GPSR Definition
The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is an EU law that sets safety rules for consumer products sold in the EU, whether they are sold in a physical shop or online. Officially known as Regulation (EU) 2023/988, it has applied since 13 December 2024 and replaced the older General Product Safety Directive. Unlike a directive, a regulation applies directly in every member state, so the core rules are the same across the EU. It requires businesses to sell only safe products, keep them traceable, report accidents, and act quickly when a product turns out to be dangerous, for example through a recall.
Which products and businesses does it cover?
GPSR applies to almost all non-food consumer products, whether new, used, repaired, or refurbished, with exceptions such as medicines and antiques. Products with their own EU safety rules, such as toys or cosmetics, still fall under GPSR for anything those rules do not address, including what must be shown in online listings.
The obligations apply along the whole supply chain: manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers (including online shops), fulfillment service providers, and online marketplaces. A product made outside the EU can only be sold in the EU if a responsible person established in the EU, such as an importer or authorized representative, takes on certain safety tasks for it.
What must an online product listing show?
Every product offered online or through other distance sales must clearly show at least:
- Manufacturer details: the name, registered trade name or trademark, and a postal and electronic address where the manufacturer can be contacted
- EU responsible person: if the manufacturer is based outside the EU, the name and contact details of the responsible person in the EU
- Product identification: a picture of the product, its type, and any other product identifier
- Warnings and safety information that must appear on the product or its packaging, in a language consumers in that country easily understand
These rules apply to a company's own online store as well as to marketplace listings. Online marketplaces must also give sellers fields to enter this information and display it on each listing.
What does GPSR mean for product data?
GPSR turns safety information into product data that must be complete for every listing. Manufacturer and responsible person details are often missing from supplier files, warnings need to be translated for each market, and the same information has to appear consistently in every sales channel. If one detail is missing, the listing does not comply.
Many businesses therefore treat GPSR information as required attributes that must be filled in before a product can be published. A Product Information Management (PIM) system can store manufacturer and responsible person details once and link them to every relevant product, manage translated warnings for each market, flag products with missing information, and send the complete data to the online store and every marketplace.
