GPSR comes with its own vocabulary, and a lot of it sounds more intimidating than it is. Here are the terms that matter most for online sellers — each one defined in a sentence or two. For the regulation itself, start with What is GPSR?
Economic operator
Any business in the supply chain with duties under GPSR — the manufacturer, importer, distributor, authorised representative, or (in some cases) fulfilment service provider. Each has its own responsibilities; together they must ensure a product is safe and traceable.
Responsible economic operator
The operator established in the EU who takes legal responsibility for a product's safety paperwork. A product can't be placed on the EU market without one. For non-EU manufacturers with no EU importer, this is the appointed EU Responsible Person.
EU Responsible Person
A person or company established in the EU, appointed to hold a product's safety documentation, liaise with authorities and act on safety issues. Their name and address must appear on the product. One can cover the whole EU.
Manufacturer
The business that makes a product, or has it made and markets it under its own name or trademark. The manufacturer carries the primary safety obligations and its identification must be on every product.
Importer
The business established in the EU that places a product from a third country on the EU market. An EU importer is itself a responsible economic operator, so having one usually removes the need for a separate Responsible Person.
Traceability
Being able to identify a specific product and trace it through the supply chain. In practice it means a product carries a type, batch or serial number plus a model/identifier, so a particular unit can be found and recalled.
Technical documentation
The file a manufacturer must draw up showing that a product is safe — a description of the product, the possible risks, and how they've been addressed. It must be kept available for market-surveillance authorities.
Safety Gate
The EU's rapid alert system for dangerous non-food consumer products (formerly RAPEX). National authorities publish recalls and warnings there every week; sellers are expected to monitor it for products they sell.
Safety Business Gateway
The EU portal through which businesses notify authorities of a dangerous product, an accident caused by a product, or a corrective action such as a recall.
Market surveillance authority
The national body that enforces product-safety law in each EU country. It can request documentation, order corrective actions, block products at the border, and impose penalties.
Recall
A corrective action that aims to retrieve a dangerous product already supplied to consumers. Under GPSR, recalls must offer consumers a clear remedy — repair, replacement or refund — and be communicated effectively.
GHS
The Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals — the source of the standard red-diamond hazard pictograms. Products containing certain substances must show the relevant GHS warnings.
CE marking
A conformity mark showing a product meets specific EU product directives (toys, electronics, PPE and others). It applies only to regulated categories and is separate from GPSR, which applies generally.
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
A structured digital record of a product's data, being introduced under separate EU rules (the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) and rolled out by product category. It's distinct from GPSR but part of the same direction of travel toward richer product-level data.