Applying new safety kitemark could cost charity retailers dear
Crippling costs will hammer charity shops if a no-deal Brexit takes place.
Industry body, the Charity Retail Association (CRA) issued the warning in a letter to Greg Clark, the business secretary, saying a potential change in safety regulations stemming from Brexit would be catastrophic for its members.
Products sold in shops must conform to EU safety ratings, currently denoted by a “CE” kitemark on goods.
The UK government has said it would replace this designation with a UKCA marking. But the CRA warns that this could have a negative impact on its members.
A statement from the CRA read: "More than 90% of the goods charity shops sell are donated by members of the public.
“Donors often acquire these items several months or years before they donate them to charity, so it is likely that for some time charity shops will continue to receive items bearing a CE marking, even after a new UK marking is introduced."
It could also mean shops that sold new goods could have a backlog of products requiring relabelling with shops facing huge costs of holding and disposing of unsellable stock because they did not have the new kitemark.
Robin Osterley, chief executive of the CRA, said: "If our members are unable to sell their donated stock in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit and changes to the system of CE marking, it will be a catastrophe for this uniquely British institution.
"The impact on the environment will also be extremely harmful. Charity shops currently keep 327,000 tonnes of textiles out of landfill by reusing or recycling them instead. If we can no longer do this, they will inevitably end up below ground."
Osterley called for a grace period before introduction of the mark.
In reference to the new safety marking, the UK government websites states: "If the UK leaves the EU without a deal you will still, in the majority of cases, be able to use the CE marking to demonstrate compliance with the legal requirements and to sell products on the UK market after 29 March 2019."
