Product Safety Regulation 2024 – What applies to retailers and manufacturers

The new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) has been in force since 13 December 2024. It tightens safety requirements and extends labelling, documentation and reporting obligations for all products sold to consumers in the EU.

Inhalt

• Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
• What applies to manufacturers
• What applies to retailers and online shops
• What applies to importers
• Product safety on online marketplaces
• Mandatory information
• How burgdigital helps
• FAQ

General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR): A uniform framework for trade within the EU

The General Product Safety and Traceability Regulation (GPSR) replaces the previous General Product Safety Directive and parts of the German Product Safety Act. It applies in all EU Member States and establishes uniform rules to ensure that only safe consumer products are placed on the market. This affects not only manufacturers, but also importers, marketplace operators and B2C and B2B online retailers.

Manufacturer: Product safety and comprehensive information

Manufacturers bear primary responsibility for product safety and must ensure that all products comply with applicable EU safety standards. It is not enough simply to focus on safety during the development phase – these requirements apply throughout the entire product lifecycle. In practical terms, this means that manufacturers must:

Comply with safety standards

Products must not pose a risk to consumer health and safety. All items placed on the market must comply with EU safety requirements. In e-commerce, these standards should be communicated clearly and transparently, for example via product pages and technical data sheets.

Provide safety data and instructions

Manufacturers are required to provide comprehensive and clear safety information, instructions for use and risk warnings. This information must be easily accessible when purchasing online – for example, via PDFs, interactive product data sheets or video tutorials.

Regular safety checks

In addition, products must be tested regularly and checked for safety defects. This includes both physical tests and digital inspection mechanisms during the manufacturing process, in order to ensure ongoing compliance with all safety requirements.

Retailers & Online Shops: Transparency and Documentation

Online retailers and operators of e-commerce platforms must not only comply with the GDPR requirements, but also communicate them to end customers in a clear and comprehensible manner. For shop operators, this entails the following tasks in particular:

Product labelling & traceability

Retailers ensure that all products can be clearly identified – for example, via serial numbers, batch codes or similar identifiers. This ensures traceability. This information should be clearly visible and easily accessible in the online shop.

Provision of safety information

The shop must provide comprehensive and clear safety information that complies with legal requirements. This includes not only product data sheets and warnings, but also a clear structure and navigation system, so that customers can find the information they need in just a few clicks.

Communication regarding product recalls

The shop must provide comprehensive and clear safety information that complies with legal requirements. This includes not only product data sheets and warnings, but also a clear structure and navigation system, so that customers can find the information they need in just a few clicks.

Handling hazardous products

If there is a safety risk, a reporting obligation applies. Retailers must assess risks, document incidents and take appropriate action – ranging from issuing warnings to launching a recall. A structured recall and reporting system helps to ensure a swift response and prevent further hazards.

Importers: Ensuring product safety and documentation

Under the GPSR, importers are responsible for all products manufactured outside the EU and placed on the European market. They must ensure that every imported product complies with the applicable EU safety standards and that this compliance is properly documented.

Product safety checks

Before goods go on sale, importers check whether they comply with EU safety requirements. This involves requesting, assessing and systematically documenting declarations of conformity, test reports and other safety documentation from manufacturers in third countries.

Close cooperation with manufacturers ensures that all necessary certificates and safety data are available.

Ensuring documentation and traceability

Importers also ensure that products are correctly labelled and that end-to-end traceability is maintained. Digital systems help to record batches, supply chains and safety-related information, so that in the event of any anomalies, all relevant product data is readily available and appropriate measures can be taken.

Product safety on online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay

The GPSR also applies to sales via marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay or Kaufland. Alongside platform operators, retailers are required to ensure that their listings comply with the law.

This means that products must be clearly labelled, and all necessary safety and warning notices, as well as documents (e.g. user manuals, declarations of conformity), must be readily available. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the suspension of individual listings or entire accounts – and, in serious cases, warnings under competition law and further legal action.

Mandatory information for safe and legally compliant products

To ensure that products comply with the requirements of the GPSR, certain details must be clearly visible on the product, the packaging or in the online shop. The following labels and information are among the key mandatory details.

How burgdigital supports your business with GDPR implementation

The implementation of the GPSR entails numerous detailed requirements for manufacturers, retailers and importers – particularly where PIM, ERP and shop systems interact. We help to map product safety data in a structured manner, maintain it seamlessly across platforms and display it on the front end in a legally compliant way. Our range of services includes, amongst other things:

Extension of PIM and content management systems

We enhance your PIM and content management systems with the necessary fields, data structures and workflows for product safety-related information (e.g. warnings, declarations of conformity, traceability data). This enables all mandatory information to be managed centrally, versioned and automatically published to connected channels.

Deployment and integration of plugins

Custom plugins ensure that GPSR data is displayed accurately and clearly within the shop – for example, on product detail pages, in data sheets or in download sections. We handle the selection, customisation and integration of these extensions to ensure that labels, notes and documents are displayed in the correct place.

Custom development of bespoke solutions

We develop bespoke solutions for specific requirements, such as complex product portfolios, client structures or marketplace integrations. In doing so, we combine legal requirements with your internal processes and ensure that your GPSR strategy is implemented in a technically sound, scalable and future-proof manner.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about the GPSR