GPSR: Does Your Product Need a Responsible Person in the EU?

The short answer: yes, most likely. Since 13 December 2024 the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) requires that consumer products sold into the EU have a responsible economic operator established in the EU: a manufacturer, importer, authorised representative or fulfilment service provider. Without one, marketplaces must not list your product. This guide explains the role and how it fits with your service setup.

What the responsible economic operator does

• Is named, with an EU address, on the product or its packaging or accompanying documents.
• Holds the technical documentation and cooperates with market surveillance authorities.
• Acts as the contact point for product safety issues, including recalls.

What it is not

The GPSR role is a formal, legal representation for product safety. It is not the same as customer service: it does not answer your customers' calls, assess warranty claims or ship replacement devices. Serious market entrants need both, and they are provided by different specialists:

The related registrations

• WEEE / ElektroG: electrical and electronic devices need registration with the German foundation EAR before selling; marketplaces check the number.
• Packaging (VerpackG / LUCID): every seller shipping packaged goods to German consumers must register and license packaging volumes.
• Batteries: devices containing batteries trigger additional registration duties.

These registrations are one-time setups with annual maintenance. The daily work, your customers calling about a device that stopped working, is the after-sales operation, and that is where market entrants win or lose their ratings.