Consumers for Clean Air: Mobilising Action for Healthy and Safe Environments

On the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, we are celebrating the power of consumer action to drive healthier communities and cleaner environments.

Air pollution affects almost every aspect of our daily lives, from the air we breathe and the transport we use, to the products we buy and the places where we live and work. Yet while consumers experience the impacts of poor air quality every day, they often lack the information, influence and support needed to drive change.

Despite growing recognition of its health and environmental impacts of air pollution, the role of consumer organisations in driving cleaner markets, informing consumer choices and encouraging business action has remained largely untapped.  

To address this, ten of our Members have been selected to receive funding through Consumers for Clean Air, a global initiative led by Consumers International in collaboration with Clean Air Fund.

Through locally led campaigns across Africa, Asia, Europe, Central Asia and Latin America, these organisations will help make air pollution more visible, equip consumers with information and tools to take action, and demonstrate how consumer advocacy can contribute to cleaner, healthier communities.

About Consumers for Clean Air

Working with businesses, policymakers and communities, our Members will raise awareness, generate insights and encourage practical action to improve air quality and address the issue from both a consumer rights and public health perspective.   

The initiative will build new evidence on how consumer advocacy can encourage greater transparency, strengthen corporate commitments and accelerate progress towards cleaner, healthier environments.

Consumers Taking Action for Cleaner Air

Air pollution is not just an environmental issue – it is a consumer issue. Across ten countries, consumer organisations are putting people at the heart of the response. Meet our grant winners:

Nigeria: Making Generator Pollution Visible

Consumer Advocacy & Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) is shining a light on the pollution generated by diesel-powered businesses. Working with energy companies, hotels and cold-chain operators, CADEF will push for greater transparency about generator use and commitments to cleaner energy.

Making the impact of generators in busy commercial areas more visible will help communities better understand the air they breathe while encouraging businesses to explore cleaner alternatives.

Tanzania: Communities Measuring the Air They Breathe

In Tanzania, citizens are becoming part of the effort to understand and tackle air pollution. Tanzania Consumer Advocacy and Research will  support communities to monitor local air quality, generating evidence that can make pollution visible and help people understand its impact.

That evidence will provide a foundation for dialogue with transport operators, manufacturers and policymakers, supporting efforts to promote cleaner transport and reduce emissions.

Bangladesh: Turning Awareness into Action in Dhaka

For people living in Dhaka, air pollution is part of everyday life. Consumers Association of Bangladesh is helping consumers understand what polluted air means for their health and what can be done about it.

By connecting communities with businesses and decision-makers, the campaign aims to turn greater awareness into practical action that supports cleaner, healthier urban environments.

Bulgaria: Making Cleaner Deliveries a Consumer Choice

Every delivery has an environmental footprint. Bulgarian National Consumer Association is helping consumers see that impact and use their purchasing choices to encourage change.

The organisation will advocate for greater transparency from delivery companies and encourage the adoption of cleaner delivery practices, showing how informed consumer choices can help shape more sustainable services.

Indonesia: Making Clean Air a Consumer Right

Lembaga Konsumen Yogyakarta is putting a powerful idea at the centre of its campaign: clean air is a consumer right.

By improving access to information about environmentally friendly public transport, the organisation hopes to make cleaner travel options easier to choose and support a wider shift towards sustainable mobility across Yogyakarta.

Peru: Building Healthier Neighbourhoods Together

Asociación Peruana de Consumidores y Usuarios (ASPEC) is bringing businesses and communities together to tackle air pollution where people live and work.

Through awareness-raising and local engagement, ASPEC will help identify practical solutions that can improve neighbourhood air quality and create healthier places to live.

Pakistan: Protecting Consumers from Harmful Air

Air pollution can expose consumers to serious health risks, often without them knowing what they are breathing or where the pollution comes from. TheNetwork for Consumer Protection is working to change that.

Alongside raising awareness of harmful air pollutants and their impacts, the organisation will engage businesses on ways to reduce consumer exposure and support cleaner practices.

Uganda: Claiming the Right to Clean Air

Consumer Education Trust (CONSENT) is helping communities recognise that clean air is not a privilege — it is a right.

Through public education and community dialogue, the campaign will give consumers the knowledge and confidence to speak up about air quality. CONSENT will also foster collaboration by bringing consumers together with businesses, policymakers and other stakeholders.

North Macedonia: Putting Business Accountability on the Agenda

In Skopje, Consumers' Organisation of Macedonia is encouraging transport and energy-related businesses to take greater responsibility for the pollution they contribute to.

Placing transparency and accountability at the heart of the conversation, the organisation will encourage businesses to be more open about their environmental impact and the steps they are taking to reduce it.

Tajikistan: Giving Consumers a Voice on Local Air Quality

Consumers Union of Tajikistan is bringing consumers into the conversation about local air quality.

Working with transport operators, waste management providers and municipal services, the campaign will push for greater transparency and practical action to reduce pollution. By strengthening consumer participation, it aims to ensure that communities have a stronger voice in shaping healthier urban environments.

A Global Consumer Movement for Cleaner Air

Although the challenges differ from country to country, these campaigns share a common belief: consumers can be powerful agents of change.

Together, they show what is possible when people have the knowledge, voice and support to take action on the air they breathe. By making pollution more visible, encouraging greater accountability and promoting practical solutions, our Members are helping communities turn concern into change.