Almost a century ago, Stuart Chase and Frederick Schlink, an author and an engineer, respectively, wrote that if we are “ever to find adequate protection,” then we “must reach out and take it” for ourselves. This became a central tenet of the consumer movement, and their book, “Your Money's Worth,” led in part to the creation of Consumers Union and Consumer Reports.
That belief—that our rights come from the empowerment of consumers and our combined might toward change—has been at the heart of CR's work for over 85 years. A person's economic freedoms are critical to their ability to be full members of our democracy, and our role must be to not only empower consumers in their personal choices but also to take action with consumers to secure their rights and build a consumer-first economy.
I'm proud our team lived up to this mission over the last year, leading us to incredible achievements:
- Our researchers and journalists exposed PFAS chemicals in food wrappers and containers that led to national fast-food companies announcing policy changes.
- Our testers reviewed more than 2,000 products and services in over 100 categories and expanded our Green Choice designation to cover not only cars but also household appliances like dishwashers.
- Our advocates helped secure the Safe Sleep for Babies Act, prompted in large part by our investigations and advocacy, which bans two dangerous infant sleep products linked to almost 200 reported deaths.
These are just a few of the successes we've had, and I encourage you to read our impact report to see the full scope of what this incredible team has accomplished this year in partnership with you. At the heart of this work are our members who make this success possible through your financial support and through your action, including the 1.7 million signatures and emails you've sent, as Chase and Schlink encouraged, to “reach out and take” the “adequate protection” consumers deserve.
However, the work is never finished. A few Big Tech companies maintain control of the marketplace, inflation is hitting families across the country, and misinformation is growing and causing tangible harm to individuals and to our democracy. Our mission is as important as ever, and we must build the accountability, transparency, and trust in our marketplace that consumers and our country need.
In the digital marketplace, we are redoubling our cybersecurity efforts to incentivize companies building safer tech and empower consumers to strengthen their own data security. We're piloting Permission Slip, a tool to help you decide what information companies can collect about you and what they're allowed to do with that data. This tool is shored up by a partnership with businesses to build the piping for managing consumer data, so it's easier for them to respect your wishes. And we're starting to evaluate the digital finance apps that so many of us have on our phones to make sure they are helping, not hurting.
CR has always championed safety, and today the changing climate poses one of the biggest threats to our health and our pocketbook. As consumers, we can wield our choice and collective action to reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions, pollution, and waste. CR launched Green Choice to go beyond the performance of a product, so you can understand the impact of its production, use, and disposal. With your support we can expand the depth and breadth of our green ratings. We've also conducted a survey—the largest in our history—on electric vehicles and other sustainable practices in the transportation industry. We found growing interest among consumers for more environmentally friendly (and sometimes more pocketbook-friendly) vehicles, and we will be exploring whether it's easy to charge an electric vehicle in your community so that these clean energy options are accessible for all of us.
We're also finding new ways to reach people, whether that's through our growing community on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok or through building new partnerships with organizations that share our goals. And last month, we released my first book: “Buyer Aware: Harnessing Our Consumer Power for a Safe, Fair, and Transparent Marketplace” (all proceeds from the book go to CR's nonprofit work). This playbook on consumer power is bringing the attention of media, industry, and government to the problems consumers face. As I said to journalist Kara Swisher on her podcast, Pivot, “This is that watershed moment where we have to bring our superpower to the table.”
In their book, Chase and Schlink compare the marketplace of the 1920s to that of Alice's Wonderland—a world of absurdity and deception—but they did leave readers on a positive note: “It is the consumer's move,” they wrote. “If he wants to leave Wonderland, there is a way out … if he is willing to organize to get it.”
Through organizing our movement and working together, we can help consumers overcome the hurdles they're facing, build a marketplace that is fair and just, and ensure our rights keep pace into the future. We continue to believe in a marketplace where the rules are fair, the incentives are positive, and leaders in business and government are accountable for their actions. And we're not only willing—we're ready to build a consumer-first economy today.
Marta L. Tellado, PhD
President & CEO of Consumer Reports
