ICRT

International Consumer Research & Testing – ICRT – is an international consortium of more than 45 independent consumer organisations world-wide that carry out joint research and comparative testing in the consumer interest. ICRT does not carry out tests, but commissions them at established laboratories. These tests are paid for and published by the member organisations and are their responsibility.

 

ICRT's principal objective is to promote co-operation between its members and to promote research and testing in the field of consumer goods and services.  One of the important tasks of ICRT is to set out clear rules which enable this collaboration to be successful.

 

Aims of joint testing

  • Increase the cost effectiveness of testing and research
  • To provide a legal and co-ordinated framework for co-operation
  • Develop common test programmes and evaluation methods
  • Develop common tools and resources.

 

ICRT Members

All ICRT members act exclusively in the consumer interest. They do not accept advertising and are independent of commerce, industry and political parties.

 

Member organisations range in size from the largest consumer organisations worldwide with memberships between 200,000 and 7 million to smaller organisations with less than 10,000 members.

 

What we test

ICRT members co-operate in a programme of continuous testing on a wide range of popular consumer products such as digital cameras, mobile phones, TVs, cars, washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners and light bulbs.  

In addition, there are numerous smaller joint tests, on a whole range of consumer products from anti-wrinkle creams to jogging shoes.

In recent years ICRT carried out over 50 joint tests per year, testing over 3500 products.


ICRT also facilitates information exchange and testing between members in areas such as food, health, environment and financial services.


How we test

ICRT carries out high quality comparative tests at independent laboratories using state-of-the-art testing equipment. Generally the products are bought anonymously from retail outlets and websites and subjected to rigorous tests taking in to account how people actually use the products as well as current government and industry standards.

 

 

Protecting the consumer

Safety has always been a topic of concern to consumer organisations. ICRT members have played a key role in promoting higher safety standards for consumer goods.

 

ICRT members join forces with automobile clubs with the aim of testing cars, tyres and child restraints. ICRT is a key player in Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) and a similar programme in Latin America.

 

Becoming a member of ICRT

To become a member of ICRT, an organisation must be able to prove financial and editorial independence. They must also have the capacity to carry out research and testing projects and disseminate the results in print and digital media.

 

ICRT works to identify consumer organisations which have the potential for capacity building programmes to the level which will enable them to join ICRT.

 

A membership application form is available for download - please click here (Application_for_new_membership_of_ICRT.doc 94kb).

 

Background

ICRT was formally set up as a non profit association under UK law in 1990 but is based on a long tradition of co-operation between independent consumer organisations since the 1960s.

 

ICRT works closely with the two other main international campaigning consumer organisations to which many ICRT members also belong:

BEUC - Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs

CI - Consumers International

 

Contact:

For questions regarding specific comparative tests contact the national ICRT member.

For the full ICRT Member list, please click here to see a full list on the ICRT Website.

 

The ICRT Secretariat co-ordinates the joint work programme from offices in London (main office) and Brussels.

 

Main office - London:                                                   Brussels office:

2 Marylebone Road                                                      Hollandstraat 13                                  

3rd Floor                                                                       B-1060 Brussels

London NW1 4DF                                                       Belgium

UK                                                     

Tel: + 44 (0) 207 563 9170                                          Tel: +32 (0) 2 542 3494

Fax: +44 (0) 207 563 9171                                          Fax: +32 (0) 2 542 3502

 

Website: www.international-testing.org