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AB 2208: Making the Transition to Clean Lighting
AB 2208 (Assemblymember Ash Kalra & Senator Josh Becker, 2022)
CA's Mercury Pollution Prevention Act
The National Stewardship Action Council set a new standard for clean lighting by sponsoring and passing AB 2208 (Asm. Kalra & Sen. Becker) in 2022, a law in California that prohibits, on and after January 1, 2024, a screw or bayonet base type compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), as defined, and, on and after January 1, 2025, a pin-base type compact fluorescent lamp or a linear fluorescent lamp (LFL), as defined, from being offered for final sale, sold at final sale, or distributed in this state as a new manufactured product. Read the AB 2208 Fact Sheet!
Facts on Clean Lighting
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin listed by the World Health Organization as a top 10 chemical of major public health concern. One gram of mercury can contaminate a twenty acre lake, according to the Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC).
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) use half the amount of electricity, last 2-3 times longer, and do not contain toxic mercury. Because of AB 2208:
🌎 950,000 metric tons of CO2 eliminated annually
💡 5,600+ gigawatt hours saved per year
💰 California businesses & residents save big on energy bills
Clean Lighting Legislation Around the World
California was the second state to pass a ban on fluorescent lamps, following Vermont’s vote to phase out CFLs in 2023 and 4-foot LFLs in 2024. California, however, went further by including lamps up to 8 feet in the phase-out.
Governments around the world are increasingly recognizing LEDs as the foremost lighting technology on the market today. In December 2021, the European Union banned the sale of almost all mercury-containing fluorescent lamps by September 2023, and in March 2022, 137 governments voted to phase out CFLs by 2025 through the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
As one of the biggest lighting markets in the country, AB 2208 signals that the U.S. is ready to make the transition to a clean lighting economy.
To prohibit the sale of most mercury-containing fluorescent lamps by 2025, aligning with California's goals to reduce toxic waste and promote energy efficiency.
Authored by Representatives Ash Kalra and Senator Josh Becker
Signed into law September 18, 2022
ADDITIONAL RESEARCH & INFORMATION:
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Safe Lighting (www.safelighting.us)
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State of the Lightbulb: Saying Farewell to Fluorescents Webinar, October 2023
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Stewardship Action Foundation's "Farewell to Fluorescents" Blog, November 2022
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Clean Lighting: How States Can Cut Mercury Pollution, Protect the Climate, and Reduce Utility Bills Webinar, October 2022
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Clean Lighting Coalition & NSAC Pres Release, September 2022
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Assemblymember Kalra's Press Release, August 2022
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Assembly ESTM Committee Hearing Recording, April 2022
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"What Happens to the Mercury in Your Fluorescent Lamps?" Blog by CLASP
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Reasons why LED Manufacturers Should Support AB 2208 & How