Government urged to move vs substandard LED bulbs

MANILA, Philippines – The group EcoWaste Coalition urged the government to act against cheap but potentially substandard light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs flooding the market.

Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, expressed concern over the proliferation of imported LED lights of dubious quality as the more energy efficient, long-lasting and mercury-free LED lamps become increasingly popular among consumers.

The group sounded the alarm after purchasing last Thursday 20 brands of LED lights in Divisoria that were found to contain incomplete and questionable product labeling information.

“The lack of regulatory standards makes our country an easy target for inferior quality LED lights that are dumped in Divisoria, the country’s bargain shopping hub,” Dizon said.

“As LED lighting gains market traction due to its energy and climate benefits, we find it essential for government regulators to enforce product performance, quality and safety standards that will protect human health and the environment,” he added.

Dizon said it would be useful “for the government to come up with a checklist that can help consumers in identifying counterfeit LEDs.”

He noted that none of the 20 different brands of LED bulbs the group purchased provided information about the manufacturer, importer or distributor on the product labels – a red flag for counterfeit goods.

The group also noted that some products offered product warranties of one to two years but failed to provide clear and documented warranty terms.