Consumers advised to go ‘green'

Do you think that because activities causing environmental pollution directly impact only small groups of the population, it is not easy to ask consumers nation-wide to show their social responsibility by boycotting products made by the manufacturers?

It might be. But I don't think that pollution caused by discharging untreated water by an aluminium factory in the northern province of Hai Duong, the Taiwanese monosodium gluta-mate maker Vedan company in the southern province of Dong Nai or a leather tanning company in Ho Chi Minh City only affected the people living in the surrounding areas.

The United Nations Charter recognises that people have the rights to live in a healthy environment. Protecting the environment is the right and obligation of everyone and every community.

In your opinion, how can consumers show their social responsibility?

The world's people, including Vietnamese, are trying to achieve sustainable development.

That means we're determined to take action against any act that causes imbalance and threatens the world's sustainable development, in term of economics, society and environment.

Regarding environmental protection, many countries have considered it as one of the criteria to evaluate a company. They are ready to boycott products or services of any company that causes environmental pollution during their production. In Viet Nam, though the laws do not say consumers have or don't have the right to boycott products of such companies, they have the right to decide whether to buy them.

The Ordinance on Consumer Rights prohibits the production, trade and consumption of products which harm the environment and people's health.

That's why consumers have the right to refuse to buy products from manufacturers breaching the law.

Recently, consumers refused to buy noodles containing borax or soybean source containing 3 MCPD. Was this an indication of social responsibility?

They took the correct action to force the manufacturers to think about their social responsibility. The action was the response of direct consumers of the products whose rights were encroached upon.

However, social responsibility does not stop there. The consumers should adopt a broader view. Though the products may not cause direct harm to them if they don't eat them, they cause environmental pollution, an indication the factory owners have failed to honour their commitments in their project proposals.

It is imperative that producers and dealers adopt good business ethics and abide by Vietnamese and international laws and practices on environmental protection. They should be good citizens and be responsible to the community and the society.— VNS