Use of Seal Guidelines - Rainforest Alliance

Farm Products6.14 All Use Requires ApprovalExcept for media professionals, no one under anycircumstances may copy, reproduce or otherwiseuse the RAC seal without receiving prior writtenpermission from the Rainforest Alliance.In cases where packaging or materials bearingthe RAC seal must be printed before all sourcingand traceability can be confirmed, a ConditionalApproval may be granted. Once the pendingissues are resolved, official approval can begranted, but until pending issues are resolved,the materials bearing the seal must not be madepublic.All packaging and materials that use theRainforest Alliance name or bear the RAC sealmust be submitted for review to the RainforestAlliance. Refer to Section 2 for specific designspecifications and requirements. A checklist isprovided at the end of this section summarizingthe key points of the review. Artwork that meetsthe criteria in this list is more likely to be quicklyapproved.6.15 Approval ProceduresThe Rainforest Alliance appreciates your choiceto promote products grown on certified farms.Any business or organization wishing to marketRainforest Alliance Certified products mustfirst register with the Rainforest Alliance, sign alicense agreement, and ensure that all sourcing,manufacturing and traceability requirementshave been met.Please follow these steps to gain approval to usethe seal on all packaging and marketing materialsfor agricultural products from RainforestAlliance Certified farms:1. Register with the Rainforest Alliancethrough the Rainforest AllianceCertified Marketplace online atwww.rainforest-alliance.org/farmproducts,and click on “Register Here.” Registrationtakes just a few minutes and earns you a listingin our online directory. Once registered,you may access the online system at any timeby signing in with your User ID and password.2. Begin sourcing products or ingredientsfrom certified farms, and ensure that yourpurchasing and production meet the sourcingand manufacturing requirements outlined inthese guidelines so that your products will beeligible to bear the RAC seal.3. Sign a license agreement by clicking on“Request Artwork” online under the “Useof Seal” tab on the “Use of Seal Guidelines”page. You will be prompted to supply yourbusiness’s official legal name and legaljurisdiction to generate a license agreementwhich will be signed and e-mailed to youwithin five (5) business days. Please allowtime for your own legal representativeto review it. Then sign and e-mail back ascanned copy of the signed agreement and theRAC seal artwork will be e-mailed to you inEPS format. RAC seal artwork files are alsoavailable to registered businesses in JPG andGIF formats as needed.4. Confirm traceability by requesting a transactioncertificate from the Rainforest Allianceor your supplier of the RAC products. Thisensures that the product or ingredient you’vepurchased was actually produced by aRainforest Alliance Certified farm.5. Submit materials for approval online underthe “Use of Seal” tab on the “SubmissionStatus” page, click on “New Submission.”You will be asked a few questions about theproposed use of the seal and will be promptedto upload files with the layouts requiringapproval. Files can be uploaded in almost anyformat, up to 4 files and 20MB per submission.If you like, you may also submit drafttext prior to developing layouts by uploadingthem into Marketplace or e-mailing them tous. We will review these and provide you withcomments to help ensure accuracy before thetext is rendered into final artwork.6. Expect a response with approval or commentswithin five business days. You will receive ane-mail announcing your approval or advisingthat there are necessary adjustments tobring the artwork into compliance with theseguidelines. Visit Marketplace under the “Useof Seal” tab and select “Submission Status” tosee what changes are needed, or to check thestatus of your submission at any time. Finalartwork must be submitted to receive finalapproval.7. Within 12 months of your registration date,apply for Chain of Custody certification inorder to remain eligible to continue using theRAC seal. For more information about theChain of Custody Standard and Policy, visit:www.rainforest-alliance.org/agriculture/cocNOTE: In order to provide consistent support toall registered businesses around the world, theRainforest Alliance requests that businesses planto allow sufficient time for the review and approvalof artwork. The Rainforest Alliance makesevery effort to approve submissions that meetthe requirements outlined in this manual withinfive business days. If there is a need for edits tobring the artwork into compliance, the RainforestAlliance will work toward giving final approvalwithin 10 days of the first date of receipt of theartwork, provided that businesses are able torespond to edits and resubmit artwork within thistimeframe. For materials that are not in English,Spanish or French, please submit artwork ina format that allows the text to be copied fortranslation or provide a translation to facilitatethe review and approval of your submission.To register or submit artwork bearing the seal forreview and approval, visit the Rainforest AllianceCertified Marketplace online at:www.rainforest-alliance.org/farmproducts6.16 Contact InformationAll proposed uses of the RAC seal must be submittedto the Rainforest Alliance for prior writtenapproval. Please contact us for such requests, orwith questions regarding these guidelines.For use of the RAC seal for products grown onfarms certified to SAN standards, send an e-mail to:RAC@ra.orgRecommended Sizing Ratios of Rainforest Alliance Marks Relative to Materials or PackagingIf the shortest side of material is: Minimum height is: For Example:1.01 – 2.5 inch (26-63.5mm) Min. 3/4 inch (19mm) 200ml canned coffee2.51 – 10 inch (64mm-25.5cm) Min. 1 inch (25mm) 1 lb. coffee bag10.1 – 18 inch (26-45.5cm) Min. 1.5 inch (38mm) print ad19 – 24 inch (46-60cm) Min. 2 inch (50mm) posterover 24 inch (over 60cm) Min. 4 inch (100mm) bannerFSC Certified Paper & PackagingAs the world’s leading nonprofit FSC certifierof forestlands, the Rainforest Allianceencourages use of FSC certified paper forproduct packaging and corporate and promotionalmaterials.Printers and packaging businesses holdingFSC certificates from the Rainforest Allianceare eligible to use the RAC seal in conjunctionwith the FSC label on the materialsproduced using FSC-certified paper.There are different types of FSC labelsdepending on the content of the paper/packagingmaterial. The FSC certified businesswill apply the necessary label and claimapplicable to its product.When using the RAC seal to indicate certifiedpaper or packaging content, the FSC certifiedmaterial (e.g. Paper, Wood, Packaging)must be listed below the RAC seal as in thefollowing example. See Section 2 for detaileddesign specifications for use of the RAC seal.To learn more about sourcing FSC certifiedpaper and packaging and using these trademarks,ask your vendors or visit:rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/certificationFarm Products26 27PACKAGING