Use of Seal Guidelines - Rainforest Alliance

RAC Seal5. The Rainforest AllianceCertified SealAn increasingly recognized symbol, theRainforest Alliance Certified seal assuresconsumers that products from farms and forestsare produced using environmentally and sociallyresponsible practices.The Rainforest Alliance Certified (RAC) seal isused to label and market products from farmsand forests certified by an accredited certificationbody as meeting the rigorous, third-partystandards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network(SAN) or the Forest Stewardship Council(FSC).The RAC seal can be found in retail outlets,university campuses, corporate offices, hotelsand tourism destinations, restaurants, lumberyards, woodworking shops, catalogs, printedpublications and many other places throughoutthe world, especially in Europe, North America,Japan, Australia and Brazil.5.1 Use of the RAC SealThe RAC seal may be used on products, productUse of the Rainforest Alliance Certified SealWho uses it:Farm enterprises certifiedto Sustainable AgricultureNetwork standards. Forestproductsenterprises certifiedby the Rainforest Alliance toForest Stewardship Councilstandards. Businesses with asigned written agreement thatsell products from these certifiedfarms or forests.Where:On products, and marketingmaterials that promote products,from Rainforest Alliance Certifiedforests or farms. On certifiedforest products and promotionalmaterials the certification sealaccompaies an approved ForestStewardship Council label.packaging and on marketing and public informationmaterials that promote products bearing theseal.Product packaging includes retail packages, productlabels, lumber tags, coffee cups, fruit stickers,etc. Off-product materials include product-relatedwebsites, social media, advertisements, pressreleases, posters, and other promotional items.Businesses that source products and ingredientsfrom farms certified to the SAN standards mayuse the RAC seal to promote these products. Woodand paper products from operations certified asmeeting the standards for FSC Forest Managementcertification or FSC Chain-of-Custody certificationmay also be marketed with the RAC seal intandem with the FSC trademarks.The RAC seal should be placed prominentlyon the front of product packaging in order tomaximize visibility and consumer recognition.In many cases the RAC seal should be accompaniedby a qualifying statement or disclaimerHow:Used alone or accompaniedby a pre-approved qualifyingstatement or disclaimer. Referto Section 2 for detailed designspecifications related to use ofthe certification seal.in accordance with product-specific sourcingand labeling requirements. Use of the RAC sealrequires prior approval and a written agreementwith the Rainforest Alliance.5.2 Labeling and Marketing ProductsThe most common use of the RAC seal is onproduct labels and packaging. Businesses arestrongly encouraged to incorporate the RAC sealinto the design of retail product packaging. Fordetailed sourcing and labeling rules, and approvalprocedures for products bearing the RAC seal,refer to Section 6 (for farm products) or Section 7(for forest products).In some circumstances, stickers or stampsbearing the RAC seal may be approved for useon products. The seal may also be approved foruse on marketing materials to promote productsbearing the RAC seal.On-Product Use of Stickers and StampsWe recognize that some businesses may use thesame packaging or product labels for multipleproducts. Some products, such as lumber orcoffee bags used for multiple blends, may belabeled with a stamp or sticker. In these cases,the Rainforest Alliance may allow use of a clearsticker or stamp bearing the RAC seal in accordancewith design specifications in Section 2.Businesses may also create stickers or stampsthat include a custom qualifying statement or adisclosure of certified content and submit themfor approval. For convenience, printed stickersand other promotional materials may be orderedonline:www.rainforest-alliance.org/marketing/promotional-materialsOff-Product Marketing MaterialsThe RAC seal may be used on marketing materialsto promote products bearing the RAC seal.Prior to the launch of an agricultural productbearing the RAC seal, marketing materials mayinclude the seal no more than six months beforethe product launch date, and only after approvalhas been granted for use on packaging and/or apublic announcement has been made. This optionis not available for certified forest products.The seal may also be approved for use on businessmaterials such as annual reports for businessesto communicate that they are sourcingagricultural ingredients from Rainforest AllianceCertified farms or products from FSC certifiedforests. If applicable, such use must include aqualifying statement about the product(s) bearingthe RAC seal.Product WebsitesBusinesses with a written agreement to use theRAC seal are encouraged to incorporate the sealon their websites. When displayed on websites,the seal must be tied to the product it representsand/or the work of the Rainforest Alliance. Webpages that incorporate the seal or that refer to theRainforest Alliance must be submitted for reviewand approval.The Rainforest Alliance takes measures to supportbusinesses that are promoting products indifferent geographical regions where English isnot the primary language spoken. We offer informationthrough our website in French, German,Spanish, Swedish, and Japanese (e.g. www.rainforest-alliance.jp), as well as crop-specificinformation (such as www.rainforest-alliance.org/coffee).When providing a link to the Rainforest Alliancewebsite, please use the complete URL:rainforest-alliance.org including the dash in themiddle and the .org at the end to maximize searchengine effectiveness.Product Videos and Television AdsThe RAC seal may appear in videos and televisionads that promote products from RainforestAlliance Certified farms or forests. Prior tofilming, a script and/or storyboard must besubmitted to the Rainforest Alliance so that anyrequired edits can be discussed and agreed to inthe pre-production stage. Before a video containingthe RAC seal is released, a review copy mustbe provided to the Rainforest Alliance via e-mail,link or other electronic transmission for officialapproval.5.3 Non-Product-Related UseIn some circumstances, the RAC seal may beused in ways not related to direct labeling orpromotion of Rainforest Alliance Certifiedproducts. For example, the RAC seal may beused on non-product-specific materials such asmedia publications and corporate materials, oron paper products and packaging certified by theRainforest Alliance to FSC standards.Media PublicationsThe RAC seal may be used in publications or onmaterials that are not directly related to marketingcertified products. Such use includes:• Publications or media that describe RainforestAlliance certification and/or the meaning ofthe RAC seal, i.e. magazine articles, books,pamphlets, websites, documentary films orother documents or media• Lists of consumer labeling or certificationsystemsRAC Seal1617