Mandatory Implementation of the New National Standard GB26572-2025: A New Era for Hazardous Substance Control in the Lighting Industry

In 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation officially released the mandatory national standard GB26572-2025 "Requirements for Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products", marking the transition of China's lighting industry from voluntary to mandatory control of hazardous substances. This standard will take effect on August 1, 2027, with a 2-year transition period reserved for the industry. It will fully replace the previous voluntary standard GB/T26572-2011, integrate the core technical content of SJ/T11364-2024, and cover various lighting products (excluding power transmission equipment) produced, sold, and imported in China.​
The core breakthrough of the new national standard lies in the establishment of a differentiated classified control system. The standard clearly classifies lighting products into Category I (included in the compliance management catalog) and Category II (not included in the catalog). Among them, desk lamps for reading and writing are proposed to be included in Category I control for the first time in the draft for comments of the new catalog, while other lighting products are temporarily classified as Category II. In terms of technical requirements, the standard unifies the definition of "hazardous substances" to align with international regulations, clearly restricting 10 types of substances such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. The mass fraction limit of cadmium is strictly controlled at ≤ 0.01%, and that of other substances at ≤ 0.1%. The limit expression is changed from "not exceeding" to "≤", further enhancing the rigidity of implementation. In addition, the newly added requirement for special marks for the restriction of hazardous substances will facilitate market supervision and consumer identification. All lighting products must be labeled with the corresponding marks in accordance with regulations, and the testing methods uniformly adopt the GB/T39560 series standards.​
The implementation of this standard will have a profound impact on the industry. For the production side, enterprises need to sort out their product categories immediately, focus on tracking the progress of including desk lamps for reading and writing in the catalog, and avoid unnecessary cost waste caused by blind rectification of non-catalog products. During the transition period, enterprises must select compliance paths (national voluntary certification or self-declaration), establish a hazardous substance control system for the supply chain, and carry out material declaration and testing verification. From the market perspective, the standard will accelerate industry reshuffling, force small and medium-sized enterprises to eliminate backward production capacity, and promote the industry's transformation towards green and low-carbon development. Consumers will benefit from safer lighting products, reducing the potential harm of hazardous substances to human health and the environment. Industry experts point out that the new national standard is not only an important measure to respond to the global carbon neutrality goal but also a key driver for China's lighting industry to move towards high-quality development. The next 2 years will be a critical window period for enterprises to upgrade their technologies and transform towards compliance.