From Our President: Consumer-Powered Change

Consumers are a force to be reckoned with—like the “citizen testers” who test for toxins in dishes, dental floss, and even sports bras. And collectively, consumers are driving national change. In December, we saw a victory that would not have been won without the parents who helped secure national standards to prevent the sale of unstable furniture. After tragically losing their own children, they banded together, showing incredible courage and fortitude in using their voices to advocate for America’s most vulnerable.

There’s no better changemaker than you, and that’s why CR is working with consumers to expose frustrating issues and dangerous products—so we can make the marketplace fair and safe.

Our community reporters collected samples from water systems that serve over 19 million people. Subsequent testing revealed dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, and PFAS (“forever” chemicals). After the findings were published, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an advisory for four PFAS chemicals in drinking water, lowering the level of contamination below which adverse health effects are not expected.

People like you make these actions possible, so we’re finding more ways to empower people as drivers of change. Community reporters in Mississippi are building on our water study by collecting samples to test the safety of their local systems. And in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, residents are using air quality monitors to measure pollution around new Amazon facilities.

I encourage you to sign up to be a community reporter for one of our next consumer change efforts, including a campaign to make digital services cost less and devices less pricey to repair, which would be a big sustainability win.

With your voice, your passion, and your power, we can change the world for all consumers.