Bright side and dark side of the moon: consumer rights and responsibilities under EU law

Hans-W. Micklitz, Hans-W. Micklitz and Hans-W. Micklitz

Chapter Chapter 11 in The Elgar Companion to Consumer Behaviour and the Sustainable Development Goals, 2025, pp 176-189 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The declaration of President Kennedy in 1962 spread around the world and triggered consumer policy and consumer law in the Western world. The four consumer rights- the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose and the right to be heard- took shape more or less in parallel to the growing concern about environmental protection. This is the bright sight of the moon. However, the two fields of law- the emerging consumer law and the emerging environmental law- developed disconnected. Early attempts of the United Nations to green the Consumer Guidelines in 1999 did not have much effect, at least not in Western democracies. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, have the potential to be a game changer. They are now in the limelight of legislators, perhaps with the European Union taking the lead in transforming the existing consumer acquis. The policy shift emphasises the dark side of the moon, on the deficiencies of a self-standing consumer law order built around ever more sophisticated rights in a world where consumption blurs the line between the market and society. This chapter aims to contrast the consumer rights rhetoric with the sensitive issue of consumer responsibilities for sustainable consumption.

Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals; UN Consumer Guidelines; Sustainable consumption; Consumer policy and law; Consumer rights; Consumer responsibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035325054
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