Category: European Union

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requires that businesses – including brands, importers, and manufacturers – share the cost of packaging waste disposal. In practice, this can mean that you must pay a fee to a national EPR organisation that manages this for you.

To better understand what EPR means in practice, we reached out to the Green Dot in Germany – one of the pioneers in setting up EPR for packaging in 1990. Continue reading Extended Producer Responsibility: An Essential Guide by The Green Dot

Bicycles might pose substantial risks to the consumers, in the case they contain components that are defective or are designed without taking into account the necessary safety requirements. Like most consumer products placed in the European Union, bicycles require compliance with the relevant safety standards and regulations.

In this guide, we cover the General Product Safety Directive, REACH, relevant safety standards, and more, for products such as:

• Racing bicycles
• Mountain bikes
• City bicycles
• Trekking bicycles
• Children’s bicycles

Note that in this guide we don’t cover specific regulations for e-bikes and stationary gym bikes. Continue reading Bicycle Safety Standards and Regulations in the EU: An Overview

Product testing can be applied and is often in practice compulsory when importing and manufacturing products in the European Union. In this guide, we explain lab testing requirements applicable to general consumer products, chemicals, and heavy metals, clothing and textiles, toys, electronics, medical devices, and other products. Continue reading Product Lab Testing Requirements in the European Union: An Overview

Are you planning to manufacture or import sex toys to the European Union? In this guide, we introduce sex toy safety standards and regulations, including the world’s first sex toy standard – ISO 3533. This guide also covers the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD), REACH, and other regulations.

Continue reading Sex Toy Safety Standards & Regulations in the European Union: An Overview

Many products that require the CE mark can be ‘self-certified’ in the sense that you as an importer or manufacturer can arrange testing and prepare documentation (e.g. DoC and technical file) entirely on your own. However, when it comes to some product categories – an external review of the compliance procedure, including the DoC and technical file, is required.

In this guide, we explain how this works and why an EU-type examination certificate is a central component in this process.

Continue reading EU-type Examination Certificates for Importers: A Practical Guide

The General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) requires that all products sold in the EU are generally safe to use. Hence, the GPSD can be said to apply to all product categories. However, the GPSD does reference product-specific standards – known as harmonised standards.

In this guide, we list several product categories covered by GPSD harmonised standards, and explain how the GPSD can apply even if no such standards exist for your product. Continue reading List of Products Covered by the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD)