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The Consumers International Organization

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Submitted By davato
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ABSTRACT
Consumers International is charged globally with protecting every consumer in the world form unfair business practices. They are comprised of over 220 organizations in over 115 countries throughout the world. The Consumers International is dedicated to attaining a world where everyone has access to safe and sustainable goods and services. This basic concept is felt throughout their website and publications as they seem to keep their mission in the forefront of all they do. Consumers International endorse and share information on programs like recycling an renewable energy in an attempt to help nations preserve their environment.

Consumers International is a non-profit organization based out of the United Kingdom and is considered to be the world federation of consumer groups. Founded in 1960 they have been fighting for a fair, safe and sustainable future for all consumers in a global marketplace. Consumers International is comprised of over 220 organizations in over 115 countries throughout the world. Their mission statement is “CI is working to put the rights of consumers at the heart of decision-making. Our vision is a world where everyone has access to safe and sustainable goods and services, and where the strength of our collective power is used for the good of consumers throughout the world.” They are backed by eight principles that guide and inspire the work they do, those values are:
• The right to satisfaction of basic needs
• The right to safety
• The right to be informed
• The right to choose
• The right to be heard
• The right to redress
• The right to consumer education
• The right to a healthy environment
Consumers International is involved in and currently addressing over 10 global issues. The issue that caught my eye is sustainable development also referred to as sustainable consumption. It is defined as development that meets the needs of the people without hurting the needs and resources of future generations. The problems of sustainable development include unequal distribution of consumption, environmental damage (deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, water stress and loss of biodiversity (Bentley 2002). Unequal distribution of consumption is easily seen when traveling around the world as I have. Some countries are bigger consumers of fast food than others (without pointing fingers at the United States…). Generally speaking fast food places are not known for having reusable dishes and silverware that you find in regular restaurants. The resources involved in operating a fast food restaurant are immense. Each individual meal requires disposable flatware generally for each individual item rather it is wrappers for each a burger and a side of fries or a plastic container for a main course and plastic containers for each individual side items not to mention the drink which has three components on its own. All of these items become waste after the meal is consumed instantly quadrupling if not more a fast food restaurants waste as compared to a regular restaurant. Everyone has heard about some form of environmental damage no matter if it is the ozone layer being depleted or a forest being wiped out. These consequences are from utilizing natural resources to create our goods. To create the paper wrappers that our delicious burgers and fries come in we utilize trees. Petroleum… which is used for many things that we consume like gas to get us to the restaurant is also used to make the plastic container that houses our meals. With so many natural resources being used to create things that are going to be used for literally minute’s maybe hours and thrown away its mind boggling that we have not already run out of natural resources. To add to the problem of resources be utilized to make goods, an additional concern is the process in which these goods are made. The waste that some of these production plants produce is enough to contaminate an entire drinking supply for a whole generation. There are many recycling programs throughout the world some governments even make them mandatory in an attempt to clean up their carbon footprint.

References

Consumers International sustainable development (2011) retrieved from http://www.consumersinternational.org/our-work/sustainable-development

Matthew Bentley, Implementing sustainable consumption policies (2nd Edition), (2011),
UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION, ISBN: 92-807-2478-9

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