Product Regulation and Metrology Bill Receives Royal Assent
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 reforms the UK's post-Brexit product safety, metrology, and consumer protection frameworks.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 (the "Act") entered into force on 21 July 2025 in the UK (with exceptions for specific amendments to the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and the Weights and Measures Act 1985). The Act serves as a primary enabling law, laying down overarching principles for product regulations and metrology, and empowering the Secretary of State to establish substantive measures through secondary legislation (regulations), which are expected to be introduced progressively.
Key Features of the Act
- Definition and Scope of Products: While the Act defines a product as a tangible item, it explicitly allows product regulations to include requirements for intangible components such as software. The Act excludes food, plant protection products, medicines, medical devices, aircraft, and military equipment from the scope (Schedule of the Act).
- Products Presenting a Risk: The Act clarifies that a product may be considered as presenting a risk, not only if it endangers human health or safety, but also when it endangers property (including the operability of other products), or health or safety of domestic animals, or causes electromagnetic disturbance.
- Online Marketplaces, Installers, and Assessment and Certification bodies: The Act empowers the Secretary of State to impose obligations on online marketplaces, installers, and assessment and certification bodies to ensure the safety and compliance of products along with other operators in the supply chain such as manufacturers, importers, distributors, and authorised representatives.
- EU Law and Environmental Impacts: The Act provides a legal basis for future UK products regulations that may potentially align with relevant EU laws, particularly relating to environmental sustainability (e.g., the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation).
- Information Sharing: The Act empowers relevant regulators to share product safety or compliance information with other enforcement bodies or emergency services (e.g., police, fire, rescue and ambulance services).
The Office for Product Safety and Standards ("OPSS") has also published a code of conduct and press release on online marketplaces outlining the expectations under the Act. For business and stakeholders, it is crucial to closely monitor the development of forthcoming secondary legislation that will set out operational product safety requirements to ensure timely compliance.
