steel beam from ARBED

The most famous example was the steel beam from ARBED, today ArcelorMittal, which still carries the crown. In recent years more and more small companies started to use the label with regard to a “think local” strategy. I strongly believe that with the modern mindset of strong transparency about the origin of products and services, the label will have a bright future. As Chamber of Commerce it is our role to safeguard the image of the label and to secure the confidence put into the labeling system.

Click here to view more articles from the Made in Luxembourg series .

Do not miss the news - sign up to receive the wort.lu newsletter in English delivered to your inbox six days a week.