| Type | Charity No. 1122155 |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1960 |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Origins | Formerly the International Organisation of Consumers Unions |
| Focus | Consumer protection watchdog |
| Method | Campaigning |
| Members | 220 |
| Website | consumersinternational.org |
Consumers International (CI) is the world federation of consumer groups that serves as the only independent and authoritative global voice for consumers. It is based in London, England.
Founded on April 1, 1960, currently with over 220 member organisations in 115 countries around the world, the organisation continues to build a powerful international movement to empower and protect consumers everywhere.
In campaigning for the rights of consumers across the world, CI seeks to hold corporations to account and acts as a global watchdog against any behaviour that threatens, ignores or abuses the principles of consumer protection.
CI is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, company number 4337865 and registered charity number 1122155.
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The organisation was first established in 1960 as the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU) by national consumer organisations. The original members recognised that they could build upon their individual strengths by working across national borders.
The organisation then rapidly grew and soon became established as the voice of the international consumer movement on issues such as: product and food standards, health and patients’ rights, the environment and sustainable consumption, and the regulation of international trade and public utilities.
On 15 March 1962 former US President John F. Kennedy said:
Consumers by definition include us all. They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision. Yet they are the only important group… whose views are often not heard.
There are eight basic consumer rights which include the rights to:
CI supports and represents over 220 member organisations in 115 countries around the world.
About two-thirds of member organisations are in developing countries, the other third in industrialised countries.
These members include a wide range of different independent consumer organisations and government organisations. Some independent member organisations are long-established, with hundreds of staff and millions of their own members, whilst others are semi-voluntary associations providing information and advice about basic services in some of the world's poorest countries.
CI also works with and hosts the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) - a forum of US and EU consumer organisations that develops and agrees on joint consumer policy recommendations to the US government and European Union to promote the consumer interest in EU and US policy making - at its office in London.
World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) first took place on 15 March 1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilising citizen action, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008 with the launch of the Junk Food Generation campaign.
It is an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement:
CI campaigns seek to achieve real changes in government policy and corporate behaviour, whilst raising awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities
Current campaigns, projects and key issues include:
The campaign against the marketing of unhealthy food to children. Campaign highlights and publications include:
The campaign against the unethical promotion of drugs. Campaign highlights and publications include:
This project facilitates the global consumer dialogue and education network about Access to Knowledge (A2K). Project highlights and publications include:
Issue progress includes:
CI has represented consumers on many committees of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) through the years. Current participation at the ISO includes:
This series of features highlight unethical and unsustainable behaviour by corporations and governments, as part of CI's ongoing work on sustainable consumption. Features include:
CI has four offices in: