Across the world, consumers continue to encounter unsafe, counterfeit or poor-quality products — from children’s toys and household electronics to medicines and everyday goods. World Consumer Rights Day, coordinated by Consumers International, is the only globally recognised day dedicated to promoting consumer rights and needs. This year’s theme Safe Products, Confident Consumers, calls for collective action across government, business and consumer groups alike. It means putting in place effective mechanisms to identify, correct, track and trace unsafe products; strong legislation to prevent unsafe products entering the marketplace in the first place; and businesses leading by example.
As global supply chains expand and online commerce grows, dangerous products move faster and further. Product safety is not simply a regulatory issue — it is essential to protecting the human rights to life, health and safety. When safety systems fall short, consumers bear the burden through injury, financial loss, environmental harm and even loss of life. The United Nations recently adopted Principles for consumer safety which affirms the right of all consumers to safe, non-hazardous products, sold online and offline, in line with the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection.
Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) engages with these issues by supporting consumer representatives to participate in the development of standards to ensure consumer confidence in the health and safety of products and services – find out more about the CFA Standards Project and how to get involved. In Australia, product safety is underpinned by a comprehensive framework involving the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), and Australian Standards™. Find out more in the Standards Australia report Product safety through standards and regulatory compliance: Protecting consumers and empowering Australian business (2025).