2026 International Symposium: Full Schedule

6:30pm CEST

European Commission Networking Dinner - Open to ICPHSO & IPSW Registered Attendees. Pre-Registration Required With European Commission (Limited Availability)

Tuesday September 8, 2026 6:30pm - 10:00pm CEST

ICPHSO attendees join IPSW attendees at Concert Noble for a Cocktail and Networking Dinner, Limited space and Pre-Registration Required with the European Commission at: https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate/#/screen/pages/safetyWeek2026

Tuesday September 8, 2026 6:30pm - 10:00pm CEST

TBA

AGENDA SUBJECT TO CHANGE - CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES

Wednesday September 9, 2026 TBA

2:00pm CEST

ICPHSO Welcome and Opening

Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:10pm CEST

Speakers

Rod Freeman

Head of International Product Compliance and Product Liability, Cooley

Rod Freeman is an International Products Lawyer. He is routinely ranked as a leading product litigation lawyer in the major legal directories, where he is described as “the outstanding go-to specialist for product liability matters”, “without a shadow of a doubt the most knowledgeable... Read More →

Chris Harvey

Senior Vice President, Product Innovation & Industry Engagement, Sedgwick

Chris Harvey serves as President of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO), where he provides leadership for the organization's global mission of advancing consumer product safety through collaboration, education, and the exchange of best practices among regulators... Read More →

Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:00pm - 2:10pm CEST

2:10pm CEST

European Commission Welcome - Isabelle Pérignon, Director

Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:10pm - 2:20pm CEST

Speakers

Isabelle Pérignon

Director, European Commission

Isabelle Pérignon, a French national, is Director for ‘Consumer policy' at the European Commission since October 2023. She was for four years (2019-2023) the Deputy Head of Cabinet of the former Commissioner for Justice. Before this position, she worked as Head of Unit ‘Procedural criminal law... Read More →

Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:10pm - 2:20pm CEST

2:20pm CEST

Keynote 1

Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:20pm - 2:40pm CEST

2:40pm CEST

Plenary 1 - From Compliance to Claims: Product Safety, Enforcement and Liability Across the EU and US

Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:40pm - 3:20pm CEST

Companies operating across the EU and US face a changing product safety landscape shaped by e-commerce growth, cross-border supply chains, enforcement capacity constraints and evolving liability risks. This session will examine how EU and US authorities, businesses and experts can advance a more coherent global baseline for product safety while supporting transatlantic trade. Through practical...
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Wednesday September 9, 2026 2:40pm - 3:20pm CEST

3:20pm CEST

Networking Break & Exhibits

Wednesday September 9, 2026 3:20pm - 3:35pm CEST

3:35pm CEST

Rapid 1 - Stopping the Burn but Continuing to Heat Things Up

Wednesday September 9, 2026 3:35pm - 3:55pm CEST

This panel session seeks to demonstrate what can be achieved when stakeholders from different backgrounds and with potentially separate goals / aims partner over an extended period of time and look to continue building on earlier successes in those partnerships. Using the Energizer / Reese’s Purpose partnership as a case study, a manufacturer and consumer advocate will not only describe what it...
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Wednesday September 9, 2026 3:35pm - 3:55pm CEST

3:55pm CEST

Rapid 2 - You Think Your Products Are Safe… But Are Your Processes Ready to Prove It?

Wednesday September 9, 2026 3:55pm - 4:15pm CEST

Many product safety failures originate not in the product itself, but in the organisational processes behind it: complaints are missed, risks are not properly assessed, products cannot be traced, and corrective actions remain unclear.As product safety legislation increasingly requires businesses to establish internal product safety procedures, regulators face a growing challenge: how can they make...
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Wednesday September 9, 2026 3:55pm - 4:15pm CEST

4:15pm CEST

Plenary 2 - 18 Trillion Reasons Why the UN Principles for Consumer Product Safety Apply to Your Product: Safe & Accessible Products for All Persons

Wednesday September 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:55pm CEST

Why should access to safe products matter to you? Because the landmark UN Principles for Consumer Product Safety, expressly declare that all persons have the right to safe products, and thus, the entire supply chain is accountable to this imperative, even if in a non-signatory country. Skeptical? A few examples might pique your interest: 1.3 billion people, globally, could be your customers, a...
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Wednesday September 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:55pm CEST

4:55pm CEST

End of Day Remarks

Wednesday September 9, 2026 4:55pm - 5:00pm CEST

Speakers

Rod Freeman

Head of International Product Compliance and Product Liability, Cooley

Chris Harvey

Senior Vice President, Product Innovation & Industry Engagement, Sedgwick

Wednesday September 9, 2026 4:55pm - 5:00pm CEST

5:00pm CEST

Reception

Wednesday September 9, 2026 5:00pm - 6:30pm CEST

8:00am CEST

Breakfast & Registration

Thursday September 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am CEST

9:00am CEST

Opening Remarks

Thursday September 10, 2026 9:00am - 9:10am CEST

Speakers

Rod Freeman

Head of International Product Compliance and Product Liability, Cooley

Chris Harvey

Senior Vice President, Product Innovation & Industry Engagement, Sedgwick

Thursday September 10, 2026 9:00am - 9:10am CEST

9:10am CEST

Keynote 2

Thursday September 10, 2026 9:10am - 9:25am CEST

9:25am CEST

Plenary 3 - International Regulator Panel

Thursday September 10, 2026 9:25am - 10:10am CEST

10:10am CEST

Rapid 3 - Microplastics as a consumer product hazard

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:10am - 10:30am CEST

Microplastics is no longer just an issue for the environment. Clear evidence is emerging that release of micro and nano plastics from household and personal products is hazardous to human health. Public awareness is growing quickly, yet it is not necessarily on the consumer product sector's radar. With the prevalence of plastic, consumer product manufacturers and sellers need to review all their...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 10:10am - 10:30am CEST

10:30am CEST

Networking Break & Exhibits

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:30am - 10:50am CEST

10:50am CEST

Breakout 1 - Social Media/Gaming, Behavioral Patterns, and Risk Assessment: The Manufacturer's Obligations Under the New EU Product Liability Directive

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:30am CEST

This ICPHSO panel examines how the EU Product Liability Directive (EU 2024/2853) reshapes manufacturer obligations for digital products, including social media, gaming, and AI systems. The Directive broadens the concept of a “product” to include software and recognizes psychological and behavioral harm as relevant to defectiveness, emphasizing that warnings alone cannot render a product safe....
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Thursday September 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:30am CEST

10:50am CEST

Breakout 2 - Advancing the Baseline: What Does Good Enforcement Really Look Like?

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:30am CEST

Product safety enforcement is evolving rapidly across the globe. In the UK, proposals for a new single enforcement toolkit and novel penalty regimes signal a step-change in regulatory ambition. In the EU, moves towards centralised enforcement and tools such as the Customs Data Hub are reshaping the landscape for businesses operating across borders. Meanwhile, at a global level, important questions...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:30am CEST

10:50am CEST

Breakout 3 - New Era for E-commerce Safety in Europe- Tackling the Retailer's Challenges

Thursday September 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:30am CEST

The proposed panel will delve into safety challenges of non-food products placed on the EU market:1. How will the new EU Rapid Alert System impact manufacturers placing products onto the EU market?2. How can manufacturers comply and place safe electrical, electronic and apparel products onto the market?3. Overview of product safety regulations, standards and regulator’s expectations.4....
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Thursday September 10, 2026 10:50am - 11:30am CEST

11:35am CEST

Plenary 4 - Using AI Tools to Detect Unsafe Products Online: Emerging Approaches for Market Surveillance and Recall Effectiveness

Thursday September 10, 2026 11:35am - 12:15pm CEST

The rapid growth of e-commerce and online marketplaces has transformed the consumer product safety landscape. Unsafe and recalled products can now spread across borders rapidly, reappear online after removal, and evade traditional enforcement approaches. Regulators, researchers, and consumer organisations are increasingly exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help identify unsafe...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 11:35am - 12:15pm CEST

12:15pm CEST

Lunch, Networking & Exhibits

Thursday September 10, 2026 12:15pm - 1:45pm CEST

1:45pm CEST

Breakout 4 - Velocity, Volume, Divergence: The New Geometry of Product Safety in an Age of Global Scale

Thursday September 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm CEST

As global supply chains grow ever more complex and e-commerce enables the near-instantaneous distribution of goods across borders, the systems that we rely upon to keep consumers safe face unprecedented challenges.This panel brings together regulators and industry leaders to examine how scale simultaneously amplifies risk and creates opportunity: from data-driven risk assessment and AI-powered...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm CEST

1:45pm CEST

Breakout 5 - Online Marketplaces: Enabling e-commerce sellers to comply with EPR

Thursday September 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm CEST

Online marketplaces have an important role to play to facilitate businesses that sell their products via their platform. Providers of online marketplaces must obtain details of certain public registers and self-certification of compliance under Article 30 of the Digital Services Act Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. The Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (EU)...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm CEST

1:45pm CEST

Breakout 6 - Stop Testing at the Dock. Start at the Design Table. The Voice of Suppliers and Manufacturers: Shifting Left in Quality and Product Safety

Thursday September 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm CEST

The product safety industry has a timing problem. Most quality interventions happen too late — at finished goods inspection, at the port, or worse, after a recall. This session makes the case for a fundamental shift: embedding safety thinking earlier, at design, material sourcing, and supplier onboarding — before problems become expensive.But shifting left only works if the burden doesn't...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:25pm CEST

2:30pm CEST

Plenary 5 - Principles Without People Don’t Work

Thursday September 10, 2026 2:30pm - 3:10pm CEST

The adoption of the UN Principles for Consumer Product Safety is a landmark moment. For the first time, a global framework affirms every consumer’s right to safe, non-hazardous products, and places clear responsibility on businesses across the entire product lifecycle.But principles do not act. People do.The distance between a global safety framework and a safe product in a consumer’s hands is...
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Thursday September 10, 2026 2:30pm - 3:10pm CEST

3:10pm CEST

Networking Break & Exhibits

Thursday September 10, 2026 3:10pm - 3:30pm CEST