Share

Global awareness campaign on product recalls

Over the past decades, the volume of consumer product recalls has been increasing steadily worldwide, affecting millions of non-food products ranging from electronic devices, toys and childcare equipment to household appliances and automobiles.

In the year 2018 alone, over 3700 product recall notifications were submitted by 39 jurisdictions on the OECD Global Recalls portal. Yet consumers' reactions to recalls remain low in most jurisdictions, some achieving response rates as low as 3%.  As a result, a large proportion of products that have been the subject of a recall remain in consumers' homes, exposing them to injuries or even risk of death.

Around 20 countries took part in the OECD's October 2019 Global Awareness Campaign on Product Recalls, which aimed to:

  • assist consumers in bridging the gap between being aware of a recall and reacting to it;
  • enhance business understanding of how to effectively communicate recalls to consumers.

Twitter  Help spread the word

  • English: #ReactToRecalls
  • Français: #réagissezauxrappels   
  • Español: #Reacciona
  • Deutsch: #reagierenanproduktrückrufe

Messages for consumers

Don’t let recalled products hide in your home!

  • Sign up for alerts to receive recall information locally and globally.
     
  • Register your product, when possible, to know immediately if it is affected by a recall.
     
  • Stop using a recalled product immediately – your life may be in danger!
     
  • Follow recall notice instructions. If you’re not sure of what to do, contact the business or your local product safety authority.
     
  • Spread the word about product recalls around you.

Messages for businesses

Show that you C.A.R.E. by keeping your recalled products away from consumers

Clear

  • Provide clear information about the product you’re recalling and its risks.
  • Clearly communicate how consumers can participate in your recall.

Accessible

  • Make recall notices easy to find for your consumers.
  • Provide consumers with ways to contact you.
  • Where possible, offer consumers the option to register their products in a simple way.

Resolve

  • Offer remedies to your consumers that are practical, without causing them inconvenience.
  • Monitor the impact of your product recalls, and adjust your strategy where necessary.

Engage

  • Work with your stakeholders to help spread your message.
  • Motivate consumers by offering them incentives to participate in your recall.
  • Use a variety of communication channels to alert your consumers.

 

 

Download infographic (pdf):
English  |  French

Recall tips for consumers

Video produced by Colombia's Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio also available in Spanish

 

Recall tips for businesses 

Video produced by Colombia's Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio also available in Spanish

 

OECD Global Recalls Portal

 

The OECD Global Recalls portal was created in 2012 to serve as a single window for sharing information about product recalls worldwide.

As of October 2019, the database contains more than 25,000 product recall notices from 47 jurisdictions, and integrates data from the EU’s rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (Safety Gate) and the ASEAN regional recalls portal.

This figure is expected to rise as the OECD continues to work with other international organisations such as the Organisation of American States (OAS) to incorporate their recalls into the portal.