The Executive Yuan’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) selected 20 samples of commercially available sunglasses for quality inspection. Out of these, 5 did not meet quality requirements, 6 failed to meet requirements of the commodity inspection mark, 11 did not meet the requirements of product labels, and 10 did not meet the requirements of the CNS Mark. Because of the high unacceptable rate of these products, Vice Premier Jong-Chin Shen, acting as the Consumer Protection Committee Convener, has requested the competent authority, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, to ensure quality control is well implemented at the production side, strengthen post-marketing surveillance and audits, promote consumer awareness, and enforce penalties for products that failed to meet the requirements.

Wearing sunglasses can block ultraviolet rays and protect our eyes form sunlight, but the quality of sunglasses can affect this protection, which has an impact on the health of our eyes. In order to safeguard the rights of consumers, the DCP has selected 20 samples of commercially available sunglasses at physical stores (16 samples) located in Taipei City and New Taipei City and e-commerce platforms (4 samples) to carry out product quality and labeling inspection. Their respective results are as follows:

1. Quality inspection: 5 products in total have failed to meet the requirements

(1) Failed to meet visible light transmission requirements: 4 products recorded

(2) Failed to meet polarization efficiency requirements: 2 products recorded

(3) Failed to meet requirements relating to angles of penetration to the plane: 2 products recorded

2. Commodity Inspection Mark (CIM) inspection: 6 products in total have failed to bear the CIM and meet the requirements. Out of these, 3 products evaded inspection, for which they were fined by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspections, MOEA an aggregate amount of NT$ 270,000.

3. Product labeling inspection: 11 products in total failed to meet the requirements. Their major defects are as listed below:

(1) Failure to label the manufacturer or importer information (including incomplete labeling): 10 products recorded

(2) Failure to label the main ingredients or incomplete labeling: 6 products recorded

(3) Failure to label the net weight, volume, quantity or measurement, or incomplete labeling: 6 products recorded

(4) Failure to label the date of manufacture: 6 products recorded

4. CNS Mark inspection: 10 products in total failed to meet the requirements. Their major defects are as listed below:

(1) Failure to label usage restrictions: 9 products recorded

(2) Failure to label the product name (including incomplete labeling) or the name and address of the inspection applicant: 7 products recorded

(3) Failure to label the CNS number: 7 products recorded

(4) Failure to label the mark and/or text description for the filter category of the lenses: 7 products recorded

(5) Failure to label the warning message, "Unsuitable for driving in the early morning, late evening or at night": 7 products recorded

(6) Failure to label the filter category number of the lenses: 6 products recorded

Lastly, the DCP would like to remind consumers that when purchasing or using sunglasses, they should remember the following:

1. Be sure to buy sunglasses with complete labeling that have passed the required inspections. Do not buy sunglasses from unknown sources, poor quality sunglasses may cause eye damage.

2. Pay attention to the filter category and intended use of the lenses when buying sunglasses. According to the CNS 15067 requirements, the filter categories for sunglasses are 0 - 4, each with different transmittance values. Lenses with a filter category of between 0 and 3 are suitable for driving and road use; filter category 4 is unsuitable for such scenarios.