Important GPSR Notice (for exporting into EU markets)

The rules changed back in December. Read on to see if they apply to you...

DMS - 06 Jan 2025
For The Record

Back in December, the European Union introduced GPSR, bringing new responsibilities for businesses selling products in the EU market. Retailers will now need to ensure that key product information, including identifiers, contact details, and manufacturer info, is clearly listed on the product or its packaging. This is crucial for compliance, as the regulation requires businesses to be easily identifiable and reachable by consumers. Read the full article to find out what this means for your business, and how to ensure you're fully aligned with the new requirements...

You may already be aware of The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), which was put in place on Friday 13th December 2024. In short, you (the label, band, individual, distributor and or person putting the product on the EU market) will be listed as the manufacturer and must now:

Verify that the product itself has the following information on it, or in an accompanying document:

  • a type, batch or serial number or other element enabling the identification of the product (this can simply be your barcode number and catalogue number)

  • the manufacturer’s name, registered trade name or registered trademark, its postal and electronic address and, if different, the postal or electronic address of the single contact point by which it can be contacted. (this means the label/bands or individuals details as well as the EU representative details). This can be a link to a webpage but it must be reasonably straightforward for the consumer to identify from that link where and how to make contact.

The name, registered trade name or registered trademark, and contact details (including postal address) of the responsible economic operator must be indicated on the product or on its packaging, the parcel, or an accompanying document. Accompanying documentation may include, though is not limited to, a store receipt or other despatch or shipping documentation that is provided alongside a product and does not need to be within the same packaging as the product itself as long as it accompanies the product.

Please ask your account manager for the relevant supplier details for your order, to list as your EU representative.If you are working with a distributor, it would be worth discussing this with them, as they may already have protocols in place for handling GPSR. The boring bits…. Definitions and scopeThe GPSR applies to all products subject to harmonised legislation, insofar as there are no specific provisions with the same objective in sector or product specific legislation in relation to product safety.

  • ‘Manufacturer’ (Article 3.8) means any natural or legal person who manufactures a product or has a product designed or manufactured and markets that product under the person’s name or trademark.

  • ‘Authorised representative’ (Article 3.9) means any natural or legal person established within the [European] Union who has received a written mandate from a manufacturer to act on that manufacturer’s behalf in relation to specified tasks with regard to the manufacturer’s obligations under this Regulation.

  • ‘Importer’ (Article 3.10) means any natural or legal person established within the [European] Union who places a product from a third country on the [European] Union market.

  • ‘Distributor’ (Article 3.11) means any natural or legal person in the supply chain, other than the manufacturer or the importer, who makes a product available to the market.

  • ‘Fulfilment service provider’ (Article 3.12) means any natural or legal person offering, in the course of commercial activity, at least two of the following services: warehousing, packaging, addressing and dispatching without having ownership of the products involved, excluding postal services, [footnote 4] parcel delivery services, [footnote 5] and any other postal or freight transport services.

If a manufacturer (business or individual who puts goods on the EU market) appoints an authorised representative themselves, there must be a written mandate in place specifying the tasks that the authorised representative agrees to and is authorised to carry out on the manufacturer’s behalf. The authorised representative must be based in the EU or NI.

Appointing an authorised representative to carry out the compliance tasks outlined in Article 4 of the MS Regulation and Article 16 of the GPSR is one option traders can use to meet the requirements of Article 4 and Article 16. If traders already have a presence in the EU or NI, they will be considered to be in compliance with the requirements of GPSR relating to the MS Regulation.

Please note that this guidance is not intended to be comprehensive, but to assist in understanding the GPSR. If you are not clear on your obligations, you should seek independent legal advice.

Copyright © 2025 Disc Manufacturing Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Cookie Policy - Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Technical Conditions & Disclaimers
DMS Vinyl, 1 Russell Court, St. Andrew Street, Plymouth, PL1 2AX, United Kingdom.
Registered in England and Wales no 5127922 at this address. VAT registration no 838 5310 21
DMS use cookies to help us to improve your experience and provide you with the best possible service. For more information please click here.