Economic operator

An economic operator is any party in the supply chain that the GPSR assigns product-safety obligations to. The main roles are the manufacturer, the importer, the distributor, the authorised representative and, in some cases, the fulfilment service provider.

The obligations differ by role. Manufacturers carry the heaviest duties, including risk analysis, technical documentation, traceability and warnings. Importers verify that manufacturers have met their obligations and add their own details. Distributors act with due care, checking that required labelling and documentation are present. Authorised representatives perform defined tasks on a manufacturer’s behalf.

A single business can hold more than one role at once. For example, a PrestaShop merchant selling own-brand goods sourced from outside the EU may act as both manufacturer and importer. Identifying your role for each product line is the starting point for GPSR compliance. See the responsible person entry for the related EU-establishment requirement.