Do you think US companies have any ethical obligations to manufacture in the US? On that same vein, is there a marketing value of saying, "American-made" that could justify the higher manufacturing costs?
Good question. I'll take this one since we are trying to do all of our manufacturing in the US. I do not think companies have an ethical obligation to manufacture in the US at all. Make the product where you can make it BEST. And you have to self-define what BEST is. In our case we care a lot about high quality and cosmetics. So it made sense to focus on the US, where you can have more oversight and be on the line.
As for marketing value of "American Made" I think it can be very helpful, but you have to make that a part of your brand. Otherwise it won't make much of a difference.