EU GPSR and natural pet toys: what the regulation says, and what we can supply
The EU General Product Safety Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, has applied since 13 December 2024 to non-food products placed on the European market that are not covered by specific EU product rules. It puts the duty to place only safe products on the market on the businesses that sell them, and asks for product traceability. How it applies to your pet toys is for your EU importer or compliance adviser to confirm; this page sets out what EU pages say and what we, as the factory, can provide.
- For EU importers, wholesalers and Amazon EU sellers
- Written November 2026
- About 6 minutes to read
Read this first: what we checked and what we could not
We read two official EU pages in November 2026: the EU-OSHA summary of the regulation and the Your Europe page on selling products safely. We tried to read the full legal text on EUR-Lex and the European Commission's GPSR questions and answers, and both failed to load for us. So this page does not quote individual articles, and it does not tell you exactly what must be printed on your label. Those points belong with your EU importer, your marketplace or a compliance adviser.
What the GPSR is, in the EU's own words
According to EU-OSHA, an EU agency:
- Scope. "This Regulation lays down rules to ensure the safety of non-food products placed on the European market." It applies to "all non-food products not subject to specific harmonised legal provisions", and "also partially applies to said harmonised products with regard to any aspects not covered".
- Role. "As such, it provides a “safety net”, ensuring that EU consumers are protected against any product safety risks."
- Date. "The regulation is applicable since 13 December 2024." It replaces the General Product Safety Directive of 2001.
The Your Europe portal adds the point that matters to anyone importing from Asia: "EU rules require that all products sold in the EU must be safe, regardless of where they were made."
Does it cover dog chews and pet toys?
We could not confirm this on an EU legal text. The regulation describes its area as non-food products not covered by specific EU product rules, and on our documents a natural chew is a pet toy, not food. Whether any specific EU rule also covers your product is a question for your compliance adviser. Ask them to confirm for your product range before you rely on it.
Who carries the obligations
EU-OSHA describes duties for several roles:
- Economic operators: "It is the responsibility of economic operators to place only safe products on the market."
- Manufacturers: "Manufacturers have the obligation to carry out a risk analysis and to draw up technical documentation".
- Traceability: "To ensure the traceability of a product through the supply chain, each product should carry information" identifying the product and its manufacturer or other operators.
- Problems found later: "If economic operators become aware that a product is dangerous, they must take corrective measures", and inform the authorities through the Safety Business Gateway.
- Online marketplaces: "Providers of online marketplaces have the obligation to register on Safety Gate and identify a single contact point."
When a non-EU factory sells to an EU importer, who holds which role, and whether the product needs a named business in the EU on the label, are questions in the articles we could not open. Settle them with your adviser before the first order.
What we can supply for your GPSR file
Your adviser maps out which obligations fall on whom. As the factory, here is what we can hand over or print for you:
- Product description and materials. Coffee wood, hemp, coco coir and loofah, each as its own line. No chemicals are added in production.
- Your tag inside every bag. Our standard tag is 5 × 9 cm in kraft or eco cardboard, and we print a different size to your design. Designing the tag for you is a paid service, quoted with your order.
- Barcodes. You create them; we print one per size.
- A plastic bag warning on every bag. We apply this suffocation warning to every bag: "WARNING — To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. This bag is not a toy."
- Consistent documents. The EU consignee block, with name, address, EORI and VAT number, is identical on every document. See EU export documents for pet toys.
Testing and what we do not hold
Before your adviser writes the risk analysis, be clear about what test data exists. For coffee wood we hold an SGS heavy-element test to ASTM F963-23; its scope and limits are in our SGS report explained. We have no test yet for hemp or coco coir toys. If your adviser asks for a specific test, name the substance or standard; a new test is paid by the buyer.
We do not hold FSC, BSCI or ISO certification, and we have no REACH test report. If your plan depends on any of these, tell us before you order.
On the factory floor, quality is checked in five steps, from raw material through in-process, semi-finished and final product to pre-shipment, against the sample you approved. For handmade lines such as hemp balls, sizes vary a little, so the approved sample is the reference. Our rule in the packing room: pack one sample, the buyer confirms, then we pack the rest.
Questions EU buyers ask about GPSR
When did the GPSR start to apply?
EU-OSHA states that Regulation (EU) 2023/988 has been applicable since 13 December 2024. It replaced the General Product Safety Directive of 2001.
Does the GPSR apply to dog toys?
The regulation covers non-food products not subject to specific EU product rules. We could not confirm on an EU legal text how it applies to pet toys, so ask your compliance adviser.
What must be printed on the label under GPSR?
EU-OSHA says each product should carry information for traceability. We could not read the exact article, so get the wording from your adviser and we print it on your tag.
Do you have test reports for every material?
No. We hold an SGS heavy-element test to ASTM F963-23 for coffee wood only. Hemp and coco coir toys have no test yet, and a new test is paid by the buyer.
Build your file on real samples
Start with samples: your first 3 are free, you pay the shipping. Send us your adviser's label wording and we print it on the tag.
Which documents come with every shipment: documents and testing.