The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (Amdea) and techUK have written to the Government about their fears that upcoming appliance legislation could mean having to scrap products currently in production.
They are specifically concerned about how the UK Government will implement its upcoming UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PTSI) regime.
The upcoming PTSI act is one of the first UK-wide product laws post-Brexit, and is set to amend the security rules for internet connected products. However, it has an enforcement date of April 29, which Amdea and techUK say is “too soon for the UK technology and appliance industries to be able to demonstrate the compliance of products already on the market”.
Both groups have reportedly called on the Government to ease the enforcement of the rules until “global systems to document compliance with the requirements can catch up”.
AMDEA and techUK take particular issue with the wording of the new PTSI act. It specifies compliance of products that are “made available” on the market, instead of products that are “placed on the market. The groups believe this is unreasonable, as products in production currently will need to demonstrate compliance in just three months’ time.
According to Amdea and techUK, the industry needs between six months to a year to ensure all products meet the requirement. They say that there is a “strong concern” that the new legislation will create an ecological concern if products currently in production will need to be scrapped if they don’t meet the new requirements.
Amdea chief executive Paul Hide said: “The Government’s approach carries the risk of forcing producers or retailers to scrap or recycle new products, which is surely contrary to our joint goals of reducing electrical waste and improving sustainability? It could also cause delays for consumers. The lack of detail on how manufacturers demonstrate compliance for products is creating further issues for our members.
“While the technology and appliance industries support stronger cyber security and indeed already meet security requirements for connected products, we need Government and the Office for Product Safety and Standards to issue an easement on the enforcement of the new compliance statement requirements for a year until there is greater clarity and the supply chains have had a chance to catch up.”