Ask them to keep you informed about any actions the government is taking in these areas and to involve your organisation in policy discussions. Targeting Business You can also use World Consumer Rights Day and the fifth anniversary of the Earth Summit to ask companies what they are doing to apply environmental criteria in their operations. You can demand that they report publicly on their environmental performance and provide consumers with information on the environmental impacts of their goods and services. National business associations should support this by developing common reporting guidelines and monitoring their implementation. Raising Awareness Raising awareness about sustainable development issues and about the responsibilities of business, governments and consumers is a key to changing consumption and production patterns.
Consumer organisations have an important role to play.
Ask them to raise the issue in Parliament and to ask specific questions to your head of government and relevant departments of state. Start a section in your magazine or newsletter on environmentally aware consumption. You can highlight connections between consumer choices and environmental degradation and suggest simple things consumers can do to help alleviate problems of environmental degradation.