Every year on 15 March the consumer movement celebrates World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), raising global awareness of consumer rights, consumer protection and empowerment. Consumers International (CI) announced “Empowering Consumers Through Clean Energy Transition” as the theme of this year’s World Consumer Rights Day.
Most economies are facing a deepening energy crisis globally which is having an especial untold impact on vulnerable consumers. Global energy prices are expected to stay high in 2023, together with food price increases, consumers everywhere are radically changing their lifestyles to access essential needs. Increasing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy will also play a major part in averting catastrophic climate change.
Consumers everywhere are making changes to how they travel, how they cook, and how they heat, cool and power their homes. These changes are crucial in transitioning to clean energy. People can trigger transformative changes by adopting low-carbon alternatives – like taking a train instead of a flight, or public transport instead of a private vehicle – and improving existing practices, for example by installing heat pumps or purchasing an electric vehicle.
Increased power in consumers’ say
During WCRD 2023 and beyond, CI’s work on energy will see that consumers are recognised as core marketplace actors, not passive bystanders in the energy transition. To take action, consumers must be supported in the right way - this means bringing consumers into high-level discussions, ensuring policy is centred on consumer needs and good business practice, such as incentives for vulnerable consumers and providing reliable information.
The Consumers International is an independent and non-governmental organization, with over 200 Member organizations in over 100 countries, Macao Consumer Council became a full member of the CI in 1997.
National theme of “Boosting Consumers’ Confidence” from China Consumers’ Association
The China Consumers’ Association (CCA) announced the 2023 national annual theme as “Boosting Consumers’ Confidence”, the CCA and consumer protection organisations countrywide will launch a series of major works to achieve the aim of boosting consumers’ confidence.
3 aspects of meaning of the annual theme
- Focus on one’s responsibility and profession, promote collegiality and cooperation in consumer protection work to build a safer and more reliable consumption environment; fully utilize the role of consumer rights protection platform, combine forces from all aspects to strengthen the protection on consumer rights and interests.
- Adhere to demand-based orientation and follow the trend of diversified consumption demand to promote the enhancement of consumption supply and high-quality development, as well as strengthened consumer education and the provision of guidance on consumption so as to help consumers understand the relevant knowledge.
- Adhere to problem-based orientation, look for precise direction and resolve emergencies. Increase consumers’ convenience for lodging complaints and reinforce efficiency of resolving consumers’ complaints by improving conditions of consumption and optimizing the consumption environment. Strengthen consumer education and consumption inspection, and build up a peaceful consumption relationship in order to promote the enhancement of consumption supply for the development of a stable and healthy economy.
The CCA will launch series of work to ensure consumer organisations are able to fully utilize the role of the consumer rights protection platform, to effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, to exhort industries and businesses to practice self-discipline, and to continue optimizing the consumption environment; with strengthened promotion and education on consumer knowledge, as well as enhancement on consumers’ ability to avoid consumption pitfalls and to rationally defend their rights, the CCA hopes to achieve the aim of boosting consumers’ confidence.
