
Why get a promotional license?
The Promotional License allows companies to use the FSC logo in your marketing and advertising efforts including printed, training and point of sale materials, social media, video, websites, reports and more. With a promotional license, you can:
- Promote specific FSC-certified products wherever they are sold (POS, website, brochures, catalogue, etc.) as long as the products being promoted are properly labelled and sourced directly from an FSC-certified supplier. This includes use of FSC trademarked assets (logo, acronym, name, tagline, etc.) in any form of marketing promotion.
- Assistance with promotional materials and campaigns. A promotional license also allows retailers to engage FSC directly for help in developing content in promotional materials and campaigns.
- Have your brand and FSC-certified product featured on ShopFSC.ca, a website that helps Canadian consumers discover a beautiful assortment of FSC-certified products. From furniture to guitars, yoga mats to shoes, toothbrushes, paper products and much more – shopFSC.ca has over 100 products to choose from – with new products being added regularly. Visit shopfsc.ca today!
- Get listed in FSC’s public global certificate database (info.fsc.org), which enables third parties of all kinds (consumers, businesses, media, etc.) to confirm that certification claims made by the trademark license holder are verified.
Who is eligible for a promotional license?
To promote finished FSC-certified products (packaged and labelled) all of the following requirements must be met:
- The products are finished and are to be sold only to final consumers;
- The products are individually labeled with the appropriate FSC Label;
- The products have been sourced directly from, and invoiced by, an FSC-certified company;
- The products are covered by the scope of that company's Chain of Custody certificate; and
- The products are not to be transformed/altered, repacked or relabeled in any way.
If you do not meet all of the requirements above e.g. if you label or manufacture products, you may need to attain an FSC certificate.
Please note that possession of a Promotional License does not allow a company to place the FSC label on a product it did not directly manufacture – this can only be done by an FSC-certified Chain of Custody company (e.g., the manufacturer). A trademark license simply allows retailers to use FSC trademarks to promote the certified products it offers to its customers.
4 steps to securing a promotional license for promotional use
Fill in an application form
Sign an application form agreeing to the terms of the License Agreement.
Provide proof that the products are FSC-certified
This can include invoices, order confirmations, purchasing orders stating the FSC products being supplied, their associated FSC claim(s) and the certificate number of the supplier. Financial information can be blacked out. Copies of suppliers FSC certificates are not sufficient.
Sign a promotional license agreement
Once we receive your application form, we will send a customized promotional license agreement.
Once the application is approved an annual administration fee will apply
Fees are calculated on a scale from $250 to $10,000 per annum based on the size of a company, see Trademark License Agreement for details. A portion of the fee is used for the ongoing monitoring of FSC trademark use by organizations operating outside the FSC system.
Contact us for more information about a promotional license:
FSC trademark use by promotional licence holders
Our trademarks include the initials FSC, the name Forest Stewardship Council, the FSC 'check-tree' logo, and the ‘Forests For All Forever’ trademarks.
Our trademarks have been designed not only to promote the work of FSC and to inspire a love for forests, but also to enhance your brand and show your customers you care. This guide shows how FSC promotional licence holders can use our globally recognised trademarks for the promotion of FSC and FSC-certified products and services.