UKCA marking: What happened to product environmental compliance since the United Kingdom left the European Union?
The CE marking is a mark that indicates that a product conforms to environmental, health, and safety regulations put in place by the European Union (EU). Manufacturers must affix it to a product before they may sell it within the EU.
For example, under EU RoHS, the CE marking applies to most electrical and electronic products.
In January 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) withdrew from the European Union (EU). Consequentially, the UK left the European single market, meaning it would be free to decide its own regulations surrounding trade.
Thus, the UK created its counterpart to the CE marking, called the UKCA marking, to be used specifically for products entering the UK market.
The EU will continue to use the CE marking.
On February 2nd, 2019, the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy published the UKCA guidance to clarify the new rules and aid producers in complying with the new standards.
According to official publications, the UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) marking is a new mark that can replace the CE logo on your products entering Great Britain, operating under certain conditions. It came into effect on January 1st, 2021.
Various obligations, like UK RoHS refer to UKCA.
On a side note, other product environmental requirements like UK REACH, don’t specify labeling.
It is vital to note that Great Britain includes England, Wales, and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland. Therefore, manufacturers must follow different regulations for goods introduced to the North Ireland market.
Construction products, civil explosives, rail interoperability, and medical devices may also have separate guidelines.
The CE marking can still be used in the UK as a valid equivalent to UKCA. In-scope goods include, among others, electronics, electrical equipment, toys, and aerosols.
Therefore, according to regulations, manufacturers may have both the UKCA and the CE marking affixed to the same product.
Fortunately, the assessment rules remain similar to the CE marking ones. If a third-party conformity agreement was mandatory for products marked with the CE logo, it is also the case for those with the UKCA logo. Furthermore, you can use a self-declaration of conformity under the same circumstances as the CE marking.
The rules for affixing the UKCA marking are the same as those for the CE marking.
Different products have different regulations when it comes to applying the UKCA marking. Generally, companies must place it directly on the product or its packaging. Sometimes, they may affix it to accompanying manuals.
The marking must be:
Finally, don’t forget that you must prepare a CE Declaration of Conformity for most goods that require a marking. The UKCA guidelines recommend keeping a separate Declaration for the EU and UK.
Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Enviropass.
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