To support the advocacy work and to show that non-compliance is a persistent problem online, LightingEurope has been running Mystery Shopper Exercises since 2021. Each year, our experts check and analyse different products against the relevant regulations that apply to lighting products.
Our Mystery Shopper Exercises are risk-based and the level of non-compliance has remained worryingly high over the years. This situation will not change without a harmonised EU approach to the issue of non-compliance online and ambitious EU legislation to clarify the responsibilities of online marketplaces for non-compliant products sold on their platforms.
Some of the regulations we check compliance against are:
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Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 laying down ecodesign requirements for light sources and separate control
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Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 on energy labelling of light sources
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Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
OMS 2024
The 2024 results reveal alarmingly high rates of non-compliance among lighting products sold on online marketplaces in the EU. Of the 275 products surveyed (G4 lamps on mains, LED strips and Children’s Night lamps) 100% of those inspected online were found to be non-compliant. In addition, 20 products, only including children's night lights and LED strips, were selected and tested against the relevant safety standards in an accredited laboratory and all were found to be non-compliant.
Here the summary of our research
OMS 2023
The 2023 results are worrying as 71% of GLS lamps and desktop luminaires are found to be non-compliant online. This means that out of 150 products checked, 107 had missing mandatory information. When physically inspected by our experts, 95% (52 out of 55) resulted not compliant with the relevant regulations.
Here the summary of our research
OMS 2021
In the first edition of the Mystery Shopper Exercise, we analysed GLS lamps and desktop luminaires sold on online marketplaces. 92% of products resulted non-compliant online and 60% of products physically checked by our experts turned out to be non-compliant with the relevant regulations.