Lagos preaches sustainable consumption

By Oyebola Owolabi

Consumers have been enjoined to practise sustainable consumption to increase resource efficiency, minimise waste and pollution.

Chairman of Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) Mrs. Funmi Falana, who addressed a news conference to mark 2020 World Consumer Rights Day, stressed that sustainable consumption would minimise harmful practices on humans and the environment.

The theme this year is ‘The Sustainable Consumer’.

Mrs. Falana said: “Sustainable consumption is the use of products and services in a way that minimises the impact on the environment so that human needs can be met, not only in the present, but also for future generations.

When sustainable consumption is practised, resources are used wisely, waste and pollution are minimised. This can better be achieved by doing more and better with less, meaning we can meet our needs and desires without depleting our planet’s finite natural resources.”

‘’LASCOPA last year celebrated the World Consumer Rights Day at the Computer Village seeing that most substandard goods come in from different countries and end up at the Computer Village market.”

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“This year’s World Consumer Rights Day is all about the consumers and so we intend to educate them on acceptable standards of consumables, such as fruits and vegetables. We also want to enlighten them on finding sustainable alternatives to chemically-made products which are harmful to us as human beings and to the environment.

‘’Practising sustainable consumption can ensure that the environment has resources available long into the future,” she added.

General Manager of LASCOPA Mrs. Kemi Olugbode, who reiterated Falana’s stance, added that the agency was working on a consumer policy draft on how to do business.

She said the document would inform on stocking of goods, audit, inspection and automation of businesses.

The general manager urged business owners to monitor their businesses.

“Don’t be lazy; know the details of the products being sold. We also implore people to do less of inorganic products. We encourage people to rescue the environment from hazards through their sustainable consumption,” she said.