Green & ethical consumption Archives - Page 2 of 10 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

26 June , 2024

Building Ministers Agree to ‘climate resilience objective’

Building Ministers have agreed to add climate resilience as an objective of the Australian Building Codes Board. This responds to a recommendation from the 2020 National Natural Disaster Arrangements Royal Commission and paves the way for the Australian Building Codes Board to consider future standards which ensure buildings can better withstand more extreme weather. This…

21 June , 2024

Events – Can they be Sustainable?

Events can be high profile and transient, with both positive and negative social, economic and environmental impacts. Sustainable event management includes consideration of these impacts, taking into account the needs of all stakeholders. The revised draft standard AS ISO 20121:2024 Events sustainability magement systems – Requirements with guidance for use can ensure you can have…

7 June , 2024

Consultation Opens on Future of Tyre Stewardship Scheme

The ACCC is proposing to grant authorisation for the Tyre Product Stewardship scheme to continue for a further 3 years. The Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) implemented scheme aims to increase the number of tyres being recycled and the use of tyre derived products in environmentally appropriate ways in Australia and overseas. Since the ACCC first…

20 May , 2024

New Vehicle Efficiency Standard to Commence January 2025

Australian motorists will soon be able to choose from a wider range of cleaner, cheaper to run cars with the Parliament passing the legislation for the Albanese Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. This is good news for the hip pocket and for the environment. Car makers now have an incentive to send us their most…

15 May , 2024

Senate Supermarket Inquiry Recommends Grocery Price Transparency

The 14 recommendations of a Senate Select Committee inquiry into supermarket prices included several aimed at increasing the transparency of retail grocery prices for consumers. These recommendations included (in Recommendation 9 ) that: The Australian Government amend the Unit Pricing Code made under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, so that supermarkets are required to:…

15 April , 2024

The 2024 Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture – 50 Years of Consumer Advocacy

This year’s Ruby Hutchison Memorial lecture shone a light on just how much the consumer protection movement together with regulators has achieved in the last 50 years, and the complex consumer issues we’re still seeking answers to today. Bringing in a musical theme and recognising the rockstar influence of the speakers, the ACCC Deputy Chair…

28 March , 2024

ASIC Wins Greenwashing Case Against Vanguard

The Federal Court has found Vanguard Investments Australia contravened the law by making misleading claims about certain environmental, social and governance (ESG) exclusionary screens applied to investments in a Vanguard index fund. At a hearing before Justice O’Bryan on 8 March 2024, Vanguard admitted to engaging in conduct that was liable to mislead the public…

7 March , 2024

ACCC Announces 2024-25 Enforcement Priorities

Original media release from the ACCC (7/03/2024). Consumer and competition issues in the supermarket sector and essential services including electricity and financial services are among the ACCC’s compliance and enforcement priorities for the year ahead, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb announced today. “Our priorities continue to be shaped by the key challenges facing our economy and the…

31 January , 2024

Safe Battery Disposal

55% of Australians incorrectly dispose of batteries. Australian B-cycle “Never bin your batteries” aims to help consumers understand the risks of throwing batteries away in regular bins. It emphasises the need to never put used batteries in general waste or recycling bins, to instead tape the terminals with clear sticky tape and take them to…

3 January , 2024

Battery Stewardship Council Proposes Extension to EV Batteries

Currently, EV batteries account for only 7%, by weight, of all batteries entering the market in 2023 and only 0.2% of all batteries, by weight, entering the waste stream. However, within the next decade the number of EV batteries entering the market, as a percentage of the total battery market, will increase to 30% with 5%…

11 December , 2023

Building a Resilient Future – Day 3 of Consumers International Global Congress

A report from our Consumers International Global Congress representative, Deputy Chair Chandni Gupta Final day of the 2023 Global Congress and the pace remained fast and fascinating with enlightening presentations with a key focus on sustainability to close off the conference. Below are some highlights from Day 3. Sustainable appliances for a green transition An…

8 December , 2023

C is for Collaboration – Day 2 of Consumers International Global Congress

Today the Congress was abuzz with passionate consumer advocates, experts and regulators taking a deep dive into everything from scams and AI to greenwashing and digital wallets. But at the heart of so many discussions today was the value of and the critical need to collaborate. It was recognised that collaboration both within and across borders is needed to help raise the voices on key issues impacting consumers and to learn from one another. Below are some of the highlights from Day 2!