Raising the consumer voice in India
As part of our vision for Safe and Sustainable Households in South Asia we carried out impact-driven interventions in India across six communities in three states.
Our activities helped communities to switch their purchasing patterns to more sustainable products such as gas cooker pipes, detergent and energy-efficient light bulbs. And we empowered vulnerable consumers by promoting the value of consumer rights and how they can use them to see lasting change.
We worked with four leading consumer advocacy groups in India – trusted by consumers and experienced in carrying out similar community initiatives. They played a core role to the design of the project, and ultimately its end results.
Selected achievements include:
- The consumption of safer and more sustainable products increased - the average number of households using LED light bulbs across the six communities increased from 22% to 68%.
- The affordability of products was strengthened – the average price for LED light bulbs decreased by between 33% to 42%. Local supply points in the target communities provided all five sustainable products that were addressed in the project.
- Community understanding of consumer rights and the tools available to them increased. For example, in 2019, 71% of respondents had awareness of consumer rights compared to 44% in 2017.
- Consumer awareness of safety and quality marks increased from 18% to 61%. Awareness of health and economic benefits of products that are safe and environmentally sound increased substantively.
Our impact was made possible by the commitment of our members in India: Consumer Association of India (CAI), Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC), Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) and Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG).
For more on our project and impact read out report.