In 2005, a report produced for the APEC Expert Group on Energy Efficiency & Conservation (EGEEC), funded by the Australian Government, found that the numerous specifications for CFLs around the world were a barrier to access to high-quality, efficient CFLs for many consumers.

A report released in 2007 by the USAID ECO-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program found that as many as half the compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) produced in Asia were substandard – producing less light or burning out more quickly than advertised.

Many lighting stakeholders have been concerned that consumer dissatisfaction with shoddy CFLs will threaten the spectacular growth of energy-saving CFLs in Asia, and damage consumer perception of other energy-efficient products. In June 2008, lighting companies, manufacturers, lighting councils and associations as well as supporting organizations signed the “Manila Compact”  expressing an intention to develop a quality system for integrated compact fluorescent lamps in Asia.

This led to a new agreement called the Asia CFL Quality Charter, in which lighting suppliers in Asia agreed to develop performance levels to rate CFL quality, establish a system for product marking, and set-up a regional database for suppliers and consumers to identify which CFLs meet quality standards. It was decided by the participants of the Quality Charter that an independent, non-profit organization was needed to implement these systems. As a result, partners in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), including Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, and the United States, along with Asia lighting industry stakeholders, worked together to establish the Asia Lighting Compact.

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