EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)—What Will It Change?

The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) enters into force on December 13, 2024. It shall cover all consumer products unregulated by other EU laws, such as electronics, toys and many more. What is important is that the new law will apply to all products sold within the EU—the country of origin does not matter.

What will the GPSR change? Who needs to comply with this law, and what are your business' obligations as an e-commerce owner, manufacturer, importer, or distributor? Find it all out in this article.

EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR): Key Information

To begin with, here are the most important information regarding the new EU General Product Safety Regulation:

• Date of entry into force: December 13, 2024

• Scope:

  • products that are unregulated in other EU product safety legislation,

  • products sold in the EU.

• Parties concerned:

  • manufacturers,

  • importers,

  • distributors,

  • online marketplaces

• Penalties for non-compliance:

  • fines,

  • product recalls,

  • bans on products entering the market.

The Article 2 (2) of GPSR also contains a list of exclusions—products that do not fall within this law:

• medicinal products (human or animal),

• food,

• feed,

• living products (plants, animals),

• GMOs,

• animal by-products and animal-derived products,

• equipment on which consumers ride or travel, if the service provider operates such equipment,

• aircraft,

• antiques.

GPSR General Provisions

Now, let’s look at the specific requirements for the products sold in the EU based on GPSR.

This law's objective is to provide better consumer protection in the EU market by providing critical rules on product safety that all parties selling their goods in the European Union must follow.

In general, to deem a product safe, it needs to meet other EU standards, such as:

• Harmonised Standards—EU-wide standards that align products with essential safety requirements, often for specific product types or sectors (e.g., toys, electronics).

• General Safety Requirements—Broader guidelines for all products, ensuring they are safe under normal and foreseeable conditions.

• Other Recognized Standards—Voluntary or sector-specific standards, including international benchmarks, that can be referenced if no harmonised EU standards apply.

These need to be applied with the context in mind. Hence, to decide whether the risk is “acceptable”, you need to consider the product's:

• intended use,

• potential misuse,

• target group and vulnerable users (e.g. children).

Furthermore, the EU General Product Safety Regulation requires gauging acceptable risk levels based on historical safety data, scientific research, and available benchmarks. This means that a thorough risk assessment needs to be conducted before a product is placed on the market.

You can find all of the legislation on the official EU website.

GPSR Requirements for Different Economic Operators

Your role in the supply chain defines your obligations enforced by the GPSR. The act distinguishes four types of legal entities to whom it applies, namely:

• manufacturers,

• importers,

• distributors,

• online marketplaces.

Let’s look at this in more detail.

Manufacturers

Unlike other laws used in commerce, like the EU Digital Services Act, the General Product Safety Regulation imposes some obligations on product manufacturers. These are required to:

• ensure that the products are safe,

• provide clear instructions and safety information,

• conduct testing,

• keep records for 10 years.

Importers

Importers are also responsible for product safety. According to the GPSR, they need to:

• ensure that imported products comply with the GPSR,

• verify conformity assessments,

• keep documentation available for 10 years.

Distributors

The third group that must comply with the GPSR are product distributors. Their obligations under this law include:

• must ensure that products meet safety requirements,

• verify whether the importer and the manufacturer fulfilled their safety obligations,

• react if the product (based on their evaluation) isn’t safe to use.

Online Marketplaces

If you own an online platform, e-commerce store or marketplace, you also need to follow GPSR. In this case, you are obliged to:

• collaborate with the authorities,

• promptly remove unsafe products from your platform,

• ensure that products sold on your platform are safe to use.

In the end, this approach builds a structure of shared responsibility. It’s the job of manufacturers to build safe products, yet every economic operator that handles the product before it reaches the client needs to ensure on its own that the product is safe and verify the actions undertaken by the previous operator.

How to Stay Compliant with the EU General Product Safety Regulation?

The enforcement of GPSR will definitely be difficult on parcel level shipments, since it might be problematic to verify all the documentation. Nevertheless, this does not mean you shouldn’t start your preparations immediately. How should you approach compliance?

Work with Reliable Importers

If you select reliable importers, the chances that they fail to detect an unsafe product will be much lower. Working with expert logistics partners, who conduct operations all over the world, provides you with relevant experience and knowledge about the regulations, reducing the amount of effort required to ensure compliance.

Landmark Global is such an expert. We provide international logistics services across 4 continents, with a high focus on Europe. Thus, by choosing us, you can rest assured that your deliveries will be compliant with GPSR. Trust Landmark Global—contact us and let’s talk about your business.

Build a Compliance Check Team

If you run a marketplace where different brands may post their products, or even if you have your own e-commerce store, we highly recommend forming a specialised team responsible for compliance with GPSR. They need to monitor product listings and ensure that these meet the regulatory requirements. If products fail to comply with the law (or there is a risk of that happening), your team should react and report the product through the EU SafetyGate RAPEX system.

The Takeaway

Following the EU General Product Safety Regulation may initially be a challenge, especially since there may be areas in which this law is in conflict with the UK consumer protection regulations. However, if you partner with Landmark Global, you don’t have to worry about the new law—as experts, we will help you ensure you meet the regulatory requirements.

You may also read: The UK’s Changing Consumer Rights Laws: What E-commerce Retailers Should Be Aware Of