Businesses given more time to apply new product safety marking

24 Aug 2021 01:15 PM

Government confirms businesses will have an extra year to start using the new product safety marking – the UKCA marking.

• Businesses will have an extra year to start using the UKCA marking, the new product safety marking in the UK
• this applies to all goods where businesses were due to begin using the UKCA marking by the end of this year (2021)
• businesses will have more time to meet their legal obligations given the continued impact of the pandemic, providing clarity and certainty

Part of Brexit: business guidance

Businesses will have an additional year to apply new product safety markings for most products placed on the market in England, Scotland and Wales, the government yesterday announced.  

The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking allows the UK to have control over its goods regulations, maintaining the high product safety standards expected in the UK.

Recognising the impact of the pandemic on businesses, the government will extend this deadline to 1 January 2023 to apply UKCA marks for certain products to demonstrate compliance with product safety regulations, rather than 1 January 2022.

The UKCA marking replaces the product safety labelling the UK previously used while a member of the EU, such as the CE mark.

Yesterday’s announcement follows the government’s extensive and ongoing engagement with business groups and reflects the issues businesses have raised, particularly given the impact of the pandemic.   

Businesses must take action to ensure they are ready to apply UKCA marking by 1 January 2023, the final deadline.

The government will continue to engage with manufacturers to ensure they understand what they need to do to get ready, including through a new series of webinars. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has already run several webinars in the last few months and engaged extensively through trade associations.  

Notes to Editors

• the UKCA marking covers most goods which previously required the CE marking, known as ‘new approach’ goods, in addition to aerosol products that previously required the ‘reverse epsilon’ marking
• this extension means all goods which previously required the CE marking will not need to use the UKCA marking until 1 January 2023. The exception is medical devices, where businesses will not need to use the UKCA marking until 1 July 2023
• to extend the deadline, the government will introduce a statutory instrument under section 8 of the European Union Withdrawal Act later this year
• businesses have been able to use the UKCA mark since 1 January 2021 to demonstrate their conformity with product standards in England, Scotland and Wales
• under the terms of the Protocol, Northern Ireland will continue to recognise the CE marking for goods placed on the market in Northern Ireland. They will need to use the UKNI marking if they use a UK Conformity Assessment Body to test their products
• the government has published the UK Market Conformity Assessment Bodies database which businesses can use to identify the appropriate body to certify their products
• to find out what labelling requirements apply to your product, businesses should read the Product safety for businesses: A to Z of industry, guidance published by the Office for Product Safety and Standards
• businesses can also sign up to the upcoming webinar on the new regulations. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will also be running a series of further webinars in the coming months

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