Knowledge hub
Common questions, direct answers.
Plain-English Q&A on the eight EU regulations Regonance covers — GPSR, DPP under ESPR, EmpCo, PPWR, EPR, CE marking, Right to Repair and REACH/SVHC — plus the roles that sit alongside them. Each answer leads with the direct answer, then the EU citation.
By audience
3 / 3 tracks
For sellers and brands
Ecommerce sellers and DTC brands placing physical consumer products on the EU market — directly or via Amazon EU, Shopify, Etsy, Otto, Bol.com and other marketplaces.
- → What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)? The EU's per-country register/report/pay regime, in plain English
- → EU Responsible Person (EU RP): who needs one, what they actually do, and how to designate one
- → GPSR for Shopify sellers: the Article 19 block, the EU Responsible Person, and what changes for every EU-shipping store
- → What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)? The EU's per-SKU data record, in plain English
- → What is GPSR? A plain-English overview
For agencies and consultancies
Compliance consultancies, fulfilment partners and digital agencies running EU regulation work across a portfolio of client brands.
- → What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)? The EU's per-country register/report/pay regime, in plain English
- → What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)? The EU's per-SKU data record, in plain English
- → What is GPSR? A plain-English overview
- → What is REACH SVHC? The 0.1% w/w per-article threshold and Article 33 communication duty, in plain English
- → What is CE marking? The EU self-declaration that lets you place a product on the market
For non-EU sellers shipping into the EU
US, UK, CN and other non-EU sellers that need an EU Responsible Person, an Authorised Representative, and a per-country EPR footprint before the first parcel ships.
By regulation
10 modules
GPSR
View all →The EU General Product Safety Regulation — what it is, who it affects, and how to prepare.
What is GPSR? A plain-English overview
The EU General Product Safety Regulation has been enforceable since 13 December 2024. Here is what it actually changes for online sellers — the obligations, the dates, and the practical baseline.
Seller responsibilities under GPSR
GPSR assigns specific duties to manufacturers, importers, distributors and fulfilment providers. This guide maps the obligations to the role you actually play — and what 'documented' means when an authority asks.
Required product information under GPSR
GPSR Article 19 lists the information online sellers must surface before checkout — manufacturer details, Responsible Person, identifiers, warnings, safe-use instructions. Here is what each field really means in practice.
GPSR for online marketplaces
GPSR Article 22 layers product-safety duties on top of the Digital Services Act. Here is what online marketplaces must now do, and what sellers should expect from the platforms they list on.
Digital Product Passports
View all →How DPPs will reshape product transparency and traceability across the EU.
What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)? The EU's per-SKU data record, in plain English
The Digital Product Passport is the structured digital record the EU is rolling out under ESPR — batteries first (Feb 2027), textiles next, then most physical product categories through 2030. Here's what it actually contains, who has to issue one, and what to do this quarter.
DPP for textiles: what sellers should track now
The Digital Product Passport lands on textiles before most other categories. Here is what fashion and apparel sellers should be capturing in 2026 to be ready.
DPP and product traceability: the supply-chain data work the passport actually demands
The Digital Product Passport is a traceability instrument before it is a consumer-facing artefact. Here's the data chain — identifier, components, suppliers, substances, country of origin, evidence — that any DPP under ESPR or the Batteries Regulation will demand, and how to start capturing it now.
Ecommerce Compliance
View all →Marketplace-specific requirements for Amazon EU, Shopify, Etsy and beyond.
GPSR for Shopify sellers: the Article 19 block, the EU Responsible Person, and what changes for every EU-shipping store
Shopify is not a marketplace under GPSR Article 22 — which makes the seller, not the platform, responsible for Article 19 compliance on every listing. Here is the exact listing block, the EU Responsible Person requirement, the theme-template change, and the per-region catalogue audit every Shopify store needs to run for the EU 27.
GPSR on Amazon EU: the Manufacturer Contact attribute, the EU Responsible Person field, and how Seller Central enforces Article 22
Amazon is the EU's largest GPSR enforcer. The Manufacturer Contact and Responsible Person attributes in Seller Central are mandatory on covered listings since 13 December 2024, and Amazon delists non-compliant ASINs automatically. Here is what each field expects, the per-marketplace differences, and the audit every Amazon EU seller needs to run this quarter.
GPSR for Etsy sellers: handmade is not exempt, the Responsible Person field, and what changes for makers shipping into the EU
Etsy is a marketplace under GPSR Article 22, and 'handmade' carries no exemption from the General Product Safety Regulation. Since 13 December 2024, every Etsy listing shipped into the EU 27 must carry manufacturer, Responsible Person, and warnings — and Etsy delists listings missing them. Here is what an Etsy shop actually needs to do.
Ecommerce compliance readiness: the per-SKU, per-regime readiness framework for EU-shipping catalogues in 2026
EU compliance is not a single 'are we compliant?' verdict — it is a per-SKU, per-regime readiness state across GPSR, EU RP, EPR, PPWR, EmpCo and DPP. Here is the five-layer framework, the per-SKU score that drives prioritisation, and the catalogue-audit pattern that turns a regulatory backlog into a shippable engineering ticket list.
EU Responsible Person
View all →Why non-EU sellers need an EU-based contact and how the role works.
EU Responsible Person (EU RP): who needs one, what they actually do, and how to designate one
An EU Responsible Person is the EU-established economic operator that authorities can reach when a non-EU brand sells into the Union. Since 13 December 2024, every covered consumer product placed on the EU market must have one named on the listing, the product, or the packaging. Here is what the role does, who needs it, and what to put in place this quarter.
Non-EU seller obligations: the actual EU compliance stack for brands shipping into the Union from outside
If you sell physical consumer products into the EU from outside it, six regimes attach to every order: GPSR, EU Responsible Person, EPR, PPWR, EmpCo, and (from 2027 onwards) DPP. Here is the full obligation stack, the deadlines that are already live, and the operational checklist for 2026.
EmpCo (Green Claims)
View all →Empowering Consumers Directive (EU) 2024/825 — banned green claims, substantiation rules and what they mean for marketing copy.
What is EmpCo? The EU's anti-greenwashing law, in plain English
EmpCo — Directive (EU) 2024/825 — is the live EU law banning vague eco-claims, offset-based 'carbon neutral' product claims and unverified sustainability labels. Enforcement starts 27 September 2026. Here's what it actually does.
Banned green claims under EmpCo: the six practices to remove from your marketing
Under Directive (EU) 2024/825, six specific marketing practices are banned outright across the EU 27 from 27 September 2026 — no balancing test, no defence. Here are the six, with concrete before/after examples.
EmpCo for fashion and textile brands: the highest-risk sector, mapped to the six bans
Fashion is the most-scrutinised sector under EmpCo. Generic 'sustainable' collections, offset-based 'climate neutral' garments, and self-made eco-badges are squarely in the banned set. Here's the sector-specific playbook for 2026.
PPWR (Packaging)
View all →Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — minimisation, recyclability, recycled content and labelling obligations.
What is PPWR? The EU's directly-applicable packaging law, in plain English
PPWR — Regulation (EU) 2025/40 — is the EU's new packaging law. Same text in all 27 member states. General application starts 12 August 2026, with tightening milestones through 2038. Here's what it actually does.
PPWR packaging requirements: the seven checks every EU seller must pass
PPWR (Regulation (EU) 2025/40) imposes seven concrete packaging requirements that phase in between 12 August 2026 and 2038. This guide walks each check with what is enforceable now versus what to capture for upcoming milestones.
PPWR for e-commerce sellers: the parcel, the marketplace, and what changes 12 August 2026
PPWR explicitly covers e-commerce packaging and names online marketplaces as responsible actors. From 12 August 2026, the shipping box, mailer and polybag are in scope — and listing-level enforcement is the sharpest stick. Here's the practical guide.
EPR (Producer Responsibility)
View all →Extended Producer Responsibility — per-country, per-stream registration, reporting and fee obligations for packaging, WEEE and batteries.
What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)? The EU's per-country register/report/pay regime, in plain English
EPR makes the company placing a product on the market financially responsible for its post-consumer stage. It runs per-country and per-stream — packaging, WEEE, batteries, textiles — with marketplace delisting now the sharpest enforcement lever. Here's what it actually is.
EPR registration by country: the EU 27 register/report/pay map sellers actually need
EPR is implemented per member state — LUCID, ADEME, CONAI, Verpact and 24 others. Here's how the national registers work for packaging, WEEE, batteries and textiles, what PPWR Art. 44 changes from 12 August 2026, and where non-EU sellers need an Authorised Representative.
EPR for online sellers: how marketplaces enforce it, and what gets your listings delisted
For e-commerce sellers, the sharpest EPR risk in 2026 isn't national fines — it's marketplace delisting under the Digital Services Act. Here's how Amazon EU, Otto, Bol.com and others enforce EPR, what pay-on-behalf actually costs, and how to pre-empt suspension.
CE marking
View all →CE marking under the Toy Safety, LVD, EMC, RED, PPE and Machinery directives — what the mark actually attests and what the technical file and Declaration of Conformity must contain.
Right to Repair
View all →Directive (EU) 2024/1799 — European Repair Information Form, indicative repair prices, spare-parts obligation and the 12-month warranty extension on repair. Apply by 31 July 2026.
REACH / SVHC
View all →Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 — the 0.1% w/w per-article SVHC threshold, Article 33 B2B and consumer communications, SCIP notifications and Candidate-List rechecks.
AI-assisted informational guidance. Not legal advice.