The UN General Assembly adopted the first-ever United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety on December 15, 2025. This is a landmark framework that affirms all people have the right to safe products, whether purchased online or offline, and whether new, used, repaired, or reconditioned.
A Framework for Product Safety
At its core, the framework establishes that people have a right to safe products. It places the primary responsibility on business to ensure product safety through the entire product lifecycle, from design, production, supply, to end-of life disposal.
The framework underscores the importance of public authorities, and it calls on governments to:
- Empower authorities to develop and enforce product safety standards
- Strengthen safety policies for online marketplaces
- Investigate and act against businesses that sell unsafe products
- Collect data on unsafe products and communicate recalls effectively and promptly
- Cooperate internationally by exchanging information, coordinating corrective measures, and sharing testing facilities
Recognizing the importance of sustainability and the circular economy, the framework also calls on businesses to consider a product’s entire lifecycle and freely distribute user manuals for safe product use to any interested party in accessible formats, whether electronic or print.
Importantly, this framework is designed to be flexible and non-trade restrictive, allowing countries to adapt it to their specific needs while maintaining strong consumer protections.
Alignment with US Consumer Advocacy
The UN principles align closely with the Consumer Federation of America’s longstanding policy recommendations. In May 2025, CFA released a joint report with consumer groups in the US, UK, and EU through the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue, documenting the shared product safety challenges consumers face on online marketplaces and the ease with which unsafe products can be accessed online. That report recommended many of the same measures now enshrined in the UN principles: cross-border cooperation, empowered regulatory agencies, compliance with existing safety regulations, clear accountability for online marketplace safety, strong enforcement mechanisms, enhanced third-party seller verification, and collaboration with consumer organizations.
The US Vote: A Missed Opportunity
Unfortunately, despite these excellent common sense principles, and despite the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s own commitment to many of these same principles, the United States voted against adoption.
An Evolving Moment for Global Consumer Safety
As UN Trade and Development has noted, “Unsafe products anywhere could pose threats to consumers everywhere in a world underpinned by interconnected markets and fast-moving supply chains. But alarmingly, 44% of UN member states still lack legal frameworks on product safety.” These principles represent a crucial step forward in protecting consumers globally.
The Consumer Federation of America celebrates the United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety as a significant achievement that robustly affirms people’s right to safe, non-hazardous products and underscores that businesses bear primary responsibility for safety throughout the product lifecycle. We urge the US to embrace these vital consumer protections.