The Direct Selling Association within the United Kingdom (DSA UK) announced the launch of a campaign that would push for widespread adoption of the industry Codes of Conduct in the UK. The association described the campaign as “urgent” in the wake of significant earnings increases by distributors. Monthly earnings for independent consultants in the region increased by 73% in 2023, the biggest annual increase in earnings in more than a decade.
“Whilst this is a hugely positive development for retailers in an otherwise somewhat gloomy economic outlook, it also presents the potential for disreputable brands and rogue operators to take advantage of the situation and cause huge reputational damage to the wider industry, and we are keen to do everything we can to prevent this,” said Susannah Schofield OBE, Director General of the Direct Selling Association UK. “It is therefore vital that there is far greater–and urgent–adoption of Codes of Conduct by the many reputable and innovative brands who are selling direct to consumer who are yet to sign up to these Codes.”
Membership into the DSA UK requires a full auditing process that can take up to a year, during which a company’s business practices, policies and processes are evaluated to check for compliance. The Codes of Conduct are in place to “go above and beyond UK consumer law to offer higher levels of protection to both customer and independent sales representatives.”
