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e-waste: West Africa continues to drown in the rich world’s obsolete electronics

Special investigation: Launching CI's new sustainable consumption project, Real Deal, this special investigative film and report reveals the extent to which developing countries continue to drown in the rich world's electronic waste.

Together with our corporate watchdog partner Danwatch, we take a look the growing mountains of e-waste around port cities in West Africa.

The investigation reveals a staggering 500,000 computers enter the Nigerian port of Lagos every month, with only one in four in working condition. This is despite international bans preventing the dumping of obsolete electronics on the developing world.

This is just the tip of the 6.6 million tons of 'lost' European e-waste that goes unaccounted for every year.

Read the Real Deal feature and watch Hidden Flow, the short documentary film about the investigation.

 

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CI appointed lead NGO advisor to the UN on sustainability

Sustainable consumption: Consumers International (CI) has been formally appointed as the non-governmental organisation (NGO) advisor to the United Nations on sustainable consumption and production. CI will represent the NGO position to the Marrakech Process, the UN programme set up to promote and develop a global framework of action on sustainability.

Find out more about the Marrakech Process. Read more in our Sustainable Consumption section. Listen to CI’s radio features about sustainable consumption for the BBC World Service. Watch Just Coffee, CI’s award-winning film about sustainable coffee production.

And visit The Real Deal, our new set of features looking at sustainability and corporate ethics.

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Worker abuse, toxic components and war - the real deal behind your mobile

The Real Deal: Mobile communication is big business. More than three billion of us own a mobile phone, yet very little attention is given to the production process behind the handset. Evidence points towards highly questionable corporate practice including refusal to allow union membership, the use of toxic chemicals in handsets, and the involvement of the industry in the conflict-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (pictured left).

To kick off CI's new Sustainable Consumption project, The Real Deal, we've teamed up with the Ethical Consumer Research Association to look at the unethical behaviour of the biggest companies in the mobile phone industry.

 

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Major success in fight to label GM products

GM foods: The United States government has suffered a serious setback to its efforts to get other countries to accept genetically engineered food at a major international meeting on food labelling.

Backed by support from Consumers International, the Codex Committee on Food Labelling has taken a significant step forward on consumer labelling recommendations for genetically engineered food. This comes in the face of protests by GM-producing nations such as the United States, Canada and Argentina.

Find out more about CI's advocacy work at Codex.

 

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CI launches new Code to ban the marketing of unhealthy food to children

Junk Food Generation: Consumers International (CI), and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) have launched proposals to drastically restrict the scope and scale of the marketing of unhealthy food to children across the globe.

This coalition is calling for the International Code on Marketing of Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages to Children to be adopted by national governments, as part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) strategy to tackle obesity and diet-related diseases.

The Code, which CI and IOTF will be recommending to the World Health Assembly in May 2008, tackles the failures of the food industry to regulate itself.

Adoption of the Code would be major step in helping to protect children.

There are currently 177 million children threatened by obesity-related diseases.

 

Download your free copy of the Code and protect children's health by pledging your support - visit the new website www.junkfoodgeneration.org/ for more information about the Junk Food Generation campaign and pledge your support by signing up to the Code.

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Is grey the new green?

Member highlight – CHOICE: Changing climates are dramatically affecting rainfall patterns around the world. 

In countries hit by droughts and water restrictions the way that consumers use and save water is becoming increasingly important. Many companies now market innovative technologies to enable consumers to save water. 

This member highlight feature focuses on the investigation into the recycling of greywater conducted by CHOICE, CI’s member organisation in Australia.

Their article looked at the current technologies available for recycling greywater in Australia and highlighted the consumer experience in choosing a water treatment system.

Read the article and find out how grey is becoming the new green.

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CI highly critical of EC proposals on drug information provision

Drug marketing: Consumers International (CI) has offered a critical assessment of the European Commission's proposals on drug information provision, with an official response to the latest consultation process.

Despite assertions from the EC to the contrary, CI argues that this latest proposal is opening the door to US-style direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs in Europe and is ignoring widely held concerns about consumer protection.

Further details and the full response can be viewed on CI's Marketing Overdose blog.

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Consumer movement unites in day of action

World Consumer Rights Day 2008 - Member action: Lunchbox challenges, roadshows and a storybook… 

From Burundi to Fiji and Panama to Russia, the action and creativity of Consumers International (CI) member organisations around the world succeeded in turning the media spotlight on the Junk Food Generation campaign. 

Follow the action trail of CI member organisations around the world and watch the lunchbox challenge videos.

In May 2008, CI will be taking to the World Health Assembly the message that consumers in all parts of the world are demanding action on the marketing of unhealthy food to children.

Why not join the Junk Food Generation campaign and sign up to the CI Code?

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Revealed! The marketing secrets of the drugs industry

Marketing overdose campaign: The pharmaceutical industry spends US$60 billion on drugs marketing each year, twice as much as it spends on research and development.

Yet consumers know next to nothing about where this money is going.

To expose where pharma companies spend this money, how it increases drugs sales, and why this irresponsible behaviour is putting consumer health at risk, Consumers International has produced a series of short films for the Marketing Overdose campaign.

 

 

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Preserving street food life - join the CI street food campaign

Street food campaign: Street food constitutes up to 40% of the daily diet of urban consumers in the developing world.

Yet, the cultural importance of street food is fragile.

Globalisation and urban development threaten these age-old traditions and, despite street food’s vital importance to local communities, there are serious health issues to contend with.

Consumers International (CI) is working to preserve street food life, so that local consumers, street food sellers and inquisitive travellers can enjoy these great dishes safely.

Visit the campaign website, STREETFOOD.org, and find out more about street vending and what you can do – how to join the campaign or even run your own campaign action.

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