The new Forest Stewardship Council trademark standard, FSC-STD-50-001, Requirements for use of the FSC trademarks by Certificate Holders came into effect on 1st March 2010, it will become mandatory as of 1st January 2011. Certificate Holders can choose to switch to the new standard at any time between 1st March and the end of 2010 but must comply with the new standard by 1st Jauary 2011.

On-product and off-product requirements as well as graphic rules are now integrated into a single standard (current rules are spread over three separate key documents).

The most significant change is the introduction of new trademark protection symbols and new label and logo designs, which include trademark license codes instead of certificate registration numbers.

As before, there are three main types of on-product label: FSC-100%, FSC-MIX (term replacing Mixed Sources) and FSC Recycled.

The three different Mixed Sources labels have been replaced by just one label, with the standard label title MIX and the standard claim “from responsible sources”. The claim refers to any mixture of FSC-Pure, FSC-Controlled Wood, and recycled material that is eligible for labeling under the FSC chain of custody rules.

The new labels also include the option to mention the product type within the label such as “wood”, “paper” and “packaging”, for example “wood from responsible sources”.

FSC has also introduced a standard promotional panel for use off-product and a standard mini-label design for on-product applications of the label where space is restricted.

As of 1st March 2010 existing Certificate Holders have been issued with a license code. New Certificate Holders, gaining certification after 1st March will need to sign a license agreement as part of the certification process, existing certificate holders will need to sign the agreement by the end of the year to maintain certification.

Certificate holders will be able to download customised labels, including their license code, at the Certificate Holder Portal. Examples of the new labels can be seen in the updated ‘What is FSC?’ factsheet, available to download from the factsheets section of the FSC UK document centre.

The new standard has been distributed to certificate holders via their certification bodies a list of FAQs is also available. If you are yet to receive a copy of the new standard you can download it from the FSC UK Document Centre or email FSC UK at info@fsc-uk.org to request a copy.

Tags: fsc, FSC International Policy and Standards Unit, FSC mixed sources, labels, trademark