Abstract
This chapter is predicated on two main assumptions. The author argues that we cannot have consumer rights without human rights, and we cannot be responsible consumers unless we are responsible humans. After a discussion of what constitutes the consumer interest, and a brief contextual overview of the emergence of consumer rights, the discussion turns to how consumer responsibilities evolved as a construct in the early eighties. An in-depth overview of Consumer International’s five basic consumer responsibilities is then provided: solidarity, critical awareness, action and involvement, environmental awareness, and social concern. After briefly profiling the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the discussion links consumer rights to human rights. This notion provided a natural segue to the idea that consumer responsibilities can be linked with the emergent human responsibility movement. Using the InterAction Council’s Declaration of Human Responsibilities as a foundation document, the chapter concluded by linking Consumer International’s five consumer responsibilities with the Council’s 19-article declaration. The notion of consumer responsibilities gains another dimension when correlated with human rights and human responsibilities.
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McGregor, S.L.T. (2017). Consumer Responsibilities. In: Emilien, G., Weitkunat, R., Lüdicke, F. (eds) Consumer Perception of Product Risks and Benefits. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50530-5_28
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