Code of Business Practice

• 2025.03.21

"Code of Practice of the Jewellery Retail Industry" First Amendment: Protecting Consumer Privacy, Ensuring Safe Consumption, and Promoting Integrity (March 2025)

"Code of Practice of the Jewellery Retail Industry" (“the Code”) was published in July 2017 to elevate industry standards and enhance consumer protection. With the ongoing development of the industry, the Code was revised in March 2025 to include content regarding consumer privacy protection and anti-money laundering. This amendment primarily addresses the transition of the JGAHK and related changes in legal requirements, assisting trader members in better understanding legal requirements, promoting integrity in business operations, maintaining industry reputation, and fostering consumer trust.

• 2017.07.31

Establishment of the “Code of Practice of the Jewellery Retail Industry” for Betterment of Consumer Protection (July 2017)

As one of the world's major jewellery trading centers, the development of jewellery industry in Hong Kong is vigorous. Both its export and sale products have won praise from consumers all over the world. However, in view of the development and amendment of legislations in relation to consumer protection, intellectual property rights and market competition, etc., the industry rules have to move with the times and be changed. To this end, the Council collaborated with two major jewellery associations to establish the “Code of Practice of the Jewellery Retail Industry”, setting out service standards for the sector, so as to facilitate fair, quality trade practices and market competition.

• 2015.07.23

Launch of the "Code of Practice of the Laundry Industry" for a Win-win Consumption Environment (July 2015)

Due to the busy life and cramped living environment in Hong Kong, the use of laundry shop services has become part of the daily life of some families. As such, disputes and complaints in relation to damaged clothes with laundry shops are common. To improve the service quality of the laundry industry and to enhance consumer confidence, the Council has worked with the Laundry Association of Hong Kong to establish and launch the "Code of Practice of the Laundry Industry".

• 2006.10.04

Guide to Consumer Rights and Responsibilities (October 2006)

Under a fair and sustainable market environment, both consumers and traders have their own rights and responsibilities. In addition to the “Good Corporate Citizen's Guide - Rules”, the Council has also produced the "Guide to Consumer Rights and Responsibilities" which educates consumers their rights and responsibilities during consumption and adoption of rational and reasonable consumer behaviours.

• 2006.10.04

Good Corporate Citizen's Guide – Rules (October 2006)

The Council believes that an informed marketplace and fair trade practices facilitate that effective competition can occur among business operators. It also believes that good marketing practices lead to greater trust in the market mechanism by consumers, which assist the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship between consumers and traders. In this connection, the Council has further developed implementation rules from the three perspectives of trade practices, consumer complaint handling and fair market competition, to ensure that consumers and traders understand their rights and responsibilities. Meanwhile, the Council also encourages associations in different industries to adopt the rules or amend them to suit their own particular circumstances.

• 2006.06.07

A new attempt of self-regulation in the beauty industry (June 2006)

While there was an increasing prosperity of the beauty industry in the 20th century, it had also resulted in different kinds of trade practices issues. To uphold industry self-regulation and improve service quality, the Council and the beauty industry conducted a comprehensive review on the issues that consumers were most concerned with and drawn up the "Code of Practices for the Beauty Industry ". The Code covers various aspects of the industry, including quality assurance of services and goods, promotion and marketing practices, and pre-payment mode of operation, etc. Although it has not achieved the expected results due to the industry’s complexity in terms of stakeholder and service types, the Code took an important forward step with regard to optimising the industry's self-regulatory regime in the future.

• 2005.03.15

Good Corporate Citizen's Guide (March 2005)

The Council has a statutory function to encourage business and professional associations to establish codes of practice to improve their governance on trade practices and service quality. To provide clear guidelines for all trades and businesses, the Council launched the “Good Corporate Citizen's Guide” in 2005 which sets out the principles of good trade practices including advertising and marketing strategies, price indication, contracts, quality and safety of goods or services, etc.