GPSR Furniture Rules: Why an EU Responsible Person Is Not Optional

The EU General Product Safety Regulation has applied since 13 December 2024. For furniture sold to consumers in the EU by manufacturers established outside the Union, its practical effect is a single question that has to have a documented answer before the goods ship: who is the responsible person?

What the regulation requires

Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of 10 May 2023 on general product safety, published in the Official Journal on 23 May 2023, repeals the older Directive 2001/95/EC and applies from 13 December 2024. Its stated aim is to ensure "the health and safety of consumers and the functioning of the internal market as regards products intended for consumers." The mechanism that catches importers is the identification requirement: the regulation refers repeatedly to the duty to identify, where the manufacturer is not established in the Union, "the name, postal and electronic address of the responsible person within the meaning of Article 16(1) of this Regulation or Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020." That information has to travel with the product through importers and distributors.

Why office furniture sellers are in scope

The regulation's scope turns on products intended for consumers, so the channel matters as much as the product. Office and contract furniture sold to businesses through project channels sits differently from the same desks, task chairs, storage units and soft seating sold through retail or online marketplaces to end users. Where the consumer channel applies, the responsible person requirement and the product identification duties attach — and they attach whether or not the seller has thought about them. The regulation has already been amended since adoption; a consolidated version dated 29 May 2026 is available on EUR-Lex.

What to put in place

• Appoint and name an EU-based responsible person in writing, with a postal and electronic address you can print on labels and product pages.

• Align product labels, invoices and online listings so the same identification appears everywhere.

• Keep technical documentation and complaint records in a form your responsible person can act on, since they carry duties too.

• Re-check any marketplace listings where the manufacturer's details may have been entered inconsistently.

Sources:

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety — EUR-Lex

General information for furniture buyers, not legal advice. Scope depends on the specific product and channel; confirm with your compliance adviser.