Trademark use by certificate holders
Labelling and promoting with FSC trademarks highlights your achievements in responsible sourcing of forest-derived materials and informs consumers and clients that their purchasing choices contribute to taking care of the world’s forests. The FSC trademarks are the primary communication tools for FSC certificate holders to demonstrate that their products meet the standards set by FSC. Compliance with the FSC trademark standard is mandatory for all FSC certificate holders making use of the FSC trademarks.
Trademark approval
FSC certificate holders are granted access to the FSC Brand Hub by their FSC-accredited certification body, where the FSC trademarks can be downloaded and FSC labels featuring the certficate holder's unique FSC licence code can be generated. Certificate holders' use of the FSC trademarks must be authorised by their FSC-accredited certification body. Certificate holders must either have an approved trademark use management system in place or submit all intended uses of FSC trademarks to its certification body for approval.
Trademark standard for certificate holders
This standard is mandatory for all FSC certificate holders who are entitled to use the FSC trademarks and sets out how to use the FSC trademarks correctly. The standard covers use of the FSC trademarks on FSC certified products, use for promotion of FSC certified products, and for promotion of the company's status as an FSC certificate holder.
Version 2-1 of the FSC trademark standard for certificate holders was published on 1 October 2021 and became effective for all certificate holders on 1 January 2022.
FSC has now published an updated version of the trademark standard. The revised standard, FSC-STD-50-001 Use of the FSC® Trademarks by Certificate Holders (Version 3-0), was released alongside a new companion document, FSC-STD-50-001a Promotional Statements for Certificate Holders (Version 1-0). Both documents were officially published on 1 January 2026.
The new requirements will come into effect on 1 July 2026. To give certificate holders and other users enough time to adjust, FSC has introduced a transition period of two and a half years, running until 1 January 2029. Read more about the changes here.
Using and understanding the FSC labels
Trademark quick guide V2
This trademark quick guide was developed based on the FSC Trademark Standard 50-001 (V2-1). This guide provides the core information extracted from the trademark standard with visual examples to help trademark users communicate their commitment and achievements in a simple way. It does not, however, cover all aspects of trademark use. Therefore, should queries arise, please refer to FSC trademark standard 50-001 (V2-1) for detailed information and trademark rules in conjunction with this quick guide.
Trademark standards for certificate holders V2
Version 2-1 of the FSC trademark standard for certificate holders was published on 1 October 2021 and became effective for all certificate holders on 1 January 2022 (transition period for existing certificate holders: 1 January 2022 - 30 June 2024).
FSC has published an updated version of its trademark standard, setting out how FSC trademarks can be used by certificate holders. The revised standard, FSC-STD-50-001 Use of the FSC® Trademarks by Certificate Holders (Version 3-0), was released alongside a new companion document, FSC-STD-50-001a Promotional Statements for Certificate Holders (Version 1-0). Both documents were officially published on 1 January 2026.
The new requirements will come into effect on 1 July 2026. To give certificate holders and other users enough time to adjust, FSC has introduced a transition period of two and a half years, running until 1 January 2029. Read more about this here.
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