Four e-commerce giants have signed on to a voluntary pledge to improve product safety, driven by the ACCC.
Amazon Australia, eBay, AliExpress, and Catch have all thrown their weight behind the Australian Product Safety Pledge, committing them to twelve new product safety initiatives including removing unsafe product listings within two days of ACCC notification, implementing measures to stop repeat offenders, and setting up processes to prevent or restrict the sale of banned, non-compliant, and recalled products.
According to ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard, the pledge is an important step towards providing safe and trusted online shopping experiences.
“The already fast growing e-commerce market in Australia has accelerated even more this year, as the pandemic meant people have had to do more of their shopping from home.
“With the boom in online shopping, it is more important than ever for businesses to prioritise product safety,” she said.
Delia Rickard, ACCC.
Signatories to the pledge will be required to report their performance to the ACCC every year, which will inform an annual public report from the consumer watchdog.
“E-commerce giants like the four pledge signatories can help keep Australian consumers safe by preventing the sale of unsafe goods across their businesses.
“We applaud these signatories for signing up to the pledge and for confirming their commitment to protecting Australian consumers. We encourage them to continue to innovate to improve product safety,” said Rickard.
The pledge came about following a 2015 OECD international product safety sweep, which found 68 per cent of 693 banned or recalled products remained available online, and more than half of the 136 products purchased and physically inspected failed to comply with relevant safety regulations.
