According to information from the Federal Environment Agency, the EU Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment is planning to force fluorescent lamps for general lighting off the market earlier and to a much greater extent than the Single Lighting Regulation (2019/2020/EU) intends. The previous exemptions under the RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU) are to expire 12 or 18 months after the amendments come into force, and only the exemptions for ring lamps and special applications are to be extended once again.

The background is: RoHS controls and restricts potentially hazardous ingredients such as lead, cadmium or now precisely mercury in electronic devices. Since discharge lamps do not work without mercury, they are listed as exceptions in the current version of the directive - for certain lamp types or families with a maximum value in each case. The list of exemptions is regularly revised, resulting in individual exemptions being extended, expiring and/or the respective maximum value being adjusted.

Due to these RoHS restrictions, fluorescent lamps for general lighting - i.e. T8, T5 as well as CFL lamps - are now threatened with extinction even before the deadline of 01.09.2023 of the Single Lighting Regulation is reached. It has not yet been determined exactly when and whether the lamps may no longer be placed on the market. The earliest possible date on which the new directive could be published is in January 2022, so once the deadlines have expired, it could happen that fluorescent lamps may no longer be placed on the market as of spring or summer 2023.

Dealers and end users should therefore prepare for the end of the lamps in good time:

Individual fluorescent lamps are not yet available as LED variants, such as dimmable or emergency power-compatible T8 tubes. Please contact us if you would like to replenish your stock with fluorescent tubes. Please note that an early order is advantageous in order to be able to deliver the lamps in your desired quantity.

Otherwise, we recommend that you upgrade to appropriate LED tubes. These now offer more and more advantages over fluorescent tubes:

LEDs have a significantly lower energy consumption - so you save up to 60% energy with Radium LED tubes. In addition, they are particularly durable with a service life of 60,000 hours. In contrast to the fluorescent lamp, the LED variant offers a fast, flicker-free start and, in addition, has a high luminous flux and homogeneous light distribution even at low ambient temperatures.

Tip: You can find out which replacement types are suitable for you with our LEDs Save online tool!