On September 1, 2020, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom issued guidelines on the use of the UKCA logo. From January 1, 2021, the UKCA logo will be used for products placed on the Great Britain (Great Britain, "GB", including England, Wales and Scotland, excluding Northern Ireland) market; but in order to make the market own With more time to adapt to the new requirements, the CE mark on most products will still be acceptable before January 1, 2022.
1. The relationship between the UKCA mark and the CE mark
-The UKCA mark will take effect on January 1, 2021. However, in order to allow companies time to adapt to the new requirements, the UK market (Great Britain) will accept the CE mark for products before January 1, 2022. For products that have been fully manufactured and ready to be put on the market before January 1, 2021, these products can still be sold in the UK market (Great Britain) with the CE mark before January 1, 2022.
-Products currently being sold to the UK market (Great Britain) and newly designed products that have not yet been launched need to use the UKCA logo from January 1, 2021.
-In order for the same new product to enter the EU market, it is also necessary to obtain the CE mark. The EU authorities will not accept the UKCA mark. From January 1, 2022, the UKCA mark will be a mandatory sign to enter the UK market (Great Britain) (there are exceptions for products subject to special transition deadlines).
-At present, products entering the Northern Ireland region will continue to use the CE mark or the UK (NI) mark in accordance with the special treatment agreement. It is expected that after the 2024 referendum, Northern Ireland will make new adjustments.
2. The relationship between British regulations and EU directives
At this stage, the EU directives corresponding to the British regulations are shown in Table 1. The requirements of the British regulations on product scope, standards, conformity assessment procedures, etc. are basically consistent with the EU directives. However, relevant UK regulations will be updated from time to time. For example, the No. 8 "Energy-related Product Eco-Design and Energy Information (Revision) Regulations 2019" has revised relevant terms and expressions, and added transitional clauses for exiting the European Union. ready.
Third, the scope of application of the UKCA mark
The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark is a new UK product compliance mark, applicable to the UK (England, Wales and Scotland) regional market and will cover most of the products currently regulated by the CE mark and aerosol products.
Note:
1. The UKCA mark cannot be used alone for products placed on the Northern Ireland market. Such products must be CE marked or UK (NI) marked.
2. UKCA covers medical equipment, railway intercommunication, construction products and civil explosives (see Table 2 No. 19-22), but it is subject to the control of the British official special rules.
Although the British government has given a sufficient adaptation period for most products, it still encourages companies to prepare to use the UKCA logo as soon as possible. When the product meets the following four requirements:
-Launched in the UK (England, Wales and Scotland) market
-The law requires the UKCA logo to be affixed
-Regulations require notification agencies to intervene
-The conformity assessment has been carried out by the UK Notified Body, and the conformity assessment documents have not been transferred from the UK Notified Body to the EU Recognized Notified Body before January 1, 2021
The company must use the new UKCA logo immediately after January 1, 2021. However, this does not apply to existing stock products.
Four, UKCA logo usage rules
1. Affix the UKCA logo
Before January 1, 2023, for most products (except products subject to special rules), the UKCA logo can be affixed to the product label or accompanying documents. From January 1, 2023, in most cases, the UKCA logo must be directly and permanently affixed to the product. Therefore, companies should start preparing for this.
The following general rules apply:
-The UKCA logo can only be affixed to the product by the manufacturer or its authorized representative (where permitted by law)
-When the UKCA mark is affixed, the manufacturer assumes full responsibility for whether the product meets the requirements of relevant laws and regulations
-Only the UKCA mark can be used to prove that the product complies with relevant UK laws
-Do not provide any logo or mark that may misunderstand the meaning or form of the UKCA logo to a third party
-No other signs that affect the visibility, legibility or meaning of the UKCA logo should be affixed to the product
-Unless specifically required by law, the UKCA logo shall not be affixed to the product
2. Rules for using UKCA logo images
The manufacturer must ensure:
-If the size of the logo is reduced or enlarged, the relevant proportions of the letters of the UKCA logo must be observed
-The height of the UKCA mark is at least 5 mm, unless a different minimum size is specified in the relevant regulations
-UKCA logo must be clearly visible
Five, technical document requirements
1. Record keeping
The manufacturer or its authorized representative (where permitted by law) must maintain documents proving that the product meets regulatory requirements. After the product is put on the market, it must be stored for 10 years.
The documents retained will depend on the specific regulations related to the product, but general records of the following must be kept:
-How to design and manufacture products
-How to prove that the product meets relevant requirements
-The address of the manufacturer and any storage facility
The UK market surveillance or law enforcement agencies can request this information at any time to check whether the product meets the legal requirements.
2. The UK Declaration of Conformity (UK DoC)
The UK DoC is a document that must be drafted for most compliant products with the UKCA mark.
In the document, the manufacturer or its authorized representative (where permitted by law) shall:
-A statement that the product meets the relevant statutory requirements applicable to a specific product
-Ensure that the name and address of the manufacturer (or authorized representative), as well as information about the product and conformity assessment agency (if relevant) are on the file
Manufacturers must provide UK DoC to market surveillance agencies upon request.
The information required for the declaration of conformity will be basically the same as that required for the current EU declaration of conformity, which may vary depending on the applicable regulations, but should generally include:
The name and detailed business address of the manufacturer or its authorized representative
-Product serial number, model or model identification;
-Declaration (Taking full responsibility for product compliance)
-Detailed information of the body authorized to perform conformity assessment procedures (if applicable)
-Relevant regulations that the product complies with
-The name and signature of the signatory of the UKCA DoC
-The date the statement was issued
-Supplementary information (if applicable)
In addition, the manufacturer needs to list:
-Relevant UK but not EU regulations
-Standards designated by the United Kingdom, not the standards quoted in the Official Journal of the European Union
From January 1, 2021, the substance and reference standards of the British Standards will be the same as those used in the European Union, but the prefix "BS" will be used to indicate that they are adopted by the British Standards Institute (BSI) as the British National Standards Institute standard.