Use of Seal Guidelines - Rainforest Alliance

Forest Products7. Labeling Requirements forRainforest Alliance CertifiedForest ProductsForest-product operations certified by theRainforest Alliance against the ForestStewardship Council Forest Managementor Chain-of-Custody standards may use theRainforest Alliance Certified seal in tandem withapplicable FSC trademarks. Rediscovered Woodcertificate holders may also use the seal but maynot use the FSC trademarks.7.1 Rainforest Alliance and the ForestStewardship CouncilThe Rainforest Alliance is one of the founders ofthe Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the mostrespected forestry standard-setter in the world.The Rainforest Alliance is an FSC-accreditedcertifier, and has certified the most hectares offorest and the greatest number of community andindigenous operations in the world.Forest-product operations that are certified tothe rigorous, third-party standards of the FSC bythe Rainforest Alliance may use the RainforestAlliance Certified (RAC) seal with applicableFSC trademarks to label and market the productsthey produce, and to promote their commitmentto responsible forestry practices. Please refer toFSC-STD-50-001 for complete requirements onuse of the FSC trademarks.displayed with the FSC trademarks, the RAC sealshould be reproduced in accordance with FSCrequirements and specifications.All packaging and materials that bear the RACseal or name, and/or the FSC label, must besubmitted to the Rainforest Alliance for approval.7.3 On-Product LabelingOn products certified to FSC standards, the RACseal should be placed prominently on the frontof the product packaging or label, along with theFSC label. Examples of on-product use includelumber, furniture, printed materials made withFSC-certified paper such as brochures, journalsand postcards, paper composite materials andproduct packaging.For product packaging and other on-productlabeling, the RAC seal should be reproduced inaccordance with FSC trademark requirements.The RAC seal should be scaled proportionally tothe FSC label (see examples on page 34). Whenthe FSC label contains multiple languages andincreases in height, the size of the seal shouldalso be increased.7.4 Off-Product Promotional UseBusinesses may use the RAC seal in conjunctionwith the FSC logo on e-mail signatures,wall plaques, annual reports, and other businessmaterials. The RAC seal must stand apart fromother logos and be accompanied by a statementthat ties it to the work of the Rainforest Alliance.For example: “We sell products which are FSCcertified by the Rainforest Alliance.”Certificate holders may use the RAC seal on businesscards in conjunction with the FSC on-productmini label only when printed on FSC certifiedpaper, per FSC-STD-50-001. FSC promotionalclaims are not permitted on business cards.7.5 Approved Qualifying StatementsBusinesses using the RAC seal with an FSC markmay increase a product’s consumer appeal byeducating consumers about the environmental, socialand economic benefits of Rainforest Alliancecertification.Businesses may propose custom statements or useone or more of the approved qualifying statementslisted on page 34.All language about the Rainforest Alliance thatis used for on-product packaging and/or promotional(off-product) materials must be reviewedand approved in writing by a Rainforest AllianceTrademark Agent.7.6 Approval ProceduresNo one under any circumstances may copy,reproduce or otherwise use the RAC seal withoutreceiving prior written permission from theRainforest Alliance.Anyone who wants to use the RAC seal to marketRainforest Alliance Certified forest products mustfirst register with the Rainforest Alliance, sign awritten agreement, and ensure that all sourcing,manufacturing and traceability requirements havebeen met through award of an FSC certificate.1. Certificate holder submits a draft of theartwork containing the RAC seal as instructedby their designated Rainforest AllianceTrademark Agent.2. The draft is reviewed according to the rulesand guidelines described in this document.a. The Rainforest Alliance makes every effortto review submissions that meet these guidelineswithin 24 hours.b. If any required elements are missing orincorrect, the certificate holder is notified bythe Rainforest Alliance Trademark Agent viae-mail (via fax or telephone if e-mail is notavailable).c. The certificate holder edits as necessaryand sends the revised material to theTrademark Agent for a second review.d. The certificate holder’s response time tothese edits will impact the turnaround time forany submissions that are not in initial compliancewith the guidelines.3. Once the material is in compliance with allof the elements required by the rules andguidelines described in this document, theRainforest Alliance Trademark Agent sendsformal approval to the certificate holder with acopy of the approved use of the RAC seal.4. The certificate holder must retain a copy ofthe documented approval and approved sealuse in their files as it may be requested by aRainforest Alliance auditor at some time in thefuture.7.7 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.Contact your regional RA-Cert representative.A list of regional offices is available online:www.rainforest-alliance.org/about/racert/contactor email trademarks@ra.orgForest Products7.2 Use of the Rainforest AllianceCertified Seal with FSC TrademarksThe RAC seal may be used in conjunction withapplicable FSC trademarks on products certifiedto the FSC standards and related promotionalmaterials, or off-product for promotion of a business’sstatus as an FSC certificate holder. WhenOff-product use of the Rainforest AllianceCertified seal may accompany the FSC promotionalpanel. Examples of off-product materialsinclude websites, advertising, press releases,brochures, catalogues, social media, posters andsome corporate materials.3233