Commercial Information Circulars

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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 111/4

20 July 2010

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 328/2010

US : Amendments to the Labeling Requirements for Lamp Products

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued in the Federal Register (FR) a notice of 19 July 2010 a final rule on the amendments to the lamp labeling requirements in the Appliance Labeling Rule (ALR). The amendments will be effective from 19 July 2011, except for the amendments related to submission of data in part 305.8 of the ALR, which will be effective on 18 August 2010. Interested parties may submit comments in response to this notice to the FTC by 20 September 2010.

DETAILS

2. The trade was informed via Commercial Information Circular No. 574/2009 of 11 November 2009 that the FTC issued the proposed amendments to the existing labeling requirements in the ALR for lamp products. After reviewing the public comments received, the FTC issued the final amendments. The major amendments are listed below:

   (a) Product Coverage

   The new labeling requirements apply to medium screw base general service incandescent (including halogen and reflector), compact fluorescent and LED lamps.

   (b) Product Labeling

   Manufacturers must make a lumen disclosure and, if applicable, a mercury disclosure on the product.

   (c) Product Package Labeling

   Brightness in lumens and energy cost in dollars per year must be disclosed on the front package panel. The back (or side) panel must contain detailed disclosures in the form of a Lighting Facts label, with details on the brightness, energy cost, bulb life, light appearance, watts, and, in some cases, voltage and mercury information. The format of a Lighting Facts label is similar to the Nutrition Facts label required on food packaging.

3. For details of the amendments, which also include the requirements of cost and life claims on packages, the testing and reporting requirements, the catalog requirements and the testing records requirements as well as samples of the labels, please refer to the FR notice, which is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-16895.pdf .

 

ENQUIRIES

4. For enquiries concerning this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5682.

Yours faithfully,

 

(Miss Carmen CHAN)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry



Note :

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.