BHETA is lobbying the Government on the latest CE/CA product labelling legislation which has led to a ‘two-tier’ system with different rules for different categories in the home improvement and home enhancement markets. The sector within BHETA’s remit most adversely affected by this anomaly is building products.
Following Brexit, the UKCA mark was intended to be a UK specific quality mark which was mandatory on all goods sold in the UK from 2022. This requirement was delayed until 2025 following concerns about testing capacity within the UK, and the huge cost burden for dual product testing for both the UK and EU markets.
After extensive lobbying to date, The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) announced an indefinite extension to the use of CE marking for most UK products, meaning that many British firms are now able to continue the use of CE marking alongside UKCA. As building products are controlled by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) however, they remain caught by the present dual CE/CA marking status quo.
Chief Operating Officer of BHETA, Will Jones explained, “While the DBT intervention is welcome ensuring that many BHETA members, such as those selling small domestic electricals no longer face uncertainty over the regulations and can cut back on unnecessary costs freeing them up to focus on innovation and growth, it is not clear what the plans are for building products and the building engineering sector.
“The Government has not confirmed if a similar decision will be taken by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). I have therefore written to Michael Gove and the DLUHC in the strongest possible terms to encourage a level position across Government departments, particularly in relation to building products. This present uncertainty has exacerbated product availability issues, led to UK and foreign manufacturers pulling products from the UK market, diminished investment and R&D, and therefore negatively impacted jobs and the ability of the product sector to support UK construction. The costs of testing for UKCA in addition to the CE mark is also causing significant impact on costs and profits.”
