As the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is being updated, companies must have a more structured way of handling their product due diligence. Delogue recently hosted a highly insightful webinar with ESG expert Anja Padget, alongside industry experts Anna Österdahl, Sustainability Lead at Les Deux, and Anja Heyckendorf, CSR Manager at Magasin du Nord. The session explored the critical aspects of GPSR compliance, focusing on risk assessments - one of the regulation's most crucial components. With the deadline quickly approaching, this webinar provided essential guidance on how companies can prepare and ensure they meet the new standards before the December 13th, 2024, deadline.

What is the GPSR?

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is a key piece of legislation that applies to all consumer products made available on the EU market after the 13th of December 2024. Its main goal is to ensure that products placed on the market are safe for consumers to use.

Anja Padget started the webinar by explaining the core of the regulation: “The general aspect of it is that it requires companies to document the safety of their products. This means they must conduct internal risk analyses and assessments, and then address any risks that are identified.” This means, that the GPSR mandates that companies take a proactive approach to product safety by identifying potential risks and addressing them before the product reaches the consumer.

While the GPSR covers all consumer products, it differs from existing textile-specific legislations. Anja Padget pointed out, “There is actually a textile legislation already which covers labelling, but there is no legislation for textiles when it comes to product safety.” This means that while textiles are subject to certain labelling requirements, they do not yet have a dedicated safety regulation like the GPSR. The GPSR addresses this gap by requiring brands to establish internal processes to thoroughly assess the safety risks of all consumer products, and ensure these risks are effectively managed before the products are brought to market.

Who has to Comply?

The GPSR applies to all companies that sell consumer products within the European Union, but the term “manufacturer” can sometimes be confusing. This is something Anja Padget explained during the webinar, “What is a manufacturer? Who is that? Do we then have to inform the actual manufacturer. This is not the case! The manufacturer is the one that takes full responsibility for the product that is placed on the EU market.” 

In the context of the GPSR, the term "manufacturer" refers to the company that markets the product under its name in the EU market. This means that in most cases, the brand behind the product is considered the manufacturer, even if they don't produce the product themselves. In some cases, the manufacturer could also be the importing brand or even the retailer selling the product, if they are the ones introducing it to the EU market. Essentially, any company that brings a product into the EU and markets it for consumer use has a responsibility to ensure that the product meets GPSR safety standards.

The GPSR set up in Delogue

In Collaboration with Anja Heyckendorf and Anna Österdahl

Prior to the webinar, Anja Heyckendorf from Magasin du Nord and Anna Österdahl from Les Deux shared insights from their everyday work and how they currently conduct product risk assessments. Their real-world experiences helped shape a structured, six-step process for managing product safety. By understanding their current practices and challenges, Delogue was able to create a solution tailored to the fashion industry’s needs, enabling brands to conduct thorough risk assessments and ensure compliance with the GPSR in the most efficient way possible.

Product Safety Factors 

When conducting product risk assessments, there are several key factors to consider, such as order quantity, main items, trims, supplier country, and treatment methods. Each of these elements plays a critical role in ensuring product safety and compliance.

As Anja Padget noted, “Is this a product that we distribute widely on the market? Then it would be a good risk assessment to maybe test this product.” For products with a large market presence, thorough testing is essential to identify potential safety risks before they reach consumers.

In this conversation Anna Österdahl highlighted the importance of working closely with suppliers, stating,

Working with reliable suppliers ensures consistent quality and safety, reducing the risk of issues arising from unverified sources.

By considering these factors in their risk assessments, brands can create safer products and more responsible processes, ultimately aligning with the GPSR while improving supply chain transparency and sustainability.

The Role of Technology in Risk Assessments

Technology plays a crucial role in managing risk assessments, especially when it comes to keeping data structured and easily accessible. As Anja Heyckendorf explained, “It’s very important that I have the whole process documentation. And what was my outcome of my risk assessment, and that I have it connected to the product.” This ensures that all relevant information is directly linked to the product, making it easy to retrieve during inspections or audits, without having to search through multiple sources.

Anna Österdahl also emphasised the importance of having centralised data: “Everything can be found, all the information about the product. So that’s why it’s definitely a strength that it is in the platform and always the most updated version.” With all the information available in one place, brands can easily track product safety and risk assessments in real time, ensuring that they are always in line with the most current data.

By centralising product data, Delogue not only simplifies the risk assessment process but also enhances transparency, helping brands stay organised and compliant with regulations like the GPSR.

Preparing for GPSR: The Path Forward

Looking ahead, both Anja Heyckendorf and Anna Österdahl emphasised that implementing GPSR compliance isn’t about starting from scratch - it’s about structuring and documenting what they are already doing. As Anna Österdahl shared, “With the GPSR, it’s just about implementing it into the already existing system.” For many brands, the key challenge is not creating new processes but ensuring that their current risk assessments are organised and properly documented to meet the regulatory requirements.

Anja Heyckendorf echoed this sentiment, explaining how the structured approach in Delogue’s platform helps ensure thoroughness:

By integrating the GPSR requirements into their existing processes, brands like Magasin du Nord and Les Deux can ensure that their product safety efforts are streamlined, compliant, and fully traceable.

Both experts emphasised that the goal is to maintain the efficiency of their current operations while ensuring that all risk assessments are properly recorded and aligned with the new regulation. This approach allows brands to stay agile while meeting the GPSR’s documentation and compliance demands.

Did you miss the webinar GPSR Countdown? Don't worry, we recorded it for you!