Protection of Vulnerable Consumers in The Perspective of Economic Law and Sustainable Development
Keywords:
consumer protection, economic law, sustainable development, SDGs, vulnerable consumers
Abstract
The protection of vulnerable consumers constitutes an essential component of social economic law, reflecting the state’s role in correcting market imbalances and safeguarding disadvantaged groups. This study examines the relationship between economic law, consumer protection, and sustainable development, positioning consumer protection not merely as a market-regulating mechanism but as a legal instrument to promote social justice and inclusive growth. Vulnerable consumers, including children, women, the elderly, and low-income communities, face structural inequalities, limited access to justice, and heightened exposure to unfair business practices. This research employs a normative qualitative approach through doctrinal analysis and secondary data review to assess Indonesia’s consumer protection framework in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings show that responsive consumer protection laws contribute to sustainable development by supporting poverty reduction, gender equality, responsible consumption, and access to justice. The integration of sustainability principles refers to embedding long-term social and economic considerations, ethical business conduct, and protection of vulnerable groups within consumer protection policies. The study concludes that revising Indonesia’s Consumer Protection Law is essential to strengthen legal protection and align national policies with international best practices.
References
Journals
Adams, Z. (2019). The economic significance of laws relating to employment protection and different forms of employment: Analysis of a panel of 117 countries, 1990–2013. International Labour Review, 158(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12128
Ahmad, A., Enad, T., Nashat, B. H., Ali, A., Khaled, K., Khaled, A., … Tasnim, A. (2024). Sustainable Development Goals Against Unfair Business Competition Practices in Electronic Environment in Jordanian Legislation – Comparative Study. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 4(2), e02300. https://doi.org/10.47172/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v4.n02.pe02300
Akbar, I., Ningrum, I. S., Muzhaffar, R., Irawan, A., Fayza, Atmaja, M. T. R., & Siswajanthy, F. (2024). Hukum Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan: Studi Kasus di Negara-Negara ASEAN. Indonesian Journal of Law and Justice, 1(3), 12. https://doi.org/10.47134/ijlj.v1i3.2098
Azhari, Arfi. 2021. “LEGAL REVIEW OF CONSUMER LAW PROTECTION ON PERSONAL DATA ON DIGITAL PLATFORM”. Indonesia Private Law Review 2 (1):59-72. https://doi.org/10.25041/iplr.v2i1.2189.
Bradley, C. G. (2019). The Consumer Protection Ecosystem: Law, Norms, and Technology. DENv. L. REv., 97, 35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3349190
Bueren, E., & Crowder, J. (2024). Sustainability and competition law in Germany. In Sustainability Objectives in Competition and Intellectual Property Law (pp. 83–125). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44869-0_7
Caudill, E. M., & Murphy, P. E. (2000). Consumer online privacy: Legal and ethical issues. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 19(1), 7–19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.19.1.7.16951
Dedi Mulyadi, Ega Puspita, Natasya Insani Auliarrahma, Shela Agnesia Shelvira, Ikhsan Kintara, & Muh Syahdan Fauzi Abdul Fattah. (2024). Regional Autonomy in Indonesia: Challenges and Opportunities in Sustainable Development in the Era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indonesian Journal of Law and Justice, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.47134/ijlj.v2i2.3450
Doktoralina, C. M., Anggraini, D., Safira, S., Melzatia, S., & Yahaya, S. (2018). The importance of sustainability reports in non-financial companies. Jurnal Akuntansi, 22(3), 368–384. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24912/ja.v22i3.394
Dorlach, T. (2020). Interpreters of International Economic Law: Corporations and Bureaucrats in Contest over Chile’s Nutrition Label. Law and Society Review, 54(3), 571–606. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12495 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12495
Fairuzzaman, F. (2021). Peran Hukum Dalam Pembangunan Ekonomi Indonesia: Arah Kebijakan Pemerintah Menghadapi Praktik Dumping. LEX Renaissan, 6(2), 313–323. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20885/JLR.vol6.iss2.art7
Ginting, Y. P., Indradewi, A. A., Kartiko, N. D., & Hanunisa, S. Z. (2023). Implementing Sustainable Development Goals To Achieve Community Welfare: Optimising Presidential Decree 111/2022. LEGAL BRIEF, 12(4), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.35335/legal.v12i4
Johnson, Hadley (2022) "Marketing Research and Children’s Consumer Privacy Rights: A Battle in the Digital Age," Child and Family Law Journal: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://lawpublications.barry.edu/cflj/vol10/iss1/5
Judijanto, L., Ridlo, M. A., Lubis, A. F., Zainuddin, Z., & Widjajanto, A. (2025). Analisis kebijakan lingkungan terhadap pemanfaatan SDM dalam mendukung SDGs dalam perspektif hukum. PESHUM: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, dan Humaniora, 4(2), 2920–2930. https://doi.org/10.56799/peshum.v4i2.7996
Khalish Aunur Rahim. Et.Al. “Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Konsumen Dalam Transaksi JualBeli Online (E-Commerce).” Jurnal Hukum Dan Sosial Politik 1, no. 3 (2023): 6–9. https://doi.org/10.25041/fiatjustisia.v7no2.378
Kruikemeier, S., Boerman, S. C., & Bol, N. (2020). Breaching the contract? Using social contract theory to explain individuals’ online behavior to safeguard privacy. Media Psychology, 23(2), 269–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1598434 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1598434
Lubis, I., Murwadji, T. ., Sukarja, D. ., & Rosmalinda, R. (2022). Penetration of International Economic Law in the Development of the Cyber Notary Concept in Indonesia . Al-Risalah: Forum Kajian Hukum Dan Sosial Kemasyarakatan, 22(1), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.30631/alrisalah.v22i1.868
Lusita, L, W S Widiarty, and G L Tobing. “Legal Protection for Consumers Related to Standard Clauses According to Law Number 8 of 1999 Concerning Consumer Protection.” International Journal of Law 8, no. 2 (2022): 7–13. http://repository.uki.ac.id/id/eprint/9100.
Mahmood, H. (2021). Rule of law, corruption control, governance, and economic growth in managing renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption in south asia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010637 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010637
Purwanti, M., Aji, K. P., Wiraputra, A. R., Mirwanto, T., & Syahrin, M. A. (2025). Inclusion Policy of People Smuggling and Passport Forgery Articles in National Criminal Code Law to Justify Indonesian Immigration Law in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) Era. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 5(1), e03579. https://doi.org/10.47172/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v5.n01.pe03579
Retno Sari Dewi, Dwiatmanto, and Surjanti. “Comparison of Consumer Protection Laws Between Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Korea in Achieving Justice.” SASI 30 no. 2 (2024): 169-182. https://doi.org/10.47268/sasi.v30i2.2048
Riefa, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8561-1537 (2022) Protecting vulnerable consumers in the digital single market. European Business Law Review, 33 (4). pp. 607-634. ISSN 0959-6941 doi: 10.54648/eulr2022028 Available at https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/109664/
Sari, D. A., et al. (2022). Performance auditing to assess the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Indonesia. Sustainability, 14(19), 12772. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912772
Satriya Nugraha, Thea Farina, Ivans Januardy, Rengga Kusuma Putra, & Fuji Syifa Safari. (2025). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Regulatory Reform: A Legal Approach to Responsive and Sustainable Lawmaking. Proceeding International Collaborative Conference on Multidisciplinary Science, 2(2), 131–141. https://doi.org/10.70062/iccms.v2i2.148
Taklima, Musa, Adi Sulistiyono, and M. Syamsudin. Consumer Protection As an Instrument for Fulfilling Human Rights in the Economic Sector and Its Constitutionalizing Efforts in the 1945 Constitution. Jurisdictie. Vol. 14, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18860/j.v14i1.20844
Widiarty, W. S., & Tehupeiory, A. (2024). THE ROLE OF BUSINESS LAW IN IMPROVING CONSUMER PROTECTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 12(2), e3137. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v12i2.3137
Widyorini, Sri Retno, and Sri Hartati. “Traditional Medicine and Consumer Legal Protection.” In ICLEH, 576–87. Atlantis Press SARL, 2023. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-024-4_57.
Yuanitasari, D., Kusmayanti, H., & Suwandono, A. (2023). A comparison study of strict liability principles implementation for the product liability within Indonesian consumer protection law between Indonesia and United States of America law. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2246748
Yuanitasari, Deviana. “Implikasi Prinsip Caveat Venditor Terhadap Perkembangan Hukum Perlindungan Konsumen Di Indonesia.” Arena Hukum 10, no. 3 (2017): 425–40, https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.arenahukum.2017.01003.5.
Zulham. (2023). A Critical Review of Consumer Protection Online Shopping, False Advertising, and Legal Protection. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 11(5), e740. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v11i5.740
Legislation
Undang-Undang No. 8 Tahun 1999 tentang Perlindungan Konsumen
Adams, Z. (2019). The economic significance of laws relating to employment protection and different forms of employment: Analysis of a panel of 117 countries, 1990–2013. International Labour Review, 158(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12128
Ahmad, A., Enad, T., Nashat, B. H., Ali, A., Khaled, K., Khaled, A., … Tasnim, A. (2024). Sustainable Development Goals Against Unfair Business Competition Practices in Electronic Environment in Jordanian Legislation – Comparative Study. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 4(2), e02300. https://doi.org/10.47172/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v4.n02.pe02300
Akbar, I., Ningrum, I. S., Muzhaffar, R., Irawan, A., Fayza, Atmaja, M. T. R., & Siswajanthy, F. (2024). Hukum Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan: Studi Kasus di Negara-Negara ASEAN. Indonesian Journal of Law and Justice, 1(3), 12. https://doi.org/10.47134/ijlj.v1i3.2098
Azhari, Arfi. 2021. “LEGAL REVIEW OF CONSUMER LAW PROTECTION ON PERSONAL DATA ON DIGITAL PLATFORM”. Indonesia Private Law Review 2 (1):59-72. https://doi.org/10.25041/iplr.v2i1.2189.
Bradley, C. G. (2019). The Consumer Protection Ecosystem: Law, Norms, and Technology. DENv. L. REv., 97, 35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3349190
Bueren, E., & Crowder, J. (2024). Sustainability and competition law in Germany. In Sustainability Objectives in Competition and Intellectual Property Law (pp. 83–125). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44869-0_7
Caudill, E. M., & Murphy, P. E. (2000). Consumer online privacy: Legal and ethical issues. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 19(1), 7–19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jppm.19.1.7.16951
Dedi Mulyadi, Ega Puspita, Natasya Insani Auliarrahma, Shela Agnesia Shelvira, Ikhsan Kintara, & Muh Syahdan Fauzi Abdul Fattah. (2024). Regional Autonomy in Indonesia: Challenges and Opportunities in Sustainable Development in the Era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indonesian Journal of Law and Justice, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.47134/ijlj.v2i2.3450
Doktoralina, C. M., Anggraini, D., Safira, S., Melzatia, S., & Yahaya, S. (2018). The importance of sustainability reports in non-financial companies. Jurnal Akuntansi, 22(3), 368–384. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24912/ja.v22i3.394
Dorlach, T. (2020). Interpreters of International Economic Law: Corporations and Bureaucrats in Contest over Chile’s Nutrition Label. Law and Society Review, 54(3), 571–606. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12495 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12495
Fairuzzaman, F. (2021). Peran Hukum Dalam Pembangunan Ekonomi Indonesia: Arah Kebijakan Pemerintah Menghadapi Praktik Dumping. LEX Renaissan, 6(2), 313–323. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20885/JLR.vol6.iss2.art7
Ginting, Y. P., Indradewi, A. A., Kartiko, N. D., & Hanunisa, S. Z. (2023). Implementing Sustainable Development Goals To Achieve Community Welfare: Optimising Presidential Decree 111/2022. LEGAL BRIEF, 12(4), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.35335/legal.v12i4
Johnson, Hadley (2022) "Marketing Research and Children’s Consumer Privacy Rights: A Battle in the Digital Age," Child and Family Law Journal: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://lawpublications.barry.edu/cflj/vol10/iss1/5
Judijanto, L., Ridlo, M. A., Lubis, A. F., Zainuddin, Z., & Widjajanto, A. (2025). Analisis kebijakan lingkungan terhadap pemanfaatan SDM dalam mendukung SDGs dalam perspektif hukum. PESHUM: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, dan Humaniora, 4(2), 2920–2930. https://doi.org/10.56799/peshum.v4i2.7996
Khalish Aunur Rahim. Et.Al. “Perlindungan Hukum Bagi Konsumen Dalam Transaksi JualBeli Online (E-Commerce).” Jurnal Hukum Dan Sosial Politik 1, no. 3 (2023): 6–9. https://doi.org/10.25041/fiatjustisia.v7no2.378
Kruikemeier, S., Boerman, S. C., & Bol, N. (2020). Breaching the contract? Using social contract theory to explain individuals’ online behavior to safeguard privacy. Media Psychology, 23(2), 269–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1598434 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1598434
Lubis, I., Murwadji, T. ., Sukarja, D. ., & Rosmalinda, R. (2022). Penetration of International Economic Law in the Development of the Cyber Notary Concept in Indonesia . Al-Risalah: Forum Kajian Hukum Dan Sosial Kemasyarakatan, 22(1), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.30631/alrisalah.v22i1.868
Lusita, L, W S Widiarty, and G L Tobing. “Legal Protection for Consumers Related to Standard Clauses According to Law Number 8 of 1999 Concerning Consumer Protection.” International Journal of Law 8, no. 2 (2022): 7–13. http://repository.uki.ac.id/id/eprint/9100.
Mahmood, H. (2021). Rule of law, corruption control, governance, and economic growth in managing renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption in south asia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010637 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010637
Purwanti, M., Aji, K. P., Wiraputra, A. R., Mirwanto, T., & Syahrin, M. A. (2025). Inclusion Policy of People Smuggling and Passport Forgery Articles in National Criminal Code Law to Justify Indonesian Immigration Law in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) Era. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 5(1), e03579. https://doi.org/10.47172/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v5.n01.pe03579
Retno Sari Dewi, Dwiatmanto, and Surjanti. “Comparison of Consumer Protection Laws Between Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Korea in Achieving Justice.” SASI 30 no. 2 (2024): 169-182. https://doi.org/10.47268/sasi.v30i2.2048
Riefa, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8561-1537 (2022) Protecting vulnerable consumers in the digital single market. European Business Law Review, 33 (4). pp. 607-634. ISSN 0959-6941 doi: 10.54648/eulr2022028 Available at https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/109664/
Sari, D. A., et al. (2022). Performance auditing to assess the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Indonesia. Sustainability, 14(19), 12772. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912772
Satriya Nugraha, Thea Farina, Ivans Januardy, Rengga Kusuma Putra, & Fuji Syifa Safari. (2025). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Regulatory Reform: A Legal Approach to Responsive and Sustainable Lawmaking. Proceeding International Collaborative Conference on Multidisciplinary Science, 2(2), 131–141. https://doi.org/10.70062/iccms.v2i2.148
Taklima, Musa, Adi Sulistiyono, and M. Syamsudin. Consumer Protection As an Instrument for Fulfilling Human Rights in the Economic Sector and Its Constitutionalizing Efforts in the 1945 Constitution. Jurisdictie. Vol. 14, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18860/j.v14i1.20844
Widiarty, W. S., & Tehupeiory, A. (2024). THE ROLE OF BUSINESS LAW IN IMPROVING CONSUMER PROTECTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 12(2), e3137. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v12i2.3137
Widyorini, Sri Retno, and Sri Hartati. “Traditional Medicine and Consumer Legal Protection.” In ICLEH, 576–87. Atlantis Press SARL, 2023. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-024-4_57.
Yuanitasari, D., Kusmayanti, H., & Suwandono, A. (2023). A comparison study of strict liability principles implementation for the product liability within Indonesian consumer protection law between Indonesia and United States of America law. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2246748
Yuanitasari, Deviana. “Implikasi Prinsip Caveat Venditor Terhadap Perkembangan Hukum Perlindungan Konsumen Di Indonesia.” Arena Hukum 10, no. 3 (2017): 425–40, https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.arenahukum.2017.01003.5.
Zulham. (2023). A Critical Review of Consumer Protection Online Shopping, False Advertising, and Legal Protection. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 11(5), e740. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v11i5.740
Legislation
Undang-Undang No. 8 Tahun 1999 tentang Perlindungan Konsumen
Published
2025-11-28
How to Cite
Yuanitasari, D., & Darodjat, R. (2025). Protection of Vulnerable Consumers in The Perspective of Economic Law and Sustainable Development. Jurnal Poros Hukum Padjadjaran, 7(1), 15-36. https://doi.org/10.24198/jphp.v7i1.2479
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Deviana Yuanitasari, Rafan Darodjat
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
