---
id: KB-NO-006
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/regulation/where-to-start-with-new-regulation
idioma: en
categoria: normativa
subcategoria: producto
audiencia: usuario
nivel: basico
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-NO-001, KB-NO-005]
citadoPor: [KB-NO-007, KB-NO-011]
---

# Where to start with new regulation

_The four steps that work with any of them, before knowing whether it applies to you._

**Responde a:** new regulation affects me what do i do · where to start with a new obligation · how to prepare for regulation coming into force · i do not know if this rule applies to me

New regulation arrives and the first reaction is to check whether it applies to you. That is logical and usually a pit: the texts are long, the timelines are staged and concrete answers cost money. These four steps work before you know, and none is wasted if it turns out not to apply.

## The four

1. **Find out who will know before you do** — Your trade association, your certification body or your largest customer. Almost always one of those three is already asking.
2. **Look at what information it asks for, not what it obliges** — Nearly all ask the same: composition, origin, who did what and when. That can be gathered without deciding anything.
3. **Start asking your suppliers** — It takes longest and does not depend on you. Asking early costs nothing if it later turns out unnecessary.
4. **Ask the specifics of whoever should answer** — With the first three done, that consultation is shorter, cheaper and more useful.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The order matters. Almost everyone starts at step four, paying for advice on whether it applies, and reaches step three six months later — which is when they discover their suppliers need another six to answer.

## What is never wasted

**En corto**

- Knowing what your product is made of.
- Knowing where each component comes from.
- Being able to prove when you asked for something and when it arrived.

None of the three depends on which rule ends up applying. They are useful under any of them, and they are what your customers will ask for even if no authority ever does.

> [!WARNING]
> Be wary of anyone selling you a solution for a specific rule before its timelines and scope are settled. What is certain is that you will be asked for supply-chain data; the wrapper will change.

> [!NOTE]
> This help centre cannot tell you whether a rule applies to you, and nobody who does not know your case should either. What it can do is help you arrive prepared to that conversation.

**What if I start and it does not apply?**

You will have gathered supply-chain information customers will ask for contractually anyway.

**Can I wait until everything is clear?**

You can, and it is a legitimate decision. The cost is that third-party data takes months to arrive.

**Who confirms it for me?**

Your adviser, your trade association or your certification body.

## Ejemplos

**A company pays for advice on whether new regulation applies and waits three months for the answer.**

- Meanwhile starts asking suppliers for composition and origin

→ When the answer arrives it already holds half the data, instead of starting then.

**You start by trying to understand the whole rule.**

- Starts by inventorying what information already exists

→ Less turns out to be missing than it seemed.

**The adviser is consulted with no data to hand.**

- Brings the inventory to the consultation

→ The consultation is short and specific.

**You wait for the date to arrive before starting.**

- Requests early whatever depends on third parties

→ The wait does not pile up at the end.

**Each department prepares their part separately.**

- Gathers the information in one file

→ There is one picture, not four.

**Nobody knows exactly what is missing.**

- Keeps a list of gaps with an owner

→ Progress is visible without meetings.