The Consumers’ Foundation celebrated its 40th anniversary on Nov. 1.
In 1980, during my term as chairman of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Taipei, more than 2,000 people in central Taiwan were sickened by polychlorinated biphenyl pollution. Many of the victims were economically disadvantaged people with little legal knowledge and no one to turn to for aid.
I then worked with JCI Taipei members, academics and experts to launch a consumer movement in Taiwan. We overcame all obstacles to establish the Consumers’ Foundation that year. With Taiwan still under martial law, operations were extremely difficult at the beginning.
Several factors have contributed to the continued success of the foundation over the past four decades.
First, instead of protests, the foundation simply exposes misconduct in a rational manner. For example, when a food company was caught mixing sesame oil with blended oil in 1983, instead of leading consumers in a protest outside the company’s offices, the foundation used examinations and evidence to warn the public.
Second, it promotes consumer knowledge on issues. It has taught people to check labels when making purchases, and to look for traps in advertising and contracts when buying homes.
Third, it takes consumers’ complaints and tries to offer assistance in individual cases. When multiple consumer complaints expose a problem, it takes action.
For example, many shoppers in 1981 complained that they had bought bad canned food with unclear labels. The foundation helped bring about the passage of the Commodity Labeling Act (商品標示法) the following year.
Fourth, the foundation has pushed for and helped bring about several laws, including the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法). It also offered legal consultation to authorities during the passage of the Fair Trade Act (公平交易法) to ensure that consumers’ rights would be legally protected.
Fifth, the foundation carries out comparison tests on various commodities, which serve as references for consumers when they shop.
Sixth, it protects consumers’ rights through class-action lawsuits in major cases involving a large number of victims. For instance, when a building in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊) collapsed in the 921 Earthquake, the foundation filed a class-action lawsuit demanding compensation for the victims.
Seventh, the foundation participates and cooperates with international organizations, allowing it to work with foreign consumer groups.
For example, in a 1985 protest against Japan Asia Airways’ use of old planes on its Taiwan-Japan route, the foundation worked with Japanese consumer groups to launch a boycott against the airline and successfully forced it to replace the planes.
Finally, the foundation continues to cultivate new chairpersons who only serve a single term, so that the organization’s leadership would not be controlled by one person for too long. This allows new chairpersons to pass on accumulated knowledge and innovate.
Thanks to these qualities, the foundation has been supported and trusted by Taiwanese over the past 40 years. Looking to the future, there will be growing trends toward e-commerce, e-payments and the “stay-at-home” economy.
In particular, there will be changes in consumption patterns due to negative population growth and a growing aged population. How to direct policy and turn people friendly toward the organization into active supporters are issues the foundation’s new leadership must address.
Lee Shen-yi is honorary chairman of the Consumers’ Foundation.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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