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Selling consumer products in the UK

In Great Britain, consumer products with no more specific rules fall under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. Producers, including UK importers, place only safe products on the market, mark them for traceability and tell an enforcement authority about risks. Toys, electrical goods, textiles, cleaning products and kitchenware have their own guides.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main text in GB
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
Who answers
Producers, including UK importers, and distributors
Traceability
Producer name and address, and product or batch reference
Quantity
Packaged goods rules, enforced by trading standards
Northern Ireland
EU Regulation (EU) 2023/988 since 13 December 2024
Separate guides
Toys, electronics, textiles, cleaning products and kitchenware

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is it a consumer product, or do product-specific regulations such as those for toys or electrical goods cover it? Read more
  2. 2Is the producer in the UK, or is there a UK importer? Read more
  3. 3Does it carry the producer's name, address and a batch reference? Read more
  4. 4Is the quantity labelled and filled to the packers' rules? Read more
  5. 5Is the business obligated for packaging? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

General product safety

The safety duty for consumer products in GB, and who carries it.

  • The 2005 Regulations apply to products intended for or likely to be used by consumers, and aim to make sure only safe products are supplied on the GB market.
  • OPSS guidance says businesses comply with the regulations for specific product types, and with the general product safety regulations if none apply. Toys, electrical and electronic goods, textiles, cleaning products and kitchenware are covered in their own guides.
  • Other product-specific rules listed by OPSS include the Aerosol Dispensers Regulations 2009, the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and the Food Imitations (Safety) Regulations 1989.
  • Producers include GB-based manufacturers and UK-based importers. Before placing a product on the market they make sure it is safe under normal or reasonably foreseeable use.
  • Producers give consumers the information to assess risks that are not immediately obvious, and mark the product or packaging with their name and address and the product reference or batch, where reasonable.
  • Producers monitor risks, including sample testing and a register of complaints where reasonable, and notify an enforcement authority in writing if a product poses a risk.
  • Distributors act with due care and must not supply products they know or ought to know are dangerous.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the safety evidence, test reports and batch records with each product, so the question of what was shipped and when is answered from the record. Ask about this

Packaged goods quantity

How packers and importers label and fill packaged goods.

  • Packers and importers follow three packers' rules, starting with: the contents must not be less on average than the nominal quantity.
  • Packaged goods are labelled with their quantity, visibly, legibly and indelibly.
  • The ℮ mark is voluntary, and declares that the contents comply with the average system.
  • Local authority trading standards enforce.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps fill records and quantity checks with each batch. Ask about this

Packaging responsibility

Extended producer responsibility for packaging.

  • A UK business that supplied or imported more than 25 tonnes of packaging in the previous year, with a turnover of £1 million or more, is an obligated producer.
  • Above 50 tonnes and £2 million turnover it is a large producer, with more obligations.
  • A business is established in the UK if its registered office, head office or principal place of business is here, or it has a UK branch, warehouse or postal address.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps your packaging specifications and weights with each product, so the data is on hand for reporting. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ProducerSafety, consumer information, traceability marking and notifying risks.The safety file and batch records kept with each product.
UK importerThe producer's obligations for products made outside the UK.Overseas suppliers' documents read and dated before the goods arrive.
DistributorDue care, passing on risk information, and not supplying dangerous products.The documents each product needs, shown when a retailer asks.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

From 13 December 2024, Northern Ireland applies the EU General Product Safety Regulation, (EU) 2023/988, which requires a responsible economic operator and adds labelling, traceability and documentation duties. Online marketplaces are in scope there.

Questions businesses ask

Which product safety rules apply in Great Britain?
The General Product Safety Regulations 2005, for products intended for or likely to be used by consumers, alongside any more specific product rules.
Which products have their own rules instead of general product safety?
Toys, electrical and electronic equipment, cosmetics, aerosols, upholstered furniture, nightwear and others have product-specific regulations. Our toys, electronics, textiles, cleaning and kitchenware guides cover several of them.
Who is a producer under the GB rules?
GB-based manufacturers and UK-based importers, among others. Producers must make sure a product is safe before placing it on the GB market.
What traceability marking does a product need?
Where reasonable, the producer's name and address and the product reference or batch, on the product or its packaging.
What if a producer finds a product is unsafe?
It notifies an enforcement authority in writing about the risks and the action taken to protect consumers.
Which rules apply in Northern Ireland?
The EU General Product Safety Regulation, (EU) 2023/988, from 13 December 2024, with a responsible economic operator and duties on labelling, traceability and documentation.
What are the packers' rules?
Three rules for packers and importers of packaged goods, starting with: the contents must not be less on average than the nominal quantity. Trading standards enforce them.
Is the ℮ mark required?
No. It is voluntary, and declares that the contents comply with the average system. Its use is not allowed on packages that do not meet the criteria.
Who has packaging obligations in the UK?
Under extended producer responsibility, a UK business supplying or importing more than 25 tonnes of packaging a year with a turnover of £1 million or more.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in the UK?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the split between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product and keeps the documents behind each one ready. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in the UK and what your paperwork needs to show.

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