Economic operators

Importers can inherit a product-data problem long before they have a software problem

Depending on the product group and applicable legislation, importers can be among the economic operators involved in DPP obligations. The practical challenge is often obtaining reliable upstream information from a manufacturer outside the EU.

Who is responsible?

The Commission states that the primary responsibility for DPP creation and accuracy rests with the economic operators placing the product on the EU market. The exact actor and obligations depend on the applicable product legislation, so an importer should first establish its role for the specific product.

The importer preparation problem

Supplier data

Critical fields may sit with a manufacturer or component supplier that does not use the same data structure.

Evidence quality

A value in an email is not the same as a current declaration or traceable source document.

EU ownership

Someone in the EU organisation still needs to own gaps, updates, registration and lifecycle maintenance.

A practical importer checklist