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EU now trailing US on irresponsible drug promotion

A new CI survey reveals inadequate guidelines and a lack of industry action means Europe is in danger of falling significantly behind the US and other rich nations when it comes to irresponsible drug promotion.

Read more on the Marketing Overdose blog
Watch our Marketing Overdose films
Download the survey findings

See also... Drug Marketing; Drugs, Doctors and Dinners; Branding the Cure; Get involved

Food fables - the second sitting

In 2006 Which? highlighted the strategies big food companies used to market unhealthy food to children.

Now, almost two years and a pledge by those companies to ‘change food and beverage advertising on TV, print and Internet to children under the age of 12 in the European Union’ later, a new report by Which? reveals that marketing unhealthy food with the help of cartoon characters and through online communities is still on the menu.

Download the report Food Fables - The second sitting  
Visit Junk Food Generation
Read the International Code on Marketing of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children

See also… World Consumer Rights Day 2008; Fed Up! A tale of Junk Food Marketing to Kids (Choice); Which? 

A toxic trade in unwanted electronics

Millions of tons of e-waste, including unwanted PC’s and TVs from Europe and the US, are being dumped on the developing world. This is despite international agreements making this illegal. We look at the health impact on local communities, the ineffectiveness of international law, and what the rest of the world can do. 

Read more...
Watch the documentary
Download the report

See also... Sustainable Consumption; The Real Deal; DanWatch; Subscribe

How can consumers influence a sustainable energy future?

ISO/COPOLCO and sustainable consumption: Consumers want access to sustainable energy production, but how can they influence a sustainable energy future?

This question formed the focus of the 30^th ISO/COPLCO Workshop recently held in Seoul.

In a speech delivered at the workshop, Samuel Ochieng, the President of Consumers International (CI), focused on enhancing access to sustainable energy in developing countries.

He pointed out that whilst the world is concerned about excessive emissions, there are approaching two billion people without access to energy services.

In developing countries only about two thirds of the population are connected to electricity and in some countries the coverage is far lower.

Read the complete transcript of the speech and more about the workshop and 30^th anniversary celebrations.

CI members respond to food crisis

Food crisis: Consumers around the world are feeling the strain with food prices rocketing in the last 12 months.

Whilst consumers everywhere are feeling the effects, it is people with the lowest incomes who feel the impact the most.

Although the current crisis has a number of causes, this should not be an excuse for inaction. Governments have a duty to ensure that all people have access to safe food - more needs to be done to stabilise prices, increase the supply, and help those who are not able to afford enough food.

Consumers International (CI) has recently produced a statement on the crisis, and CI member organisations are monitoring the issue at a national level and campaigning for government action.

Visit the CI blog and join the debate on issues that matter to consumers around the world. 

Child labour, worker abuse and international fraud – the true cost of a call?

On the new CI blog: Consumers International (CI) has launched a new blog to create debate around the action, events and ideas of the global consumer movement.

The blog kicks off with a new report from CI’s corporate watchdog partner, DanWatch, which reveals the links between the mobile phone industry and the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

You can find out much more about the issue in our Real Deal section, but first visit the new CI blog, sign up for alerts and share your thoughts.

Piecemeal industry proposals will not solve problem of junk food marketing

Junk Food Generation campaign: Consumers International (CI) is currently at the World Health Assembly in Geneva lobbying national health ministers to adopt the recommendations of the CI International Code on Marketing of Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages to Children.

Voluntary measures announced by Coca Cola, Pepsi and other soft drink manufacturers will do little to tackle the influence of unhealthy food and drink marketing on children’s diets.

The proposals put forward on behalf of Coke and Pepsi fail to address key parental concerns, such as the advertising of unhealthy food and drink on TV before 9pm, protection of all children under 16, and the use of celebrities to market unhealthy food.

CI is campaigning for globally agreed restrictions that hold the entire food and drink industry to account, not for piecemeal self-regulation.

The CI Code calls on governments to take the lead on the issue of childhood obesity, calling for a global framework for nationally regulated restrictions on junk food marketing to children.

Copies of the Code are available in English, French and Spanish.  Show your support and sign up to the Code.

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.

To find out more read about the Marrakech Process and visit our Sustainable Consumption section.

You can listen to CI’s radio features about sustainable consumption for the BBC World Service and watch Just Coffee, CI’s award-winning film about sustainable coffee production.

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

Major success in fight to label GM products

GM foods: The United States government has suffered a serious setback in 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 (CI), 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.

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.