Who we are

U.Di.Con. – Consumers Defense Union – was founded in 2008 with the main purpose of protecting consumers and users of both private and public services.

We believe every citizen, regardless of their economic or social status, has the right to be given support and fair access to disputes for household, financial, e-commerce, tourism, food quality and environmental issues.

What we do

Since the beginning we have carried out the safeguard of consumers’ rights – regardless of their social and economic status -, the integration of the physically-challenged and the protection of the minors and elderly. Moreover, we are committed in fostering recognition for public-wide problems such as bullism, gambling addiction, food waste, sustainable and green economy.

We firmly believe citizen rights’ awareness can pave the way to a better society.

Driven by the spirit of initiative and attention, we run the monthly-issued UdicoNews, a magazine which collects the latest news and in-depth articles concerning what’s hot in the consumers world; furthermore, from 2018 we issue Capitan Udicon, the comic featuring the eponymous hero whose mission is to educate kids on the dangers of the modern world, from drug addiction to internet safety.

Projects

The general objective of PeaSeNGO project is to combine the expertise of CNR as EEN partner and of U.Di.Con – Union for the Defense of Consumers- as NGO, to impact the environmental and social performance of three selected SMEs assisting them in their transition to more sustainable business model. The project scope is to enhance the interaction and improve collaboration between SMEs and NGOs/ CSOs, contributing to the achievement of the SDGs of United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with regards to the three following Goals: Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, with regard, Goal 10 – Reduce inequality within and among countries, Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. To achieve these goals, PeaSeNGO provides the SMEs partner through CNR and Udicon, advisorsy services divided in three steps: 1) Company Needs Analysis – Preparatory visits (also remotely) and discussion with the SMEs to understand characteristics and needs of SME Partners in the domain of sustainability 2) Sustainability assessments – CNR and U.Di.Con will assess the current business model of the partner SMEs in collaboration with the EEN Sustainability Advisors and using proven, high quality methodologies/tool 3) Training/Workshop – In order to support SMEs in their sustainable transformation/evolution embracing the SDGs targets, U.Di.Con. will provide specific workshops and webinars both on green topics in which also customers will be invited to present to SMEs their requests and needs and on social issues in which the SMEs’ employees will be invited to discuss of the gender equality, fair internal procedures, privacy rules and other social topics with the SMEs’ management to improve the workplace. In addiction the project has the purpose to scale up further to reach other SMEs (already in EEN ecosystem), other NGOs/ CSOs, and other relevant actors/networks at regional/national/European level.

Food 4 Inclusion – SAFE

SAFE ‘s Food4Inclusion Project strives to make healthy diets accessible through ground projects such as food redistribution or healthy accessible meals in restaurants for people in need. SAFE is also advocating for better affordability of food products across Europe and for the social inclusion of at-risk and disadvantaged population groups. The Food4Inclusion Project aims to generate a positive impact on European citizens, especially disadvantaged ones, by providing independent information, developing relevant training, and encouraging the adoption of a new legislation that will lead to a more inclusive food system.

It is a project promoted by U.Di.Con. APS – Union for the defense of consumers, in collaboration with the AACC (Adoc, Cittadinanzattiva, Federconsumatori and UNC), which aims to improve the quality of citizens’ life through training and information actions based on the issues of digital transition and sustainable mobility. The project’s activities are aimed at all consumers with particular attention to those who are in socio-economic difficulty such as the unemployed, the unemployed, and the elderly.

The project “Our Common Culture” is proposed by U.Di.Con. and it is realized by Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica as a part of the implementation process National Strategy for Sustainable Development. The project aims at promoting the Culture of Sustainability following the principle of Development Economics, according to which it is essential to guarantee equal access to the fundamental capabilities of each person. Precisely for this reason, “Our Common Culture” will be implemented in a district of Rome, Corviale, and in a district of Reggio Calabria, Arghillà, where the socio-economic situation negatively affects the access to basic capabilities. Some of the activities will be carried out in collaboration with ISPRA – Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale that, thanks to the website facciamocircolare.it, by which U.Di.Con. already cooperates thanks to other projects funded by the MiSE, its network, and its researchers, it will be supportive to all the training workshops, events and communication activities and dissemination of data and actions. Furthermore, all the Cultural Associations of the neighborhoods are involved in order to reach as many citizens as possible and in order to implement a network of work and collaboration that starts directly from the territory.

The topics of the project are:

  • food waste
  • sustainable consumption
  • reuse and recycling

The main objectives of the project aim at:

  • Raising awareness of the UN SDG framework and highlighting the intrinsic interconnections between culture and the Sustainable Development Goals
  • Educating on conscious consumption by making consumers aware of a targeted purchase by focusing on quality
  • Guaranteeing to all citizens, with particular reference to those who come from the most marginalized communities, a mobilization path to strengthen active citizenship
  • Achieving the objectives proposed in the field of sustainable development, so that young people have the opportunity to share reflections and ideas to make their local area more sustainable, open and inclusive

 

Project realized by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security as part of the implementation process of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development

Project RI-FA-RE is a collaboration among six consumers associations and is funded by the Ministry of Economics (pursuant to Art. 388/2000 – 2021). Project activities involve the collaboration with institutional partners, and it aims at improving citizens’ and associations’ awareness in terms of reuse of material, waste management and circular economy topics. We are implementing activities such as workshops, online and in person events and questionnaires. Project activities are designed to reach everyone, including vision-impaired and deaf people, through the involvement of sign language interpreters and the production of Braille information materials.

The project is a collaboration between U.Di.Con. and UNC and is funded by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (pursuant to Art. 72, DD 03/07/2017 and subsequent amendments). The project aims at putting the consumer at the center, with particular reference to young and fragile people. Focus is on issues such as food education, circular economy, food waste and over-indebtedness. Information tools in this project involve a video game, webinars / meetings, web series, physical and virtual info points and a call center and two physical help desks. Project’s website provides information related to consumer services and to the project’s activities. Inclusivity is a key point, and information material and videos will be made available for the vision-impaired and for deaf people.

The project was born from a collaboration between U.Di.Con. and Unione Nazionale Consumatori and is funded by DIVISION III – Protection and promotion of health and safety at work of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies pursuant to Article 72 of Legislative Decree 3 July 2017, n. 117 and subsequent amendments – year 2018. There were several general objectives that had been carried out; the activities concerned promoting the recovery of food surpluses and fostering food education programs and activities.

The project was funded by the Ministry of Economic Development (pursuant to the D.D. of 01/10/2018) and carried out in partnership by the fellow Associations Unione Nazionale Consumatori, U.Di.Con. and Movimento Difesa del Cittadino. It ended in March 2021 and intended to facilitate the relationship between consumers and consumer associations. Through initiatives throughtout the country and moments of discussion, we aimed to illustrate to citizens their rights and foster their awareness as consumers.

The project aimed to promote educational and awareness campaigns against drugs addiction. It went through doubts, questions, misguidance and feelings of teenagers which may lead to abuse. Furthermore, the project provided an in-depth reflection on the reasons why this phenomenon spreads out and takes roots. The specific objectives of the project were related to improve and provide a proper information on the consequences and physical and psychological damage caused by substances.

The project – proposed by the Consumer Associations registered to the CNCU, with funding from the Ministry of Economic Development – General Directorate for the Fight against Counterfeiting, Italian Patent and Trademark Office – intends to educate citizens on the phenomenon of counterfeiting and inform them about related problems to legality, economy and protection tools.

The project was granted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies. It guaranteed, throughout 2018, social inclusion by developing actions to raise awareness, to inform and to support the physically-challenged and the elderly. One of the main activities of the project was the creation of playful-educational workshops for impaired children in seven municipalities throughout the country.

Since 2011 U.Di.Con. host the Civilian Service. The young are involved in projects related to e.g. social inclusion, environment protection, educational, rights and cultural promotion etc. Nowadays, the most recent projects aim to face the feeling of marginalization of young and elderly people, implementing actions and activities to involve the beneficiaries of the projects in the economic and social life.

The ADR

The term Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes, used in lieu of litigation, to settle disputes among two disagreeing parties with the help of a third party. In most cases, resort to ADRs is compulsory before turning to a judge, thus resulting in lowering courts workload. Furthermore, ADRs have become popular among consumers as they come up with generally shorter resolution times and fewer costs.

U.Di.Con. endorses several ADRs concerning communication, postal service, energy, transportation and financial sectors, including agreements with Wind H3G, Vodafone, Tim, Fastweb, Poste Italiane, UniCredit, Intesa San Paolo, Acea, Enel, Eni, Trenitalia, TreNord, Netcomm and Autostrade per l’Italia.

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