European GPSR Compliance Services

On May 23, 2023, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on General Product Safety, also known as the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR). The new regulation will replace the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95/EC after a transitional period that will end on December 13, 2024.

Understanding and complying with GPSR

The new regulation applies to new, used, repaired and reconditioned products placed on or made available to the European market. This impacts every type of product — whether or not it is interconnected to other items, supplied or made available — intended for consumers or is likely, under reasonably foreseeable conditions, to be used by consumers even if it is not intended for them.

Retailers and manufacturers face significant challenges as they prepare to place GSPR-compliant products on the European market starting in December 2024. UL Solutions can help them overcome these challenges.

Consumer products impacted by the new GPSR

GSPR will impact every consumer product placed on the European market after December 13, 2024. Relevant product categories include:

Textile, apparel and footwear

Furniture

Juvenile products

General merchandise

GPSR’s key changes for manufacturers and retailers

The new regulation provides the following key changes:

• Clear definitions of economic operators (i.e., manufacturers, authorized representatives, importers, distributors and fulfillment service providers) and their duties, including obligations that apply in case of distance sales.
• New and detailed rules for providers of online marketplaces, which must identify their single point of contact for the Safety Gate Portal as well as for consumer communication.
• The requirement of the manufacturer is to carry out a risk analysis and provide technical documentation containing at least a general description of the product and its essential characteristics relevant for assessing its safety and, where appropriate, an analysis of the possible risks related to the product and the solutions adopted to eliminate or mitigate such risks. This analysis should provide a list of all relevant European standards and report the outcome of tests conducted to meet general safety requirements.
• Improved and more detailed safety requirements and considerations for assessing the safety of products, including:
  • The categories of consumers using the product, particularly by assessing the risk for vulnerable consumers such as children, older people and people with disabilities, as well as the impact of gender differences on health and safety.
  • The appearance of the product when it is likely to lead consumers to use the product in a way that is different from what it was designed for, including:
    • When a nonfood product resembles food.
    • A product that is neither designed nor intended for use by children is likely to be used by children or resembles an object commonly recognized as appealing to or intended for use by children.
  • The establishment of a necessary communication tool for national authorities, thus enhancing their enforcement power.

UL Solutions can help you navigate GPSR compliance

With our global network of experts and laboratories and our deep knowledge of regulatory requirements for consumer products, UL Solutions can help support manufacturers as well as online and offline retailers as they navigate compliance with GPSR. We offer:

• Product labeling reviews.
• Evaluation of technical documentation.
• Risk analysis reviews.
• Educational seminars and trainings on all aspects of the new GPSR.
• Due diligence to evaluate products placed on the global marketplace.

We can work with you to determine and implement a testing program to maintain compliance in your target markets in the constantly evolving regulatory landscape.