The ASEAN Committee on Consumer
Protection (ACCP) has launched the ASEAN Toolkit on Sustainable
Consumption which comprises of tools and teaching materials aiming to
enhance the understanding of government officials, consumer
associations, and businesses, on the concept and policy implications of
sustainable consumption.
Promoting Sustainable Consumption is
in-line with the ASEAN Economic Blueprint (AEC) 2025, which recognizes
the need to build higher consumer confidence including through the
promotion of sustainable consumption. This strategic measure has been
further elaborated under Goal 3 of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for
Consumer Protection (ASAPCP) 2025 which aims at ensuring higher consumer
confidence in the ASEAN Economic Community and cross-border commercial
transaction.
The materials are divided into four modules with the following topics:
1. Concepts and Principles and Principles of Sustainable Consumption;
2. Best regional and international practices and approaches to policies that promote sustainable consumption;
3. Tools and instruments used in influencing consumer behavior; and
4. Use of appropriate instruments and tools in selected sectors
The
materials are also supplemented with advocacy materials such as power
point slides, infographics and an Audio-Visual Presentation.
Prior to the development of the Toolkit,
the ACCP conducted a Capacity Building Workshops and Observational Site
Visits to Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan on March 2019. The Workshop discussed
the gaps and challenges in promoting sustainable consumption and
provided the opportunity for AMS to discuss the development of their
respective national initiatives to promote sustainable consumption.
In
addition, a Regional Forum took place on August 2019 in Manila, the
Philippines to discuss ways forward to formulate and implement
sustainable consumption policy in ASEAN. In addition to ACCP members,
the participants include international experts from countries with
advance sustainable consumption initiatives such as Japan and South
Africa. It also includes NGOs, and academicians who are prominent
advocates of the sustainable consumption movement. The recommendations
and deliberations at the Forum provided the foundation for the
development of the Sustainable Consumption Toolkit.
The
development of the Toolkit was led by the Department of Trade and
Industry of the Philippines and funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration
Fund (JAIF) through the project ‘Promotion of Sustainable Consumption in
ASEAN’.
Please visit the aseanconsumer.org website here to download the Toolkit and the set of advocacy materials.
For more information on ASEAN’s work on consumer protection, please visit the ACCP website: www.aseanconsumer.org.