The standard specifies requirements for use of the FSC trademarks: on FSC-certified products, for promotion of FSC-certified products, and for promotion of the organization’s status as an FSC certificate holder.
Adherence to this standard is mandatory for all FSC certificate holders entitled to use the FSC trademarks. This standard also forms the basis for evaluation and approval of all certificate holders’ uses of FSC trademarks. Please read the revised standard – available via the ‘Downloads’ section below.
Main Changes
The main content changes implemented in the revised standard are as follows.
- Introduction of a trademark use management system as an alternative to submitting all intended uses of FSC trademarks to the certification body for approval.
- Introduction of guidance on how to describe FSC and products with FSC claims.
- Reduced size requirements for all marks.
- Greater flexibility in the placement of the FSC on-product labels and in choosing labelling elements.
- Integration into the standard of a series of advice notes and standard interpretations
We have also published a crosswalk document that compares version V1-2 with V2-0 (see below under ‘Downloads’). This document indicates whether the revised text has changed the requirement and requires an actual change by certificate holders, or whether it is just a clarification, simplification, or rewording for improved understanding.
Webinars for Stakeholders
FSC will organize four webinars between December 13 and 25 January to present the main changes in the standard to stakeholders. Please join the webinars by registering through this link.
Next Steps
The standard can only be used from 1 March 2018 – the date when it will become effective. The period between publication and effective date will provide certification bodies, certificate holders, and FSC sufficient time to prepare tools and processes to be used with the new version.
Please note that the transition period for this normative document is 12 months, starting March 1, 2018 and ending February 28, 2019.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions document below for further information on the process. If you have any other questions, please contact the FSC Trademark Support Program at trademark@fsc.org.