ALA Responds to CPSC About Fake Safety Labels

The American Lighting Association answered the CPSC’s request for information regarding counterfeit labels and offered suggestions that benefit the industry.

The ALA recently submitted comments to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) addressing the growing problem of counterfeit and fraudulent safety certification marks on residential lighting and electrical products — particularly those sold by third-party sellers through online marketplaces.

According to the association, ALA members have reported seeing counterfeit markings on products including ceiling fans, LED luminaires, drivers and power supplies, retrofit kits, and other residential lighting equipment. Marks associated with recognized testing laboratories – including UL, ETL, and CSA – are sometimes copied, altered, or fabricated to give consumers the false impression that products have undergone legitimate safety testing.

These untested and falsely marked products not only pose serious fire, electrical shock, overheating, grounding, and wiring hazards, but they also create unfair competition for manufacturers that invest in proper testing, certification, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.

In its official response, ALA urged the CPSC to:

• Strengthen enforcement against counterfeit certification marks, particularly for electrical products.

• Increase coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to identify counterfeit products before they enter the U.S. marketplace.

• Work with OSHA-recognized Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) to quickly verify certification claims.

• Promote greater accountability among online marketplaces and require sellers to substantiate safety certification claims.

• Encourage marketplaces to verify certifications against publicly available NRTL databases before electrical products are listed.

• Improve information sharing among federal agencies, certification bodies, manufacturers, and online marketplaces.

The ALA staunchly believes in supporting stronger action to protect consumers, preserve confidence in the U.S. product safety system, and ensure that legitimate manufacturers are not disadvantaged by sellers marketing uncertified products as compliant.

Attendees of the upcoming ALA Conference in Tucson, who wish to learn more about the latest policy news affecting the lighting industry can attend the breakout session hosted by ALA Government Affairs Consultant Palmer Schoening. The session will be held from 9:15-10:15 am on Monday, September 28.

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