The Furniture Industry Research Association has released two new guides offering insight into the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) requirements for both GB and the EU. The new publications offer insight into the fundamental changes and differences to ensure that furniture manufacturers and suppliers understand and comply with the new criteria.
In December 2024, the EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU 2023/988-GPSR) replaced the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) 2001/95/EC. As a result, the GB GPSR has diverged from the EU GPSR, which imposes different obligations on companies selling products in the EU markets, including Northern Ireland.
The two guides, ‘GB General Product Safety Regulation Guide for the Furniture Industry’ and ‘EU General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) Guide for the Furniture Industry’, provide an overview of each regulation and how they relate to furniture. Topics include: the content and scope of the regulation; the products or industries to which it applies; its relationship to other existing regulations; the impact on manufacturers, producers, or distributors of furniture products; the importance of risk assessment; the relevance of product testing and the hierarchy of documentation; and who is responsible for enforcing the regulation.
Bruce Lovell, consultant at FIRA International (the service provider for the Furniture Industry Research Association) and author of the guides, comments: “As legislation diverges between the EU and GB in terms of general product safety legislation, it is important to understand the requirements and responsibilities of the different economic operators when selling into the GB and EU markets.”
The guides are available free for members to download. Non-members can purchase via FIRA’s online bookshop.
