# What the New GPSR Means for Hardware Companies

The General Product Safety Regulation replaced the old Product Safety Directive in December 2024, and it brings some significant changes for any company selling physical products in the EU. As a Regulation rather than a Directive, it applies identically across all 27 member states with no national transposition. This short covers the changes that matter most for hardware founders.


## Transcript

### Directive to Regulation — why it matters

In December 2024, the EU's General Product Safety Directive was replaced by the General Product Safety Regulation — and that shift from Directive to Regulation isn't just a naming change. If you sell physical products in the EU, here's what's different and what to do.

### Four key changes for hardware companies

GPSR is a Regulation, not a Directive — identical rules across all 27 member states, no national variation. It also tightens four things: stricter traceability labelling, a mandatory EU Responsible Person for non-EU manufacturers, explicit post-market surveillance duties, and online marketplaces counted as economic operators.

### What to do now

If you're non-EU, appointing an EU Responsible Person is the most urgent step — they must be in place before your product enters the market. Also review labelling against the new traceability rules and update your post-market surveillance process.

Tags: GPSR, product safety, CE marking, EU regulation, market access