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INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND CONSUMERS T
o make sure that standards address issues important to consumers such as safety, quality, sustainability and privacy, BSI believes it is vital that the people
who buy or use products and services are an integral part of standards development. Quite naturally, this is a belief shared by
Sue Davies and Jane Wallace at consumer champions, Which? It is BSI’s work at a policy level that particularly intersects with the interests of Sue and Jane, whose focus at the moment is on the government’s trade negotiations with countries around the world. In her role as Public Affairs Manager at
Westminster, Jane engages with policy makers in government and leads on engagement on international trade talks. Sue, who is Head of Consumer Rights and Food Policy, works closely with Jane on trade policy with the aim of infl uencing government decision-making to represent consumer interests. “In all our interactions, we’re trying to
make sure that trade deals refl ect consumer interests,” said Sue. “Standards are an important part of that. We recognize that standards created by BSI and others can help protect consumers, particularly in relation to product quality and safety. To do that, it’s important that BSI includes people who represent consumers on its technical committees. “We focus on standards that provide
strong protection around food and product safety. We want to make sure that, in negotiating trade deals, the government keeps the right mix of standards and
regulations and that
consumer protection isn’t compromised.”
Which? are key members of
the BSI Consumer Forum (see pop-up page) which exists to give consumers a platform to infl uence policy and standards developments (see box right). Members of the Consumer Forum collaborate to achieve shared consumer protection goals, bringing expertise to represent the needs of all members of our society.
Sue sits on Consumer Forum Council, which advises BSI on how consumer interests can be best represented in
standards development. It brings together organizations from across the consumer protection landscape to share insight about topical consumer issues.
Sue also sits on the Department for Trade’s (DiT’s) Strategic Trade Advisory Group (see
BSI
CONSUMER
THE STRATEGIC TRADE ADVISORY GROUP
CLICK TO READ
FORUM BSI Consumer Forum is an open network that brings together organizations from across the consumer protection landscape, including to share valuable insight about topical consumer issues. Members include charities,
pop up left) where trade policy is discussed. Scott Steedman, Director-General, Standards, is also on the group,
representing BSI. Both have consumers’
interests in their remit. “We share common ground,” says Sue. “BSI has a wider remit while our focus is solely on consumer interest, but we do overlap. We’ve worked closely with Richard Collin (BSI’s former Head of European and National Policy) and Sadie Dainton (BSI’s Consumer Policy Manager) on trade policy issues affecting consumers. “We believe that standards developed
through consensus-based international standards organizations, in the way that BSI works with ISO, can provide important protection for consumers. It’s important to have clarity on the rules and standards that apply so we’re not having a race to
regulators, enforcement agencies and government departments who may have expertise in:
• general consumer issues • a specifi c topic (e.g. electrical safety or sustainability)
Sue Davis, Which?
• the needs of particular groups of consumers (e.g. children or older people).
Jane Wallace, Which?
There is an annual Consumer Forum conference for members and other interested parties. This year’s conference, taking place in September, is the 70th anniversary of the BSI Consumer Forum being established.
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