Product Safety

Product Safety (GPSR)

As of: September 2026

This information applies to the products we offer via preq.eu.

1. What is the GPSR?

Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988, GPSR for short, applies throughout the European Union. It replaces the former General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC) and introduces clearer requirements for the safety of consumer products — including in online distribution.

The goal of the regulation is a uniformly high level of protection for consumers: products placed on the EU market must not pose a risk under foreseeable use.

2. Our role and responsibility

We do not manufacture our products ourselves. They are produced by carefully selected production partners in Europe and Asia and placed on the market under our own brand. Pursuant to Article 9(4) GPSR, this makes us the manufacturer within the meaning of the regulation — even though physical production takes place outside our premises.

In practice, this means:

• We select our production partners with care, applying quality and safety criteria.
• We have the materials and production processes documented by the supplier.
• We check delivered products for conformity and assess safety-relevant properties.
• We accept responsibility for ensuring that safety-related notices and complaints can be addressed to us directly.

3. Safety-relevant information about our products

Our products are everyday items and unproblematic when used as intended. Nevertheless we point out the following, grouped by product group:

3.1 Labels and stickers

Risk of cuts at roll edges and sheet borders

Sticker rolls are wound on cardboard cores. Sharp edges may form at the rims where minor cuts can occur. We recommend unpacking rolls carefully and not running the liner across the edge with your finger.

Choking hazard with small labels

Labels in small formats (below approx. 30 mm edge length) are not suitable for children under three years of age. They can be swallowed or inhaled and therefore pose a choking risk. Keep small labels out of the reach of infants and toddlers.

Food contact

Not all of our adhesives and materials are approved for direct food contact. If you intend to use labels in contact with unpackaged food, please explicitly choose a material that we mark as food-grade — or contact us before ordering via the contact form. Material and migration-conformity statements per Regulation (EU) 1935/2004 are available on request.

Adhesive residue and skin sensitivity

Pressure-sensitive adhesives may cause irritation on highly sensitive skin or with prolonged direct contact. Our standard adhesives are not intended for medical or cosmetic skin application.

3.2 Plastic and chip cards

Choking and swallowing hazard for small children

Plastic cards — and in particular loose or damaged chip modules, magnetic-stripe fragments and broken card corners — can be swallowed and therefore pose a choking risk. Plastic cards do not belong in the hands of children under three years of age. Please dispose of damaged cards promptly or replace them.

Sharp edges

When delivered in sheets (prior to die-cutting) or with broken cards, sharp edges may form where minor cuts can occur. We recommend caution when unpacking card sheets and discarding damaged cards instead of continuing to use them.

REACH conformity and plasticisers

Our PVC cards comply with the applicable requirements of the REACH Regulation (EC 1907/2006) and the phthalate restrictions under EU Directive 2005/84/EC. Material conformity statements are available to customers on request. For applications involving mouth contact by small children (e.g. toy-like use), our standard cards are explicitly not certified — please contact us before such use cases.

Skin contact and allergies

Varnishes, printing inks and laminating films may, in rare cases, cause skin irritation in people with highly sensitive skin or with prolonged direct skin contact (e.g. cards worn continuously on a lanyard). If you are known to be allergic to lacquers or printing inks, we recommend consulting your physician before continuous use.

RFID/NFC cards and medical implants

Our RFID and NFC cards contain passive chip modules. They do not transmit on their own; they only respond when activated by the magnetic field of a reader. According to current knowledge, carrying a single card poses no relevant risk to medical implants (e.g. pacemakers). For safety-critical medical implants we nevertheless recommend asking your physician for an individual assessment.

Not for food contact

Our plastic cards are not intended for direct contact with unpackaged food. If you wish to use cards in a food-contact environment (e.g. ID cards in food production), please contact us in advance.

3.3 Printed matter and signs

Printed manuals, booklets and printed matter

The following applies to printed operating instructions, machine manuals and similar printed matter:

• Risk of cuts at paper edges: Freshly cut paper and cardboard edges can be sharp. When turning pages, unpacking, or handling large stacks, minor cut injuries ("paper cuts") can occur. Please handle sheets and blocks carefully.
• Small parts with ring and Wire-O binding: Manuals with spiral, ring or Wire-O binding contain metal or plastic elements that can come loose if handled improperly. They are not suitable for children under three years of age — risk of swallowing and choking. Keep bound printed matter out of the reach of infants and toddlers.
• Flammability: Paper and cardboard are flammable. Keep printed matter away from open flames, heat and ignition sources, and store it dry.
• Packaging material: The plastic film used for packaging is not a toy. Keep packaging material away from small children — risk of suffocation.
• No food contact: Printing inks and materials are not intended for direct contact with unpackaged food.

Metal, engraved and rating/name plates

The following applies to milled, engraved and etched signs made of metal or plastic:

• Sharp edges, corners and burrs: Cut and engraved signs may have sharp edges, corners or burrs. There is a risk of cuts during mounting and handling. We recommend holding signs by their flat surfaces, wearing protective gloves where necessary, and removing sharp burrs before mounting.
• Small parts and mounting hardware: Supplied fastening material (screws, plugs, adhesive pads) and small signs are not suitable for children under three years of age — risk of swallowing and choking. Keep these parts out of the reach of infants and toddlers.
• Mounting and weight: Heavy or large-format signs must be mounted professionally and securely. Inadequate fastening can cause the sign to fall and result in injury. Consider the substrate and choose suitable fastening material.
• Self-adhesive backing: On signs with an adhesive backing, the adhesives may cause irritation on sensitive skin; they are not intended for application to the skin or for food contact.
• Packaging material: Film and protective packaging are not toys — risk of suffocation for small children.

3.4 Packaging material — applies to all product groups

The plastic film we use for shipping is not a toy. Please keep packaging material away from small children — risk of suffocation.

4. Traceability (Art. 20 GPSR)

Each order receives a unique order number. You will find it on your order confirmation, your invoice and, where applicable, your delivery note. Based on this order number, we can trace the production partner, the material batch and the shipment at any time — within the statutory retention period (at least 10 years from placing the product on the market).

Please have your order number ready when contacting us with a safety-related concern.

5. What to do in case of safety concerns

If you have received a product from us that you believe poses a safety problem, please notify us without delay:

• by e-mail at kontakt@preq.eu,
• via our contact form,
• or by phone at +49 (0) 4203 832 064.

We take every report seriously, investigate it objectively and — where required — notify the competent market surveillance authorities pursuant to Article 35 GPSR (in Germany: the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)). In case of acute danger, please additionally contact the central EU alert system Safety Gate directly.

6. Complaints and recalls

If a safety problem becomes apparent after delivery, we proactively inform affected customers using the contact details we have on file. We replace the product or refund the purchase price and cover the cost of safe disposal — going beyond our statutory warranty obligations.

Should a recall become necessary, we communicate it transparently on this website and through available channels (e-mail to affected customers, press release where appropriate).

7. Manufacturer contact pursuant to Art. 9(7) GPSR

Entity responsible for placing the products on the market within the meaning of the GPSR:

PreQ GmbH
Ovelgönneweg 2
28844 Weyhe
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 4203 832 064
E-mail: kontakt@preq.eu (for safety-related notifications)
General contact: https://preq.eu/contact

Note: This information supplements our General Terms and Conditions and does not replace them. Contractual obligations remain governed by our Terms and Conditions.