If you sell non-food products in the European Union and Northern Ireland, you will need to comply with the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulation in 2024 FROM AMAZON to suppliers.
On December 13, 2024, this regulation will introduce new requirements for most non-food products sold by Amazon suppliers.
To ensure that Amazon suppliers comply with this regulation, please take the following actions before this date :
- Ensure that all products you sell in the European Union and Northern Ireland meet the existing requirements for labeling and traceability.
- Appoint a responsible person in the EU for these products.
- Label products with the contact details of the responsible person, manufacturer, and, if applicable, importer.
- Label products with a type, batch, or serial number.
- Label products with safety information and warnings, if applicable, in the language of the country of sale.
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Additionally, AMAZON SUPPLIERS MUST provide the following information in listings :
- Information on the responsible person, manufacturer's name, and contact details for each product.
- An image of the product and any other information necessary to identify the product.
- Safety information and warnings, in the language of the country of sale.
To help Amazon suppliers prepare for the implementation of this regulation, we recommend fulfilling the first set of requirements as soon as possible. In early 2024, we will notify you of the procedure to fulfill the second set of requirements.
General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)
Introduction
On December 13, 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) will come into force.
This regulation will replace the General Product Safety Directive and introduce requirements for most non-food consumer products sold in the EU and Northern Ireland. The GPSR builds upon the Market Surveillance Regulation and the provisions of other existing European directives and regulations.
The GPSR will not apply in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales). However, it will apply to sales in Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
For more information on the Northern Ireland Protocol, Amazon suppliers should consult the European Commission's website. This page outlines some of the requirements of the GPSR and provides advice on how to comply with the regulation.
This document is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. If you have questions about laws and regulations concerning your products, we encourage you to consult your legal advisor.
Affected Products
Most non-food consumer products sold in the EU and Northern Ireland fall under the scope of the GPSR.
There are some exceptions, including :
- Human or veterinary medicinal products;
- Foodstuffs;
- Animal feed;
- Live plants and animals (including genetically modified organisms and genetically modified micro-organisms used in contained use, as well as plant and animal products directly related to their future reproduction);
- Animal by-products and derived products;
- Plant protection products (e.g., pesticides);
- Equipment on which consumers ride or travel when operated directly by a service provider as part of a transport service provided to consumers, and not operated by consumers themselves;
- Aircraft;
- Antiques
The key requirements of the GPSR are as follows :
- Ensure that all products you sell in the EU or Northern Ireland that fall under the scope of the GPSR meet the requirements of the GPSR as well as existing labeling and traceability requirements. For more information, see the Product Compliance section.
- Designate a responsible person based in the EU for these products.
- Label these products with the contact details, including postal and electronic address, of the responsible person. This labeling can be affixed to the product, its packaging, the parcel, or an accompanying document.
- Label these products with the contact details, including postal and electronic address, of the manufacturer and, if applicable, the importer and, if different, the postal or electronic address of the single point of contact at which they can be contacted. This labeling can be affixed to the product, its packaging, or an accompanying document.
- Label these products with the type, batch, or serial number or any other element enabling the product to be identified, and ensure that the information is easily visible and legible to consumers. Where the size or nature of the product does not permit, this labeling may appear on its packaging or an accompanying document.
- Display the name and contact details of the responsible person, including postal and electronic address, in online listings.
- Display the name and contact details of the manufacturer, including postal and electronic address, in online listings.
- Display a photo of the product and any other information necessary to identify the product in online listings.
- Display mandatory warnings and safety information, as well as any other information concerning labeling and marking required under applicable European legislation on product safety and compliance, in online listings, in the language of the country of sale.
Responsible Person Requirement
A responsible person can be one of the following :
- The manufacturer or brand, if established in the EU.
- An importer established in the EU.
- An authorized representative established in the EU, designated in writing as the responsible person by the manufacturer or brand.
- A fulfillment service provider established in the EU, if no manufacturer, importer, or authorized representative is established in the EU.
Note : If you are a brand owner established in Northern Ireland, you may act as your own responsible person or designate another entity established in Northern Ireland or the EU as the responsible person.
A responsible person is required to do the following :
- Obtain the EU declaration of conformity of the product (or the declaration of performance) and ensure that the technical documentation and additional documents demonstrating the product's compliance with EU legislation can be made available by the manufacturer or brand owner, upon request, in a language understood by the competent authority.
- In some cases, inform the authorities of any risks posed by the product.
- Cooperate with market surveillance authorities, including ensuring that the manufacturer or brand owner takes necessary measures to remedy any non-compliance issues with the product.
- Verify compliance with the technical documentation, product and manufacturer information, instructions, and safety information.
- Provide documented evidence of controls carried out at the request of the authorities.
Additionally, the contact details of the responsible person, including postal and electronic address, must appear on the product, its packaging, the parcel, or an accompanying document.
Can Amazon act as the responsible person on my behalf?
We do not offer responsible person services, but you may engage third-party providers.
Proving Your Compliance to Amazon
We will remove listings if we find them not compliant with the GPSR on December 13, 2024. Provide us with the required information before this date to ensure they will be validated on time.
Brand Owners
If you are the owner of a brand of products falling under the scope of the GPSR, you must take a number of steps by December 13, 2024.
First, you must verify the compliance of your products with existing legislation. Your products must meet all existing requirements, and corresponding documents (such as technical documentation and test reports, as well as a declaration of conformity, if applicable) must be established. You must provide the declaration of conformity (or declaration of performance), if applicable, to your responsible person and be able to provide the technical documentation upon request.
For a list of help pages containing information on existing regulations, see the Product Compliance section in Vendor Central for help pages on existing regulations.
We recommend registering your brand with the Amazon Brand Registry if you haven't already done so, to take advantage of the tools we offer to brand owners.
This will allow you to submit your information once for each brand, rather than submitting information for each offer. For more information on Amazon Brand Registry, including a list of frequently asked questions, see our Amazon Brand Registry information page.
You must also designate a responsible person for your products.
As a brand owner, you have some flexibility in designating the responsible person :
- If you have a subsidiary in the EU or if you already have an importer in the EU, you can appoint them as the responsible person for your products.
- The testing laboratory or certification body you use for your products may offer responsible person services.
- You may be able to avail yourself of the services of third-party providers offered through Amazon's service provider network. If you need assistance in meeting the required conditions, you can engage our compliance solutions providers.
- Once you have designated your responsible person, you will need to provide their information to Amazon.
- In the course of 2024, we will inform you of the steps to take to communicate this information to us. Additionally, you must provide Amazon with information about your manufacturer, including their name, trade name or trademark, postal address, and email address, which may already be printed on the packaging or product.
- In the course of 2024, we will inform you how to submit this information to us. You must also display a photo of the product and any other information enabling the product to be identified on the product detail page. Finally, you must display mandatory warnings and safety information on your product detail pages. This can be an image, a product manual, or any other document containing the required information. In the course of 2024, we will inform you how to submit this information to us.
Resellers
If you are a reseller of products falling under the scope of the GPSR, you must:
- Verify the compliance of your products with the applicable legislation.
- As an Amazon supplier, provide information about the responsible person.
- Provide Amazon with information about your manufacturer.
- Display a photo of the product.
- Display mandatory warnings and safety information. If you do not have the required information and documents, request them from your supplier as soon as possible.
Removal of Affected Products from Sale in the EU
If you do not wish to continue selling affected products on Amazon's EU storefronts and you are subscribed to Amazon Vendor Services (AVS), go to the Contact Us page and select Amazon Vendor Services Priority Support (Subscribed Sellers only). Select "Other Issues" as the reason for contact and provide a list of the products you wish to remove.
If you are not subscribed to AVS, you must mark your products as "Permanently Unavailable" in Vendor Central. To do this, follow the instructions under Update availability in your catalog on Updating availability.
Information Displayed on Product Detail Pages
Before December 13, 2024, we will only display information about the responsible person for products bearing the CE marking. After this date, information about the responsible person and manufacturer will be displayed on all detailed product pages for EU products falling under the scope of the GPSR.
Any information published must be printed on the product, its packaging, the parcel, or an accompanying document, in accordance with applicable law.
