With Trump playing the trade war card in full, more and more voices are calling for European buying. It is not easy, as American brands dominate our streetscape and shop shelves. Yet it is possible, proves a list circulating on the internet in recent days.
Buy more European? Easier said than done. Every day we use American brands: from the clothes we wear, the can of soda from the vending machine, to social media and numerous computer programmes.
On the internet, the collective BuyFromEurope is lending a hand. They have compiled a list of European alternatives to US companies. Also interested in a ‘Europe First’ diet? We help you get started below. Technology and electronics
Chances are you are reading this article thanks to American-made electronics. However, replacing an iPhone with a European alternative is not so easy. The Dutch Fairphone is one of the few options.
For computers from Dell, Lenovo or HP, Germany's Tuxedo Computers offers an alternative. Even instead of headphones from Bose or JBL, you can go for a German brand, Sennheiser for example.
In the kitchen and bathroom, Miele, Bosch and Electrolux are local substitutes for KitchenAid and Whirlpool. Clothing
Calvin Klein, Vans, Levi's, Nike ... chances are you are wearing American clothes. Yet there are also large and well-known chains on the high street for fashion of European origin. How about Bershka, Mango, Zara and Massimo Dutti from Spain, H&M and Fjällräven from Sweden, Jack & Jones from Denmark or Puma and Adidas from Germany? Cars
Trading in an American (electric) car for a European one is perhaps still the easiest switch. BMW, Volkswagen, Skoda, Peugeot, Renault, Audi, ... The alternatives to Tesla and Ford are many. Food and drink
The US food industry has smoothly found its way to Belgian consumers. Yet a European diet need not be a punitive regime. A quick bite at McDonald's or Domino's Pizza may no longer be in the cards, but with Quick, Exki and Ellis Gourmet Burger, we have our own fast food alternatives.
Chips from Lay's or Doritos? You can easily replace those with Belgium's Croky. Ritchie or Fritz can be a European alternative to all Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks, Monster you replace with Red Bull.
And you can still have sweets too: with Neuhaus, Lotus, Jules Destrooper and Haribo, there is enough European-made candy to remove Mondelez, Philadelphia, Kraft and Toblerone from the shopping basket.
Streaming You can scrap a subscription to streaming services Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video and swap it for local platforms like Streamz, VRT MAX or VTM GO. Although switching platforms is of course easy, you will have to make do with a different selection of films and series. Internet and social media
The digital world is also dominated by US companies, but you can still do a lot yourself. The Dutch web shop Bol.com can replace Amazon for your internet purchases. For Google Maps, there is an - application-less - replacement in the form of France's Cartes. Search engine Ecosia offers an alternative to Google, and e-mailing can also be done with Proton Mail instead of Gmail.
Much social media is American-owned, think X, Facebook and Instagram. Still, there is no need to get off the popular BeReal, as it is French. And Pixelfed, Mastodon and Spond are European alternative platforms. Even apps via WhatsApp could be a thing of the past if you switch to Switzerland's Threema. Anyway, switching is one thing, your friends have to follow, of course.