The objective of the revision of FSC-STD-50-001 is to review and streamline the requirements for FSC trademark use by certificate holders, in order to enhance and ease the labelling and promotion of FSC-certified products. It also aims to address Motions 29 and 36, which were passed at the 2014 FSC general assembly.
FSC Mix Label Revision: Discussion Paper
A discussion paper and the first draft revised standard (FSC-STD-50-001 V2-0) are both available for public consultation. Taking the holiday season into account, we have extended the normal consultation period by two weeks to allow stakeholders enough time to provide their feedback. It opens on 16 November 2015, and closes on 31 January 2016.
The discussion paper examines two alternative models for making on-product claims with FSC labels – either by changing the FSC Mix label, or by moving to a single generic label for all on-product claims.
The draft revised standard includes the following main amendments:
- possibility for self approval of FSC trademark use
- integration of advice notes on the small and community label option (FSC-ADV-50-003) and the Forests For All Forever trademarks (FSC-ADV-50-004)
- removal of some prohibitions, including those on general promotion if no FSC sales or production have taken place for 12 months, the use of trademarks on top of documents, and trademark use on business cards
- introduction of restrictions on general promotion on invoice and delivery documents
- making labelling with minimum elements default, and labelling with full elements optional
- reducing the minimum size requirements for on-product labels.
We are also providing a crosswalk document to make reviewing the changes in the standard easier, by explaining the clause-by-clause differences between the existing standard and the revised draft.
Please note that all three documents are in English.
During the consultation period, FSC will be holding online webinars for interested stakeholders, in order to support participation and facilitate the review process. The proposed dates and registration details for the webinars are on the consultation web-page.
Provide Your Comments on the draft
To comment on the revised standard or the discussion paper, fill in the comment form – available to download on the consultation web-page – and send it by email to trademark@fsc.org.
We encourage all stakeholders to join the consultation. Your feedback will help us to shape the standard for the best results.