Major e-commerce platforms like Ajio, JioMart, Netmed, BigBasket, Tata Cliq, Tata 1mg, Zomato and Ola will be adopting ”Safety Pledge” on the occasion of the National Consumer Day, 2024 to be celebrated on 24 December.

The ”Safety Pledge” is a voluntary commitment by e-commerce platforms for detecting and preventing the sale of unsafe, spurious and non-conforming products, cooperating with statutory authorities responsible for product safety, raising consumer product safety awareness among sellers and empowering consumers on product safety.

Advertisement

In a landmark step towards securing consumers’ interests, the Department of Consumer Affairs announced ”Safety Pledge” for e-commerce platforms.

To discuss the development of the ”Safety Pledge”, the department held a stakeholder consultation on 16 November, 2023.

Subsequently, a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of noted consumer activist and journalist Pushpa Girimaji for drafting of the pledge with major e-commerce entities, industry bodies and law chairs as its members.

The committee was tasked to prepare and submit the ”Safety Pledge” to the department. The final draft of the pledge has been prepared after extensive consultative process by the Committee and scrutinisation by the department.

Many jurisdictions across the globe have nudged e-commerce platforms to take a voluntary safety pledge, as an informal commitment to proactively address the Issue of determining liability on e-commerce platforms, especially when the actual seller is untraceable or unwilling to accept responsibility.

The unique nature of e-commerce, where physical examination of products before purchase is not possible, underscores the crucial role of product safety, which is established on the expectation that products adhere to safety standards and specified regulations.

Consequently, product safety holds paramount importance for online shoppers.

The sale of products that are unsafe or fail to meet the relevant standards on e-commerce platforms poses a significant risk to the safety and well-being of consumers and the public. This becomes particularly crucial in case of products which are mandated to conform to standards under Quality Control Orders (QCOs).

With over 880 million users, India is the world’s second-largest internet market. By 2030, India is projected to host the second-largest online shopper base globally, with an estimated 500 million shoppers [Source: Invest India Ecommerce Brochure.pdf]. In light of the consistent expansion of e-commerce in India, ensuring the safety of products sold online is imperative for consumer well-being.