Knowledge

Understand the duties. Then get them done.

Guides on product compliance in the EU: answer first, with the provision and a date of review. The full question library and the glossary are in German: Wissen.

Safety data sheets

Safety data sheet requirements in the EU: is a download enough?Article 31 REACH: when you must supply a safety data sheet, to whom, in which language, and why a download area alone usually does not count.
Safety data sheet retention: ten years from the last supplyArticle 36 REACH: keep safety data sheets for at least ten years after your last manufacture, import, supply or use. Superseded versions too.
When you must update a safety data sheetUpdate without delay on new hazard information, an authorisation or a restriction, and send the new version to everyone supplied in the last 12 months.

Product safety (GPSR)

What must every online listing show under the GPSR?Four things: the manufacturer’s name, postal address and electronic address; for a manufacturer outside the EU, also the responsible person; product identification with an image; and warning and safety information. The warnings and safety information must be in the language of the Member State where you sell.
Do I need a GPSR responsible person in the EU?Yes, if your product is placed on the EU market and the manufacturer is not established in the EU. Then an economic operator established in the EU must be responsible, such as an importer or an authorised representative. If the manufacturer is in the EU, the manufacturer is the contact.
How do I enter GPSR data on Amazon?Amazon holds manufacturer details per ASIN. You upload safety documents as “Compliance Media”. If details are missing or do not match, the listing gets the status “Listing removed”. With many products, use the API or bulk editing. After entering the data, check that it appears on the detail page.
How does a recall work under the GPSR?You inform affected customers directly where you know them. Where that is not possible, you publish a visible recall notice headed “Product safety recall”. A Commission template (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1435) is available; using it is not mandatory. The notice must be easy to find for those affected.

Construction products

Declaration of performance under CPR 2024/3110Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 applies since 8 January 2026. What changes for the declaration of performance, electronic provision and the product passport.
Declaration of performance on your website: the conditionsYou may publish the declaration of performance on a website if it is unchanged, free, linked by identification code and kept for at least 10 years.

Product passport

Machinery Regulation: digital instructions from 20 January 2027, QR code, paper on requestRegulation (EU) 2023/1230: digital instructions from 20 January 2027, online for at least 10 years. Paper on request at purchase, safety data for consumers.
Battery QR code from 18 February 2027: which batteries, what informationArt. 13(6) Battery Regulation: QR code on all batteries from 18 February 2027. What must sit behind the code, where it goes and what is still open.
Cyber Resilience Act: which documents manufacturers need and which deadlines applyCRA (EU) 2024/2847: reporting since 11 September 2026, main duties from 11 December 2027. Technical file, declaration of conformity, user information, SBOM.
Battery passport or QR code: who needs what from 18 February 2027From 18 February 2027, LMT, EV and industrial batteries over 2 kWh need a battery passport. Every battery carries a QR code. Contents and date status.
Digital product passport: deadlines, product groups, what to prepareNo single date for the digital product passport: each product group gets its own act under the ESPR. What is fixed, what is expected, and how to prepare.
QR codes for data sheets and GS1 Digital Link: what to printA QR code with a permanent address is enough for data sheets. GS1 Digital Link adds the GTIN. Why the address must stay the same for years.
Which product groups are in the ESPR working plan?The 2025 to 2030 working plan names steel (act expected in Q4 2026), aluminium, textiles, tyres (2027), furniture (2028) and mattresses (2029). Horizontally it provides for repairability and recycled-content requirements for electrical equipment. These are plans, not adopted dates. The act in the Official Journal is what counts.
What does the EU product passport registry store?The registry stores identifiers, not the passport data itself. The data stays with the manufacturer or a provider they commission. According to secondary sources the registry has been live since 20 July 2026, based on Implementing Regulation 2026/1778. We have not checked that against the primary text.

Packaging (PPWR)

PPWR declaration of conformity: who issues it and who collects itUnder the PPWR the manufacturer issues the declaration of conformity, often the brand or filler. Suppliers provide evidence, importers keep a copy.
PPWR since 12 August 2026: what applies and what is still pendingThe PPWR has applied since 12 August 2026: declaration of conformity, PFAS limits, heavy metals. Labels, recycled content and recyclability come later.

Labelling (CLP, UFI)

CLP digital label and the 2028 date for new label rulesRegulation 2024/2865 amends CLP: minimum font sizes, distance sales, voluntary digital label. Regulation 2025/2439 moves key rules to 1 January 2028.
What does UFI on a label mean?UFI stands for Unique Formula Identifier. It has 16 characters and appears on the label prefixed with “UFI:”. Poison centres use it to find the exact formulation of a product quickly in a poisoning case and to advise precisely.
Does my product need a UFI code?Yes, if your mixture is classified for health or physical hazards and has to be notified to poison centres. The transition period ended on 1 January 2025. Mixtures that are not classified are generally not affected. The details are in Annex VIII CLP.