When a customer adds a product to their cart, they shouldn’t have to think twice about whether it’s safe. That expectation, simple on the surface, requires an extraordinary amount of coordination behind the scenes—between standards organizations, regulators, testing laboratories, selling partners, manufacturers and retailers. Across 27 EU member states, each with their own enforcement bodies and interpretive frameworks, the complexity multiplies. And as the EU’s upcoming Product Act, new sectoral regulations, and the continued growth of ecommerce reshape how products reach customers across Europe, all stakeholders are leaning in—navigating these shifts through closer collaboration.
In May, Amazon hosted its inaugural Safety Day in Munich— bringing together leaders from across the product safety landscape to foster open dialogue on European product safety. Attendees included nine regulatory bodies from seven countries; brands including Hasbro, Mattel, Ravensburger, and Stihl; accredited laboratory partners such as Intertek, Eurofins, and Tentamus; the German Association of the Toy Industry (DVSI) representing 220 toy companies; and selling partners ranging from multinational distributors to family-run businesses.
Amazon’s commitment is clear: all products sold in its store must be safe, authentic, and compliant with all applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon policies. And as Rocco Braeuniger, Country Manager DACH, put it in his opening remarks: “Product safety is not something any one of us can solve alone. It requires collaboration—between brands, laboratories, selling partners, regulators, associations, and stores like Amazon.”
Thomas Winkler, Director of Trustworthy Shopping Europe, grounded the day in a personal moment—buying a stuffed bear for his daughter’s birthday. “Behind that click is a chain of trust that most parents never see,” he said. He described how a brand or manufacturer designs a toy to be safe, a regulator establishes and enforces the safety standards, a laboratory tests it against those standards, a selling partner lists it with the right compliance documentation, and Amazon ensures it meets requirements before it appears in the store.
Regulatory engagement: Building proactive collaboration
The first session of the day was a fireside chat with Caroline North, Deputy Director at the UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), exploring how the relationship between regulators and retailers is working together to stay ahead of emerging safety challenges. North described how the industry approach has matured over the past five years—moving from reactive, product-by-product enforcement to early, trust-based dialogue.
As new sales methods—from AI-powered personalization to influencer marketing—and new product categories emerge, this kind of proactive collaboration becomes essential. “It’s that two-way dialogue, a collaboration.” She emphasized that trust is built through ongoing dialogue—sharing signals early, assuming good intentions, and working together as soon as potential problems are identified.
“Knowing your product” means something different in a digital-first world
A second fireside chat with Amber Bechrouri, Director of International Public Policy at Amazon, examined the EU’s regulatory priorities for 2026 and beyond—including the upcoming Product Act, sectoral regulations for toys, detergents, and cosmetics, and the EU’s chemicals legislation review.
Bechrouri emphasized that all stakeholders ultimately share the same objective. “Whether you’re a consumer, a regulator, or a business—we all ultimately want the same thing: safe, authentic products that are used properly. By having that broad, open conversation and assuming good intentions for engagement, we will all be better.”
She highlighted how Amazon has actively participated in voluntary product safety initiatives across Europe. Amazon was a founding signatory of the European Commission’s Product Safety Pledge in 2018—a voluntary commitment that informed the General Product Safety Regulation, setting the baseline for industry obligations across Europe. Amazon renewed this commitment through the Product Safety Pledge+ in 2023 and continues to work with the European Commission as the Product Act takes shape.
But the most forward-looking part of the conversation centered on what “knowing your product” will mean as product information goes digital. With an estimated 91% of EU customers expected to have smartphones by 2030, consumers increasingly expect to access safety information, usage instructions, and compliance details directly on their devices—not buried in paper manuals or printed on packaging they may discard. The shift from physical labels to digital product information has the potential to transform how customers interact with the products they buy, putting critical safety details at their fingertips at the moment they need them most.
Safety by evidence: Independent testing as part of a layered approach
The Safety Day’s first panel welcomed accredited laboratory partners MIRTEC, Eurofins, and Intertek to share first-hand testimonials about their experience with Amazon testing services. The question at the heart of this session was one the entire industry is grappling with: how do you verify product safety at scale—across millions of products, thousands of sellers, and dozens of regulatory frameworks?
The panel explored how effective verification starts with clear principles and smart prioritization—not an attempt to test every product on the shelf. As regulations evolve and new product categories emerge—from AI-connected toys to personal care products with complex chemical compositions—lab partners emphasized the importance of meaningful, risk-based verification: identifying where the greatest safety risks lie and focusing evidence-gathering there.
Lab partners offered a nuanced perspective on AI’s role. “AI can give us that lens, and it will open us up in terms of how we think and approach things,” said Glyn from Intertek. “But right here, right now, we still need that human eye.” The consensus: AI can accelerate detection and analysis, but the judgment of experienced safety professionals remains essential.
The seller experience: Navigating compliance together
One of the day’s most candid conversations explored how product safety is shaping the business experience for selling partners in the EU—and how the narrative around compliance is shifting.
For selling partners who invest in meeting safety requirements, compliance becomes a mark of trust—a signal to customers and regulators alike that their products are safe and compliant. The challenge is making that investment accessible, not just for multinationals with dedicated regulatory teams, but for the small and medium-sized businesses that make up the majority of Amazon’s selling partner community.
Selling partners shared how they approach product safety not as a regulatory obligation, but as a core part of their brand identity. Patrick Links of Kindsgut described designing products to be inherently safe. “We founded our company when my little daughter was born. We aim to develop safe products, applying always and wherever possible, requirements for children of under 3 years also to products which are suitable for children of all age groups.”
For selling partners navigating multi-category products—where a single item may need to meet electrical, food contact, and country-specific requirements simultaneously—the investment is significant. But as Christoph Bernhardt, Head of Quality Control at Deuba GmbH, put it: “It’s very complex, but at the end I’m glad that it exists. If we have those requirements, all the bad actors won’t fit into the mould. We will always want to have good products which are safe for everybody.”
What comes next
Amazon Safety Day 2026 marked an important moment for cross-industry dialogue on product safety in Europe. The conversations that began in Munich will continue across the industry—and Amazon is committed to keeping the door open.
Product safety is one part of Amazon’s broader commitment to creating the most trustworthy shopping experience. Read the 2025 Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report to learn more about how Amazon is working to protect customers, brands, and selling partners.