Who is Responsible for GPSR Сonformity: Your Team or Professionals?

All companies selling goods in the European Union market must follow the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) as their key legal requirement. Through this regulation, consumers obtain protection by adopting strict standards that specify product quality standards labeling requirements, and technical documentation procedures. Companies must decide between assigning internal personnel or external experts to oversee compliance requirements. Let’s explore.

What is GPSR and Why is a Responsible Person Important?

The GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation) is the EU legislative framework that regulates the safety of non-food products on the European market. Every company selling products in the European Union must understand and comply with these rules. The main objective of the GPSR is to ensure the safety of consumer products and protect consumers from potential risks.

Firstly, each product for B2C sales needs to have a label made according to GPSR requirements. You can read more about labels here. 

Secondly, each product must be tested in a laboratory and have a valid test certificate according to EU safety requirements.

One of the key elements of the label for GPSR is to mention a company or a person who is responsible for the safety of this product, as well as their address, email, and phone number. This person must be located in the EU. If the manufacturer or brand owner is established outside of the EU, they need to appoint a Responsible person in the EU.

This  “Responsible Person” (RP). This may be:

• Manufacturer of goods
• Brand owner
• Importer of goods
• Authorized representative located within the EU

Liability of the Responsible Person:

• Check product conformity to EU safety standards
• Preparation and storage of technical documentation
• Interaction with regulatory authorities in case of product safety issues

Non-compliance with GPSR requirements can lead to serious consequences:

• Withdrawal of products from the market
• Significant fines
• Loss of consumer confidence

Statistics show that over the past year, more than 20% of companies have received fines for non-compliance with GPSR requirements. This emphasizes the importance of timely compliance with all requirements of the regulation for successful operation on the European market.

Who Should Handle GPSR Service?

Internal Team: Advantages and Challenges

If your company has a team that is well-versed in regulatory requirements, it can take on this task on its own. This has several advantages:

• Your employees adapt to changes more quickly because they know your product better.
• If you have the resources and time, you can avoid the additional costs of hiring external experts.

However, there are also disadvantages. Successfully preparing GPSR reports and registering a product requires in-depth knowledge of EU law and constant monitoring of regulatory changes. If your team lacks experience or resources, this can lead to mistakes and fines. While using your staff for these tasks may initially seem like a cost-effective option, it can end up being more expensive. External experts usually require less training and ongoing monitoring of the legislation.

Engaging Professionals: Why a Responsible Person is Key to GPSR Conformity

Engaging external experts provides businesses with effective solutions to support their operations. Here are some reasons why it is beneficial:

• Experts have a deep understanding of GPSR and are quick to adapt to changes in legislation.
• Your business can focus resources on growth, as your team will not need to undergo regulatory training.
• External experts offer flexible services that adapt to your needs, including risk assessment, documentation preparation, and interaction with regulators.

Working with experts allows your business to understand the potential savings. If internal staff are responsible for reporting, updating regulatory documentation, and risk management, it may be more expensive than engaging external experts. The decision on how to implement GPSR reports depends on several factors:

• The current size of your company and growth plans.
• The complexity and diversity of your products.
• The availability of experience on your team.
• Internal resources.
• Long-term business strategy.

Smaller businesses can successfully manage their internal processes if they have sufficient expertise. However, as their business grows and their product portfolio expands, they will need to engage external expertise. Some companies that provide professional GPSR reporting services in Europe are:

• SafetyMark (Netherlands) – serves mainly Dutch companies.
• RegulEase (Spain) – specializes in the Spanish market.
• CompliancePoint (Germany) – focuses on the German manufacturing sector.
• GPSR NordicSafe – operates exclusively in the Scandinavian market.
• Lovat – provides reporting and registration solutions across the EU.

It is recommended that you regularly review your reporting needs as your business evolves. Many companies achieve better results by combining internal management of basic reporting with external expertise for more complex tasks or during periods of growth.

Accurate and timely GPSR reporting is critical to maintaining market access and compliance with EU requirements.