BSI Consumer Forum

BSI Consumer Forum is an open network that brings together organizations from across the consumer protection landscape, including CPIN, to share valuable insight about topical consumer issues.

Members include charities, regulators, enforcement agencies and government departments who may have expertise in:

  • general consumer issues
  • a specific topic (e.g. electrical safety or sustainability)
  • the needs of particular groups of consumers (e.g. children or older people)

There is an annual Consumer Forum conference for members and other interested parties.

Learn more about the BSI Consumer Forum Conference 2021: Making Sustainability a Reality for consumers by clicking here.

Learn more about the BSI Consumer Forum Conference 2022: Creating a truly inclusive society by clicking here.

CPIN 70th Anniversary

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The Consumer and Public Interest Network provides the independent voice of the UK consumer in the development of British Standards, which play such a vital role delivering consumer protection to consumers both here, and around the world. Consumers are an essential part of BSI’s standards community. Discover the journey of consumers in standards here:

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Consumer Forum Council

Senior representatives from UK consumer protection organizations form the Consumer Forum Council, which:

  • takes a strategic overview of consumer issues
  • explores potential standards solutions
  • guides CPIN’s priorities
  • provides the consumer perspective to BSI’s Standards, Policy, and Strategy Committee (SPSC)

BSI Consumer Forum Council draws together strategic thinkers from 16 Consumer Organisations (see list below) to work in the interests of protecting the consumers they represent, through British Standards. The CPIN Chair sits on the council alongside other organisations and this collaboration strengthens the consumer stakeholder voice in standards and helps to achieve a shared ambition to enhance consumer protection.

BSI Consumer Forum Council Members - 

Consumer Forum Chair

Nikki Stopford, BSI Consumer Forum Chair 

Nikki has more than 20 years of experience in consumer research, publishing, advocacy and policy. She has held executive and non-executive positions and has significant strategic and organisational leadership experience.

Nikki is Chair of the British Standards Institute Consumer Forum. This brings together organisations at the forefront of empowering and protecting consumers in the UK to strengthen the consumer voice in standards by sharing emerging trends and data. 

She has held executive leadership positions in corporate and non-profit sectors. She was Chief Operating Officer at Resolver, a well-known technology business operating in consumer complaints and dispute resolution markets. For 10 years she was Group Director of Research and Publishing at Which?, the UK’s largest independent consumer body.

Nikki is an Associate Fellow at the University of Sussex Business School where she has been investigating the development, commercialisation and adoption of emerging automation technologies in retail supply chains. 

She has an excellent track record in using data-led techniques and strategies to shape business decisions, understand and give voice to consumers, and improve product design and service delivery.

Case studies: Consumer Forum collaboration

Product recalls

Department for business, energy, and industrial strategyCPIN and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) at BEIS collaborated to improve the product recall system for consumers. An OPSS spokesperson says: “Standards are part of the toolkit for tackling consumer problems, working alongside education and legislation. We had evidence that the product recall system was not well understood and therefore was not protecting consumers from unsafe products. We worked with BSI, through the Consumer Forum Council, to develop a PAS on Product Recalls to outline good practice for businesses and regulators. This proved to be a quick and effective way to raise awareness and improve processes.”

 

Domestic appliance fires

Which? logoWhich? research and data provides valuable evidence to support CPIN representatives in their work. In 2018 CPIN collaborated with Which?, Electrical Safety First and the London Fire Brigade to improve safety standards for domestic appliances to reduce the risk of fire. A spokesperson from Which? says: “Standards play an important role in consumer protection by providing a framework that helps businesses comply with legislation. British Standards are also used in a lot of the comparative product testing that Which? undertakes.”

 

How to get involved

Organizations

Join the BSI Consumer Forum

If you work in consumer protection, join the Consumer Forum to network with other organizations about topical consumer issues and find out about CPIN’s work in key consumer standards.

 

Individuals

Become a CPIN rep

If you would like to make a positive difference to consumers through standards, apply to become a CPIN representative. We welcome consumer champions with a wide range of knowledge, skills and experience. Full training and support will be given.

 

Contribute to standards in development

  • Directly - Where a standard is particularly important to your organization, a member of your team can join the relevant committee as a consumer expert. You may work alongside other consumer organizations, such as CPIN, in the consumer stakeholder group.
  • Indirectly - Liaise with CPIN reps working on specific standards to:
    • brainstorm key issues
    • share your expertise
    • provide evidence of consumer harm

This will help to inform their work and strengthen the consumer voice. CPIN runs ad-hoc stakeholder workshops throughout the year.

Contact BSI’s Consumer Team at consumer@bsigroup.com to find out more