Online non-compliance rife in lighting sector

EucoLight, the European WEEE lighting trade association, is hosting a half day workshop on 17 Oct in Brussels to discuss the scale of the online non-compliance problem. 

Speakers from leading European Associations will share experiences, including WEEE freeriding, VAT non-payment, and non-compliance with safety standards. Policy makers and key stakeholders will debate challenges, visions and possible solutions to ensure a level playing field. 

As Marc Guiraud, secretary general of EucoLight, points out, “The digital economy is a success story. Nevertheless, a recent OECD report indicated though that non-compliance is a growing concern for products sold online. In our experience the lighting sector is particularly vulnerable to free riding as products are small, lightweight, and robust enough to be shipped easily.

“But, consequences from this problem are widespread and rules for product safety, environmental regulations, tax compliance and internal market regulations are affected. We have therefore invited representatives from various sectors and institutions to present.”

Nigel Harvey, Recolight CEO and vice president of EucoLight added “Recolight have drawn attention to the large scale online WEEE freeriding detected in the lighting sector. And although that is of profound significance to all legitimate operators in the WEEE industry, the problem is far wider.  

“Consumers seem to be offered products that do not comply with safety or environmental standards, and on which VAT is not paid, on an unprecedented scale.  I am delighted to be speaking at the workshop and look forward to hearing from legislators on actions being planned.”