Key takeaways
- GPSR is the main EU safety law for furniture, home décor, home textiles and handicrafts, because few of these have their own EU safety legislation.
- A product cannot be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it, and that operator's name and postal and electronic address appear on the product, packaging, parcel or an accompanying document.
- The manufacturer must do an internal risk analysis, keep technical documentation for 10 years, and mark each product with a type, batch or serial number.
- Online offers must show the manufacturer, the EU responsible person, a product picture and identifier, and any warnings in the buyer's language.
- An inspection can check labels, batch codes, warnings and instructions on the goods; safety tests against standards are done by a lab.
Who and what GPSR covers
Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety (GPSR) applies from 13 December 2024. It replaced the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC. It covers any product intended for consumers, or likely to be used by them, whether new, used, repaired or reconditioned, and whether sold in a shop or online.
It is a safety net. Where specific EU law sets safety requirements for a product, GPSR covers only the risks that law does not cover. Electrical lamps, for example, follow the Low Voltage and EMC Directives for electrical risks. Most furniture, home décor, home textiles and handicrafts have no product-specific EU safety law, so GPSR is the main rule for them.
| Covered | Not covered (Article 2(2), among others) |
|---|---|
| Furniture, home décor, textiles, kitchenware, garden items and other consumer goods | Medicines, food and feed |
| Products sold online or by other distance sales | Living plants and animals, animal by-products, plant protection products |
| Products meant for professionals but likely to be used by consumers | Antiques |
Products that met the old Directive and were placed on the market before 13 December 2024 may still be sold (Article 51).
What GPSR requires
Article 5 is short: economic operators may place only safe products on the market. Article 6 lists what is assessed, including design, composition, packaging, assembly instructions, warnings, and risks to vulnerable consumers such as children and older people. A product that meets a European standard whose reference is published in the Official Journal is presumed safe for the risks that standard covers (Article 7).
| Requirement | What it means | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Risk analysis and technical documentation | Before sale, the manufacturer analyses the risks and writes a file with a product description, the risks and solutions, test reports and the standards applied. Kept for 10 years. | 9(2), 9(3) |
| Product identification | A type, batch or serial number visible to consumers, or on the packaging or an accompanying document if the product is too small. | 9(5) |
| Manufacturer details | Name or registered trade mark, postal address and electronic address, on the product or, if not possible, the packaging or an accompanying document. | 9(6) |
| Instructions and safety information | Clear, in a language consumers in the selling country can easily understand, unless the product is safe to use without them. | 9(7) |
| Importer details | The importer's name and postal and electronic address, without covering the manufacturer's label. | 11(3) |
| EU responsible person | An economic operator established in the EU, named on the product, packaging, parcel or an accompanying document. | 16 |
| Accidents and recalls | Serious accidents are notified through the Safety Business Gateway; recalls and complaints are logged. | 9(8), 9(12), 20 |
The EU responsible economic operator (Article 16)
Article 16 says a product may not be placed on the EU market unless an economic operator established in the EU is responsible for it. It applies the rules in Article 4 of the Market Surveillance Regulation (EU) 2019/1020. That operator can be:
- a manufacturer established in the EU, for example a European brand that has goods made in India under its own name;
- the importer, where the manufacturer is not in the EU;
- an authorised representative with a written mandate from the manufacturer; or
- a fulfilment service provider in the EU, where none of the above exists.
The responsible person must check that the technical documentation exists, give authorities information on request, report risks and cooperate on corrective action. Under GPSR it must also check regularly that the product matches the technical documentation and carries the identification, contact details and instructions required by Article 9(5) to (7). Its name and postal and electronic address must be shown on the product or its packaging, the parcel or an accompanying document.
Online sales, marketplaces and Safety Gate
Under Article 19, every online or distance-sales offer must clearly show at least:
- the manufacturer's name, registered trade name or trade mark, and postal and electronic address;
- where the manufacturer is outside the EU, the name and postal and electronic address of the EU responsible person;
- information to identify the product, including a picture, its type and any other identifier; and
- any warning or safety information, in a language consumers in that country can easily understand.
Online marketplaces have their own duties under Article 22. They register on the Safety Gate Portal, must act on an authority's order to remove a dangerous product offer within two working days, and must process product safety notices within three working days. Their listing forms must let traders enter the information above.
Safety Gate is the EU rapid alert system for dangerous products (Article 25). Authorities publish alerts there, and marketplaces use it to find and remove listings. A product flagged on Safety Gate can be withdrawn or recalled across the EU.
What GPSR means for exporters in India
An Indian factory selling to an EU importer or brand is not itself the EU responsible person, but most of the evidence starts in the factory.
- Who is the manufacturer. If the goods are sold under the buyer's brand, the buyer is usually the manufacturer under GPSR, because it markets the product under its own name. Agree in the purchase order whose details go on the label.
- Labels and batch codes. Manufacturer details, the EU operator's details and a type or batch number are easiest to apply in the factory, on the product or carton. A batch code also lets the buyer limit a recall to the lots affected.
- Instructions and warnings. Assembly instructions, wall-fixing advice for tall furniture, and care and safety notes must be in the language of each selling country. Print runs should match the order's destinations.
- Technical documentation. The buyer will ask for material lists, drawings and test reports for its file. Keep them per style and update them when a material or supplier changes.
- Marketplace sellers. Buyers selling on marketplaces need pictures, product identifiers and warnings that match the goods exactly.
Chemical rules sit alongside GPSR: see EU REACH. For furniture strength and stability, buyers often use the EN 12520 and EN 1728 standards.
What inspection can check, and what needs a lab
| An inspector at the factory can check | Needs lab testing or desk review |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer and EU responsible person details on product, carton or insert match the approved artwork | Testing to a European standard for strength, stability, flammability or chemical content |
| Type, batch or serial number present, legible and matching the packing list | Whether the risk analysis and technical documentation are complete |
| Warnings, assembly and care instructions present, in the ordered languages | Chemical content of materials, such as restricted dyes or metals |
| Product matches the approved sample and bill of materials; no sharp edges, loose parts or unstable assembly | |
| Wall-fixing hardware and fittings packed where the instructions call for them |
An inspection does not make a product GPSR-compliant. It confirms that the shipped goods match the documents, labels and samples that the compliance file relies on.
How Clear To Load checks this in India
On a pre-shipment inspection in India, the inspector checks the GPSR label content, batch codes, warnings and instruction languages against your approved artwork, along with workmanship, function and packing. Where you need a test for your technical file, we pull and seal samples for an accredited lab of your choice through lab testing coordination.
The report arrives within 24 hours of the inspection and ends in a verdict: Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared. For furniture, see furniture inspection in India. To add GPSR label checks to your next order, book an inspection.