World Consumer Rights Day 2026 to focus on ‘Safe Products, Confident Consumers’
In our global digital marketplace, product safety has fast become a critical issue of concern – impacting lives, consumer trust and the global economy. According to a recent Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) review, 87% of recalled or banned products are still available online. In addition, many countries do not have sufficient legal frameworks in place to help protect society from poor product safety.
It is an issue affecting us all, every day, across all continents, and with a disproportionate toll on consumers in vulnerable circumstances and in low-income countries. It can also pose a public health issue and a development challenge – contributing to pollution and the waste of valuable resources.
Upon consultation with our Members and partners we are delighted to focus our World Consumer Rights Day 2026 theme on ‘Safe Products, Confident Consumers’. We invite all consumer advocates to help address the issues that result from poor quality products, and to rally with us on March 15, raising awareness and action for consumers.
What can you expect from our 2026 campaign?
We will build on the growing success of our past campaigns, convene a global discussion around the top issues in product safety, raise visibility of Member activities on the issue and build momentum to support milestones of international partners commitments to the issue, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the OECD.
Showcasing positive stories of change in product safety
Product safety has long been an area under the microscope for our Members. And despite its significance it’s an area we have proven impact in.
Members collect and share data on unsafe products and run investigations which are used to run campaigns, educate consumers, inform regulators, and drive accountability across business. On March 15 these activities will come to life as the global movement uses our international day of action for consumers uniting for Safe products, Confident Consumers.
Addressing regulatory gaps failing consumers
Last year at the 9th UN Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection held in July at UNCTAD we helped champion a United Nations Resolution on Global Product Safety which advanced to the United Nations General Assembly.
Similarly at the inaugural OECD Ministerial on Consumer Policy 2024 – an event Consumers International was exclusively invited to – we saw our recommendations on product safety assumed into a draft declaration now being pursued.
Visibility and insights collated for World Consumer Rights Day will help accelerate these international commitments so that as outlined in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection, ‘every consumer has the right to access safe and non-hazardous products’.
Our campaign will advance the following principles:
- Raising understanding and awareness that insufficient product safety undermines core human rights to life, health, and safety.
- Consumer groups, as the voice of consumers, should be at the forefront of debates and policymaking and supported to contribute insights, evidence, and solutions that lead to consumer-driven outcomes.
- Strong collaboration between business, governments and consumer groups is essential to guarantee that safety is upheld at every stage of the product lifecycle.
- Robust cross-border safety systems are essential - including the use of innovation for effective information-sharing, the coordination of product recalls, and for the effective enforcement of policy and practice.
- Unified global standards and regulatory frameworks can help to see that all consumers are protected and will drive global cooperation and accountability.
What does our campaign extend to?
Our campaign for consumer product safety explores the harm consumers experience from physical products. It does not extend to a wider remit of other harms that extend from our experiences online which we advocate for as part of our Digital Consumer Rights approach.
Join us
Product safety must not be a privilege for the few. It is a fundamental right for all. To find out more on how you can join the campaign to build greater accountability for safe products contact wcrd@consint.org.