The Product Regulation and Metrology Act has received Royal Assent. Among other things, it aims to boost powers to tackle unsafe products which are sold online. The Act includes measures to hold online marketplaces to account.
One example of the safety concerns it aims to resolve concerns fires caused by lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes. In 2024, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) received reports on 211 fires involving e-bikes or e-scooters.
Therefore, to address the sale of unsafe products, the UK government plans to introduce requirements for online marketplaces to update their responsibilities.
These are designed to create a regulatory framework where online marketplaces will be required to:
- Prevent unsafe products from being made available to consumers;
- Ensure that sellers using these platforms are compliant with product safety obligations;
- Provide relevant information to consumers; and
- To cooperate closely with regulators
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act enables the UK’s product regulation framework to be kept up to date and its power will be applied by the UK government to address safety issues as new technological developments. The government has also published a Code of Conduct clarifying how it intends to use these powers.
The government may follow the EU’s lead which has brought online marketplaces into regulation by the General Product Safety Regulation and the Digital Services Act.
