The government announced that companies will have an additional year to apply the new product safety mark to most products on the markets in England, Scotland and Wales.

The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark enables the UK to control its product regulations and maintain the high product safety standards expected by the UK.

Recognizing the impact of the pandemic on businesses, the government will extend this deadline to January 1, 2023 to apply the UKCA mark to certain products to prove compliance with product safety regulations, instead of January 1, 2022 .

The UKCA mark replaces the product safety labels used by the UK as a member of the European Union, such as the CE mark.

The announcement was issued after extensive and continuous contact between the government and business groups, reflecting the issues raised by companies, especially considering the impact of the pandemic.   

Companies must take action to ensure that they are prepared to apply for the UKCA mark before January 1, 2023 (the deadline).

The government will continue to engage with manufacturers to ensure they understand what they need to do to prepare, including through a series of new webinars. The Ministry of Commerce, Energy and Industrial Strategy has organized several webinars in the past few months and has participated extensively through trade associations.