The end of the world: Roskachestvo has checked the LED lamps
Roskachestvo has checked the brands of LED lamps popular in Russia for compliance with mandatory requirements. All 20 samples turned out to be inconsistent with the power factor set by the Government of the Russian Federation. There are other problems too. The introduction of digital labeling, designed to make the market more transparent and manageable, will help eliminate them, experts say. The dangers of the detected violations are described in the Izvestia article.
Finding the best
Roskachestvo tested the LED lamps of 20 brands sold in Russia. The examination showed that none of the goods can claim the Russian "Quality Mark". We are talking about the products of the brands Hesler, Smartbuy, Feron, In Home, Leek, Cosmos, Ecola, Photon, Camelion, Era, Online, Gauss, Resanta, Start, Ergolux, Navigator, Tokov, Osram, Bellight, Auchan, manufactured in China and the Russian Federation.
The national quality system clarified that the main violations are related to product labeling. For example, it was revealed that the products of all 20 brands did not match the capacity factor set by the government of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, 11 products have a light flux that does not correspond to the marking. We are talking about the brands Smartbuy, In Home, Leek, Cosmos, Era, Online, Bellight, Start, Ergolux, Auchan, Tokov.
Another problem that Roskachestvo has identified is the lack of mandatory information on the packaging, which does not comply with government Decree No. 2255 of December 24, 2020. There is no such information on the lamps of the brands Smartbuy, Feron, Leek, Cosmos, Photon, Era, Online, Resanta, Start, Navigator and Tokov.
Only one lamp was able to score two out of five points. The rest received less than two points. But with operational properties, the situation turned out to be more favorable, Roskachestvo clarified. All tested lamps continued to function flawlessly after testing at low temperatures, after 15 thousand cycles of switching on and off and 1 thousand hours of operation. This indicates that the lamps are physically functional, but their actual characteristics do not match those stated.
The editorial board of Izvestia sent a request to Roskachestvo. No response has been received at the time of publication.
Admission of guilt
The AUCHAN Retail Russia press service commented on the Roskachestvo study to Izvestia, saying that the retail chain, together with the supplier, had taken the following measures:
- The batch of lamps with the revealed discrepancy was withdrawn from sale.;
- the supplier has withdrawn products from its warehouse for the disposal of defective products;
- additional tests of other batches of products were carried out, which did not show violations.;
- The procedure for input control of lamp components has been strengthened;
- A set of corrective measures aimed at improving product quality has been implemented.
BTL LLC also answered the editorial board's questions, commenting on the situation with the Online and Navigator trademarks. The company acknowledged that in the case of the Online brand, a discrepancy between the power factor and the luminous flux was revealed. An internal audit is already being conducted jointly with the Online manufacturer. Similar work is underway for products of the Navigator trademark, whose samples did not meet the established power factor.
Violations of the labeling procedure in BTL LLC were only partially recognized. The company said that it has already started correcting the labeling for subsequent shipments, so that information about light output and power factor will appear on the products of both brands.
The company did not confirm other problems, noting that the government decree does not prohibit specifying compliance with an incandescent lamp and requires mandatory labeling of the number of switching cycles before failure.
Responses from other companies that own trademarks mentioned in the Roskachestvo study had not been received by the Izvestia editorial office at the time of publication.
Dangerous violations
The inconsistencies that were identified during the study are generally not dangerous, said Alexander Anfinogenov, an independent expert on the FMCG market.
"Basically, it's a lower—than-stated service life, a mismatch between light output and color temperature, and, most importantly, flickering caused by cheap electronics controlling the LEDs themselves," he explained.
However, it should be borne in mind that problems with the power factor, according to Yulia Kochneva, quality director of Leman PRO, can lead to overheating of the wiring, premature wear and melting of the insulation.
"A low power factor creates an additional load on the power grid, which can lead to malfunctions of other electrical appliances that are sensitive to voltage fluctuations," the expert said.
The indicator of light output, in turn, can contribute to exceeding the permissible load on the power grid, accelerated wear of the product, insufficient illumination and a feeling of discomfort when staying indoors for a long time, the Izvestia interlocutor listed.
— Another important parameter is the ripple coefficient. It shows how the brightness of the lamp's light changes over time. The higher this coefficient, the more noticeable the ripple is. The discrepancy between this parameter leads to fatigue, decreased concentration and headaches, as the pulsation of light overloads vision," explained Kochneva.
Such pulsations have an extremely negative effect on the nervous system and the general condition of a person — irritability, fatigue and difficulty falling asleep occur, Anfinogenov added.
In this regard, when choosing LED lamps, it is worth paying attention to the key parameters indicated on the packaging, said Stanislav Bogdanov, Chairman of the ACORT Presidium. Among them, he highlighted the luminous flux, color temperature, color rendering index and ripple coefficient. The warranty period is also important — for reliable manufacturers it ranges from three to five years.
Kochneva gave the following tips on choosing an LED lamp:
- The power factor should be closer to unity, which will ensure maximum energy efficiency and safety in use.;
- The color rendering index Ra (CRI) for residential premises should be at least 80, because the closer the value is to 100, the more accurately the colors of the surrounding objects are perceived.;
- The color temperature parameter for residential premises should be 3000-3500 K on average, but it is worth considering the purpose and the specific room. For example, for a bedroom it is worth considering the range of 2400-3000 K, and for a living room — 2700-3500 K.
- It is better to choose the ripple coefficient with low values. You should pay attention to products with an extended operating voltage range, for example 160-260 V.
"[Lamps] should be bought from reliable manufacturers and sellers, including the household departments of large retail chains, which carefully monitor the quality of suppliers," Bogdanov said.
It should be borne in mind that high-quality goods are rarely cheap, Anfinogenov pointed out. In order to understand whether a quality product has been purchased, you need to check the lamp for flickering.
— You can do this using a smartphone — just record the lamp on video. If the image flickers and pulsates, it is clearly a low—quality lamp," the expert is convinced.
In his opinion, the introduction of digital labeling will significantly improve the situation on the LED lamp market, as this system increases the responsibility of manufacturers, customers and trademark owners.
This will contribute to improving product quality in this segment, Bogdanov confirmed, adding that retail chains are currently technically ready to introduce labeling.
Take a pencil
The Ministry of Industry and Trade also stated in a conversation with Izvestia that the identified cases of non-compliance of the characteristics of LED lamps with the stated values confirm the need to introduce labeling. According to the agency, such a measure will become an effective tool for increasing the transparency of turnover and quality control of these products.
The ministry recalled that the experiment on digital labeling of lighting products took place from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024. From March 1, 2026, the new rules will come into force, and from May 1 of the same year they will become mandatory when goods are put into circulation.
— After all the requirements stipulated by the rules come into force, regulatory authorities will be able to monitor products at all stages of their turnover, promptly responding to violations. The consumer, in addition to access to reliable information about goods, will have the opportunity to check products for their legality, the Ministry of Industry and Trade clarified.
Labeling makes the market more transparent and manageable, the press service of the CRPT (operator of the Honest Sign labeling system) confirmed to Izvestia.
"It is effective against illegal trafficking and allows, when violations are detected, to quickly identify the source — the manufacturer or importer — and a specific supply in order to pinpoint problematic shipments from circulation," the center emphasized.
They explained that after labeling, sellers will indicate the technical characteristics of their products in the product cards and confirm them with an electronic signature. Turnover participants will have to be responsible for the accuracy of these data, which is expected to reduce the incentive to overstate product characteristics.
— Labeling also equalizes the conditions of competition for bona fide manufacturers, displacing those who work "in the gray," — added in the CRPT.
Buyers themselves will be able to participate in monitoring the condition of goods — cases of non-compliance of the product with the declared properties can be reported by filing a complaint through the Honest Sign mobile application, the organization said.
However, digital labeling cannot fully guarantee the stability of the quality of the production process, Yulia Kochneva warned.
"Only the deployment of a full—fledged quality management system in production, regular monitoring and strict compliance with all quality control and conformity assessment procedures, including regular inspection and production control of issued permits, will help not only to proactively work out the risks of defective goods leaving production, but also to track nonconformity in time," she concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
