OECD - GLOBAL PORTAL ON PRODUCT RECALLS

From

web site

OEDCD - Original publisher

What is the GlobalRecalls portal?

The GlobalRecalls portal brings together information on product recalls being issued around the world, on a regular basis, together in one place –an OECD platform. The portal includes information on mandatory and voluntary consumer product recalls which were issued by a governmental body and were made publicly available. The scope of the recalls depends on the government agencies providing information: in some cases data on food products, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and drugs are also included. 

Every day, new products are manufactured and sold across borders and online. Increased trade and more sophisticated designs can make it difficult to ensure that the products consumers buy are safe for them. 

To help, the OECD is hosting the GlobalRecalls portal, which is the first online tool that contains regularly-updated information on consumer product recalls issued by jurisdictions around the world. 

Consumers can use this portal to check for safety alerts about the products they intend to buy, especially when making online purchases from abroad. Businesses can improve tracking of emerging hazards from around the world which will help them to move quickly to address problems. Governments are also better positioned to remove unsafe products from the market, better protecting consumers. 

The GlobalRecalls portal has the potential to greatly raise awareness of safety concerns worldwide while saving money. A similar OECD portal on chemicals is saving governments and industry an estimated EUR 150 million annually.

Did you know?

The cost of product-related injury, death and property damage in the United States exceeds USD 1 trillion per year.

In South Korea, the number of recalls increased by about 80% in 2014, when compared to 2013. The increase is mainly due to the surge in voluntary recalls by manufacturers and distributors.

An increase by 8.5% in the number of recalls was noted in Australia in fiscal year 2012, when compared to a year earlier.

In 2015, 2072 notifications on products posing a risk to consumers' health and safety were circulated through the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous products. The most frequently notified consumer products were toys and clothing, and the two most common types of risks were chemical risk and injuries.

From 1992 to 2006, toy recalls increased at a faster rate than the increase in imports from foreign countries in the United States.

25% of the products targeted for controls by French Customs in 2015 were non-compliant.

Canada has seen an average 270 consumer product safety recalls per year since 2009. Of these, the number of joint recalls with the United States has increased significantly in recent years, from 3% in 2009 to 39% in 2015.

Japan has been participating in the GlobalRecalls portal since January 2015.

The GlobalRecalls portal uses a common product taxonomy. In the United States, use of the taxonomy could reduce the volume of imported toy products subject to examination by 75%, resulting in savings of USD 16.8 million for toy importers and USD 775 000 in cost savings for the government over five years.  

GO TO OECD WEB SITE> CLICK HERE