Promote with FSC

Become a Promotional Licence Holder

As awareness of the importance of sustainability increases, there is a growing trend in selecting ethical and sustainable products. As a result, many companies see value in promoting the fact that their packaging or products are FSC-certified. Consumer research shows that people trust FSC to protect forests, and that there is value in associating a brand or product with FSC.

To meet these consumer expectations, companies that are not FSC-certified but buy finished and FSC-labelled products, can use the FSC trademarks for promotion. This is where the FSC promotional licence comes into play. If a business buys finished, FSC-labelled products from an FSC-certified company and sells these products on to end users, they may apply to FSC for a promotional licence. A promotional licence enables businesses to use the FSC trademarks to promote these products without requiring certification. Similarly, organizations that use, but do not sell, FSC-certified products within their business can apply for a licence to promote this. For example, a company that reached a milestone of only using FSC-certified paper in its operations may want to promote this achievement.

The promotional licence makes it easier for sellers to convey to customers that each FSC product sold has been verified, thereby increasing trust and confidence in the seller’s credibility.

FSC can be an important part of realizing your sustainability or corporate social responsibility strategies and communicating this to consumers. Sourcing responsibly and promoting your commitment to sustainability also differentiates you from your competitors.

FSC certification provides credibility and consistency to our sustainability strategy. FSC is also a tool for us for risk management and legal compliance. For example, it helps us in being compliant with the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). At El Corte Ingles we believe that it is our responsibility to not only work with our suppliers but with the consumers as well to make them easily understand what a sustainable product is. That is why we created the movement for sustainability and FSC is one of the major certifications we are working with to make that possible.

Delia Garcia, Head of Sustainability, El Corte Inglés.

Process

Contact your local trademark service provider. This is likely the FSC office in your country or region.

Provide documentation to show that the products you wish to promote are FSC-certified. We can advise you here!

Sign a promotional licence agreement and receive access to the FSC logo and other trademarks , get your unique licence number, and full guidelines for the use of the FSC trademarks.

Promote with FSC trademarks.

Using the Trademarks

You can use your promotional licence to include the FSC trademarks in a variety of materials from brochures, point of sale materials, on websites to videos, social media and press releases. Promotional licence holders must comply with the FSC Trademark Use Guide for Promotional Licence Holders. Artwork should be designed in line with the guidelines and a draft version submitted to your trademark service provider (most likely your national or regional FSC office) for approval. The trademark service provider will provide ongoing support with further queries and approvals as necessary.

Fees

There is an annual administration fee payable by each promotional licence holder and calculated based on the characteristics of your business. Businesses of all sizes are accommodated.

Tools for promotion

All FSC promotional licence holders are granted free access to the FSC Marketing Toolkit, which contains a selection of campaign examples and materials to make promoting FSC certified products easy and convenient.

Additionally, every promotional licence holder gets access to the FSC Trademark Portal.