Consumers Union mission
| OUR MISSION: Consumers Union works for a fair, just and safe marketplace for all consumers, and to empower consumers to protect themselves.
To do that work, we: Test products and evaluate services, Inform consumers about our findings, and Protect the public through information and advocacy. IMPARTIALITY: Consumers Union is beholden to no commercial interest and is responsible only to its subscribers and members. CU's income is derived solely from the sale of our publications and services, from individual contributions, and from a few noncommercial grants. CU accepts no free product samples; every product we test is bought on the open market. Neither Consumer Reports nor any CU publication accepts outside advertising, and we never grant permission for commercial use of our name or our test results by companies whose products or services we evaluate. HOW WE TEST: More than 100 testing experts work in 50 labs at CU's National Testing and Research Center in Yonkers, NY and at our 327-acre facility in East Haddam, CT, where CU's Auto Test group is headquartered. Product tests and ratings for performance, safety, reliability, and value are based on government and industry standards, and on standards our specialists think should also apply. To supplement laboratory testing, the Survey Research Department gathers--through an Annual Questionnaire and other surveys--the experiences that thousands of Consumer Reports subscribers have had with products and services. HOW WE INFORM: CU's flagship monthly publication, Consumer Reports, has four million paid circulation; total readership (according to MRI) is estimated at about 16 million. CU information reaches millions of additional consumers through CU's websites: www.ConsumerReports.org with more than 2,000,000 paid subscribers); www.ConsumersUnion.org ; www.ConsumerWebWatch.org ; www.eco-labels.org ; and www.Zillions.org , (a consumer website for young people 8 and up); Consumer Reports on Health; Consumer Reports Money Adviser; Consumer Reports Special Publications; New and Used Auto Price Services; New Car Buying Kit and Used Car Buying Kit; Consumer Reports TV News; Consumer Reports Medical Guide (an online informational tool about medical conditions and treatments); Report to Consumers radio features; From Consumer Reports, (syndicated column); and Consumer Reports to Go, a new information tool for mobile and wireless users of PDAs and Pocket PCs. HOW WE PROTECT AND EMPOWER: Staffers at CU's Advocacy Offices in Yonkers, NY; Washington, DC; Austin, TX; and San Francisco, CA provide tools to consumers to make their concerns heard by the powers that be--in government and in industry. They also testify before Federal and state legislative and regulatory bodies, petition government agencies, emphasizing a national, multi-state, grass roots approach on behalf of consumers on: product safety, health care, finance, food safety, economic discrimination, housing, the environment, telecommunications, and other consumer issues. The Consumer Policy Institute in Yonkers, NY conducts research and education projects on such issues as biotechnology, toxic air pollution, community right-to-know laws, and pesticides. GOVERNANCE: Consumers Union is governed by a Board of 18 directors, who are elected by CU members and meet three times a year. Consumers Union members are invited to attend CU's annual meeting, held in October at the Yonkers, NY headquarters. CU's President, James Guest, oversees a staff of more than 400. |
Non-partisan, nonprofit, independent. Consumers Union (CU), the publisher of Consumer Reports, is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) educational organization that serves American consumers. To further its mission of testing products and services, informing the public, and protecting the consumer interest, CU plays an active role in the development of public policy on behalf of American consumers at local, state, national, and international levels. CU may support or oppose specific legislation or regulatory initiatives. However, as a nonprofit organization, CU does not endorse political candidates, political parties, nor their political platforms. On occasion, CU may assess the value for consumers of policies set forth by particular public officials or political candidates. These assessments of a specific policy do not constitute or imply an endorsement or condemnation of a candidate, official, or political party. Rather, they are intended to inform the public, spur debate, and further the welfare of consumers. Consumers Union has a longstanding policy not to permit the commercial use of its material, including research, articles, policy reports, and other information. We do not allow our name to be used in the advertising or promotion of products and services that we have evaluated. In a similar way, we also request that candidates for public office refrain from using our name in paid campaign advertisements. When actions that are inconsistent with our organizational policies regarding the use of our name are brought to our attention, we investigate the usage in question, and where necessary, contact the business or organization sponsoring the advertising to request that they immediately stop using our name. |
