New Delhi: The Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a stakeholder consultation on the formulation of a ‘Safety Pledge’ for e-commerce platforms on [Date]. This initiative aims to guarantee the sale of goods that are safe for consumer use while requiring platforms to implement measures preventing the sale of unsafe products.
The meeting, chaired by Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, brought together representatives from industry associations, major e-commerce platforms, voluntary consumer associations, and law chairs.
The session commenced with a presentation emphasizing the significance of consumer goods safety and the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, designed to prevent the sale of unsafe products. International examples of Safety Pledge implementation in regions such as the European Union, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Canada were discussed.
Sale of safe goods to consumers is a foundational principle of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. ‘Consumer rights’ recognized under Section 2(9) of the Act includes protection against the marketing of hazardous goods. Consumer commissions are empowered under the Act to direct entities not to offer hazardous or unsafe goods for sale.
The Department of Consumer Affairs is actively collaborating with the European Commission to adopt best international practices for detecting and preventing the sale of unsafe goods online.
The Safety Pledge is a voluntary commitment by online platforms to ensure the safety of goods sold to consumers. It aims to enhance consumer protection from the risk of purchasing unsafe products online.
Proposed principles of the Safety Pledge for e-commerce platforms include detecting and preventing the sale of unsafe products, cooperating with statutory authorities for product safety, raising awareness among third-party sellers, and empowering consumers on product safety issues.
A committee has been constituted by the Department to draft the Safety Pledge, comprising members from major e-commerce platforms, voluntary consumer associations, industry bodies, and National Law Universities. The committee is expected to submit its report in two weeks.
Participants included industry associations such as CII, ASSOCHAM, FICCI, IAMAI, NASSCOM, e-commerce platforms Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and voluntary consumer associations like Mumbai Grahak Panchayat and Consumer Voice, along with Law chairs from NLU Delhi and NLSIU, Bengaluru.
All stakeholders expressed appreciation for the introduction of a Safety Pledge for e-commerce platforms, emphasizing the critical importance of ensuring the sale of safe goods to consumers through online channels