Rethinking the Role of the Consumer in a Global Economy: The Power of Choice as a ‘Human Right’?

The purpose of this chapter is to reconsider the role of consumers as ‘sustainable’ consumers (or even ‘sustainable’ users) in a global economy. The premise upon which the chapter is built is that both the digital and environmental challenges have imposed a shift in the way in which individuals approach consump- tion. In a circular economy-oriented model, the very notion of consumers seems outdated, as this economic model strives towards the recycling and reuse of goods, challenging the consumeristic approach which has so far characterized most eco- nomic models, including the European one. At the same time, said challenges have, in some ways, strengthened the position of consumers and the power that they hold. Indeed, consumers’ attention towards the sustainability of certain products, their interest towards the protection of the environment can have an important impact on businesses’ compliance with sustainability rules. The power of choice which con- sumers have can greatly influence and contribute to shifting towards a circular econ- omy model focused on sustainability and environmental protection. Starting from this assumption, the chapter tries to pin-point how consumer protection is (if at all) approached at the international legal level. It reflects on whether it is possible to talk about global consumer law at all, and whether the intersection between consumer rights, the environment, and sustainability has been acknowledged by international legal instruments. The chapter will delve into consumer rights as an innovative way of conceptualising human rights and will try to evaluate whether it is possible to talk about consumer rights as human rights. In this context, particular attention will be devoted to the right of access to information, considered as the backbone of con- sumers’ power of choice. Furthermore, the contribution will try to move a step fur- ther and propose a conceptualization of consumer rights which is not only human-centric, rather eco-centric, thus approached in a holistic way, with consumer rights being instrumental in achieving environmental protection and sustainability.