UK Government Launches Consultation to Overhaul Existing Product Safety Regime

Why It Matters

The reforms tighten safety oversight for emerging technologies while shifting compliance costs toward higher‑risk items, reshaping how manufacturers and digital platforms operate in the UK market.

Key Takeaways

• New framework replaces GPSR 2005, covering all consumer and business products
• AI‑enabled and cyber‑risk assessments become mandatory for product safety
• Online marketplaces face due‑care duties and seller verification obligations
• Digital‑by‑default labelling allows QR‑code safety info, reducing physical labels
• Supply‑chain actors, including overseas sellers, gain expanded compliance responsibilities

Pulse Analysis

The United Kingdom’s decision to overhaul its product‑safety regime reflects a broader global trend of modernising legacy legislation for the digital age. By leveraging the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025, policymakers aim to create a more agile, risk‑based system that can keep pace with rapid advances in artificial intelligence, connected devices, and cross‑border e‑commerce. This shift moves away from the one‑size‑fits‑all approach of the 2005 regulations, allowing regulators to focus resources on high‑risk products while easing the burden on low‑risk items.

For manufacturers and importers, the new framework introduces mandatory safety assessments that incorporate cybersecurity and AI functionality, expanding the definition of “product safety” beyond physical hazards. Digital‑by‑default labelling, such as QR‑code disclosures, offers a streamlined way to convey safety information without costly physical labels, but it also requires robust data management and consumer‑facing interfaces. Companies will need to revise risk‑assessment methodologies, update technical documentation, and potentially appoint UK‑based “responsible persons” to satisfy the heightened scrutiny of AI‑enabled goods.

Online marketplaces and fulfilment providers face the most visible operational changes. The consultation proposes due‑care duties, seller verification, and repeat‑offender monitoring, effectively making platforms co‑responsible for unsafe items sold through their sites. Overseas sellers will be treated as producers, extending UK jurisdiction to global supply chains. Early compliance planning—such as integrating product safety data into marketplace listings and establishing clear complaint registers—will be critical to mitigate litigation risk and avoid enforcement actions once the rules are finalized.