Voices for Change: the Consumer Right to Representation

World Consumer Rights Day 2002: Voices for Change
operators and owners, including the persistent
double standard between transnational
company behaviour at home and abroad.
A third difficulty is the lack of credibility of
consumer organisations themselves, although
this is changing as activists gain training
and expertise.
The greatest road block along all three paths
is what Collado calls the “asymmetry of
information.” Consumers are “either
denied information, under the pretext of
confidentiality, or given too little, too late
to make an impact in policy design and
subsequent decisions.”
In Vital Networks, its report on public utilities
in four Central European countries (Hungary,
Bulgaria, Macedonia and the Czech Republic),
CI noted that “consumer representation is not
fully satisfactory in any of the countries
investigated. Although improvements had
been made and “ in fairness, they do represent
a step forward…there is a temptation to feel
grateful for such concessions by government.”
Nonetheless, “major efforts will have to be
made to help the new representatives make
their mark…We suspect that the new
representatives can look forward to a difficult
learning process. This has certainly been
the experience in the EU.”
CI at ISO: Small Victories
over the Long Haul
Consumers International was granted the
ability to be represented, as liaison members,
to International Standards Organisation (ISO)
through its recognition by the UN as
international body representing consumers.
This occurred in 1963. Although CI was not
active in standards at that time, it has now
been represented in standards for at
least 10 years.
CI applies for “liaison status A” in the areas
that interests it. This status allows CI representatives
to attend meetings, submit comments
and participate in various ways, except voting.
The chairperson of the specific Technical
Committee extends access to Working Groups
where the groundwork for the standard being
developed is made. CI has no representation
at the strategic level, although it does attend
COPOLCO (the ISO consumer policy
committee) as observers, where it has “a
good working relationship and an ability to
influence,” according to Sadie Homer, CI’s
Standards Officer.
Traditionally, CI has worked on issues of
safety (electrical, cars), contraceptives, and
environmental issues (including ISO 14000)
and ISO 9000 management systems.
Upcoming issues of interest to CI are the
so-called “softer standards” in e-commerce,
alternative dispute resolution (ADR),
complaints handling, services and corporate
social responsibility (CSR).
CI consults among its members in a number of
ways. Member surveys conducted in 1997 and
2001 on priorities and interests/activities of
members indicated that top issues are safety
of goods and services, environmental
standards, contraceptives and global
marketplace standards.
Strategies employed by CI to advance its
positions at ISO are constrained by lack of
resources and time. The Standards Officer
lobbies at COPOLCO and is in communication
with top ISO officials to advance consumer
perspectives and CI’s positions. CI representatives
contribute at technical committee
meetings and working groups, offering
consumer organisation research and data as
objective and unbiased input to influence
standards. “This is easier to do on product
standards than on softer issues,”
notes Homer.
Another important CI strategy is to network
with influential members at the Consumer
Policy Committee of the British Standards
Institute, a CI member, the Australian
standards body, and others for their
support for CI positions at the international
level. At the European Union level, CI works
closely with ANEC, the European Association
for the Coordination of Consumer
Representation in Standardisation, to build
cooperation with its members, many of
whom are CI members.
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