In response to "The Sustainable Consumer" theme launched by the Consumers International (CI) for 2020 World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), the Department of Consumer Protection of the Executive Yuan (abbreviated as the DCP) will unite government, industry, consumer protection groups and consumers to promote sustainable consumption and protect the earth, while taking into account the development of industrial sustainability and daily consumption.
When you feel thirsty, you may buy a hand-shaken beverage to take away; when you feel hungry, you may call food delivery. Many people have such experience in their everyday life. Pursuing the modernization, convenience, and diversity of commodities is a common expectation of modern people. Nevertheless, how many of us have ever thought of the correlation between sustainability and daily life. When people in advanced countries spend their money unrestrainedly, there are on the other side of the world hundreds of millions of poor people leading a life in material shortages and without a minimum quality of life. If everyone lives by spending resources uncontrollably, nothing on the earth, no matter how big the earth is, can satisfy our desires. Therefore, in recent years, all countries in the world have realized the importance of resource recycling and have actively advocated the concept of “Sustainable Consumer”.
To make it easy for all walks of life to understand the focus of activities of the WCRD falling on March 15, 2020, the DCP integrates relevant information to set up the “Sustainable Consumer” page on the website of the Consumer Protection Committee, Executive Yuan. It is on this webpage that you will find out not only the meaning of the theme and its promotion activities but also the links to other resources. It is hoped that you can make access to relevant information more easily and then start to do something good for the earth. In 2020, the DCP plans to promote the following “Sustainable Consumer” measures to all walks of life for implementation:
1.For government agencies: Executive Yuan has incorporated the concept of “Sustainable Consumer” into the 2020-2021 consumer protection plan and asked every competent authority to reduce the use of energy and natural resources, to reduce waste and pollutant emissions, and to consider recycling. During the annual assessment, the DCP will request all the ministries and agencies to draft plans on how to enforce the effectiveness of implementing the Sustainable Consumer-related programs.
2.For business operators: The competent authority shall encourage business operators to develop products and services that are safe, healthy, environmentally friendly, and with reasonable environmental costs for consumers to purchase, so as not to directly or indirectly affect the environment and human health.
3.For consumer protection groups: Subsidy will be granted in priority to those consumer protection groups that handle the Sustainable Consumer-related activities in a hope to raise awareness among the general public about sustainable consumption.
4.For consumers: In the annual publicity activities, relevant activities will be held in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Administration and other agencies, so that consumers can acquire knowledge through the activities and can change their consumption patterns in daily life.
The DCP calls on people once again that “Sustainable Consumer” should not be only a slogan; all of us must work together to make it internalized into a part of business operations or daily life; consumers, in particular, should practice it as a habit. Let the beautiful earth go sustainable. This is undoubtedly the best asset that we can pass on to the next generations.