UK Announces "Indefinite Extension" for Product Labeling Mandate

August 2, 2023 | The Toy Association is alerting members that the UK government is backpedaling on its UK Conformity Assessment ("UKCA") labeling requirement for products sold in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland).

Prior to this announcement, all products sold in the UK (including toys) were due to be labeled with a "UKCA" mark by the end of 2024, instead of the European Union’s “CE” mark (which is mandated for certain product categories sold in the EU).

On August 1, the UK government announced that they were “indefinitely” extending an allowance for the "CE" mark to be used by manufacturers as the basis for the “UKCA” mark. The latest news follows previously reported deadline extensions for the UKCA labeling requirement, for which the British government cited post-pandemic economic conditions, the Russian war on Ukraine, and high energy costs for the delay.

“While this is a positive development for our members, many companies have already made costly and time-consuming investments to meet the upcoming labeling requirement, which they cannot recoup,” said Jos Huxley, senior vice president of technical affairs at The Toy Association. “Additionally, there is still a lot of uncertainty and lack of clarity as to how the other UKCA requirements will be applied going forward, if at all. This is troubling and something The Toy Association will continue to monitor as there remains a significant lack of alignment between EU and UK requirements.”

Members may reach out to The Toy Association’s Jos Huxley with any questions on this topic.