This movement was initiated by Chairman Kim Jong Il.

On August 3, Juche 73 (1984), the Chairman went round the Pyongyang City Light Industrial Goods Exhibition with satisfaction and indicated the ways for running direct sales shops in districts and counties, saying that their operation would be greatly helpful to the improvement of people's livelihood.

Since then, a new history of massive consumer goods production movement began in the country and various consumer goods produced with locally available raw materials and idle materials came to be called "August 3 consumer goods".

Later, the Chairman established a regular guidance system for spreading the movement throughout the country.

He sent a historic letter "On Effecting a Sweeping Revolution in Light Industry" to the participants in the national meeting of light industry in June 1990 to bring about a new turn in the August 3 consumer goods production. When visiting the South Hamgyong Provincial Exhibition of Consumer Goods in August 2010, he called for pushing ahead with the movement and paying preferential attention to the quality of consumer goods.

The August 3 Consumer Goods Production Movement is now getting brisker amid recycling.