On April 21, 2016 Direct Selling Association (DSA) Executive Vice President, Adolfo Franco participated in the Council of Better Business Bureaus annual conference about self-regulation,BetterBusiness2016.  Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened the event and discussed the benefits of self-regulation with C. Lee Peeler, President & CEO of the National Advertising Review Council. 

Ohlhausen emphasized that self-regulation was “a great way to amplify our [FTC's] effectiveness," and provided “more prompt, flexible responsiveness to circumstances.” 

The first panel of the conference examined three industry-wide self-regulatory approaches. Franco was joined by Lynne Omalie, Executive Vice President of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, and Patricia Vance, President of the Entertainment Software Rating Board. 

Franco explained why DSA originally adopted the Code of Ethics – because of the special obligation that direct sellers had to consumers as guests in their homes. Today, the Code continues to change with the marketplace and consumer sensitivities, including this year’s implementation of stronger standards on earnings and product claims and additional transparency requirements. 

For more information about DSA’s Code of Ethics, visit dsa.org/consumerprotection.