Promote with FSC
Organisations all over are starting to see value in promoting their use of these FSC-certified materials as there have been more and more consumers looking for sustainable and/or ethically sourced goods due to the increase in awareness of the importance of responsible sourcing goods and sustainable forest management.
FSC Malaysia (Trademark Service Provider)
What is an FSC Promotional Licence?
A promotional licence allows an organisation to use the FSC trademarks promotionally, but does not allow it to apply the FSC trademarks to products or sales documents.
If you want to apply an FSC label to your products yourself and/or sell them with an FSC claim, or if you are involved in the processing or transformation of FSC-certified products (e.g. manufacturing, repackaging, pack-splitting, relabelling, cutting to size or adding other forest-based components to the product) you will need FSC Chain of Custody Certification.
Who is Eligible for a Promotional Licence?
- Retailers that buy finished, FSC-labelled products and sell them on unchanged to end-users (e.g. the general public)
- Organisations that wish to promote their use of FSC-certified products in their activities e.g. a company using FSC-certified packaging for their products
- Consultants, training companies and investment organisations working within the environmental sector
- Parent or holding companies that own several FSC-certified companies or branches
*Possession of a Promotional Licence does not allow a company to place the FSC label on a product it did not directly manufacture – this can only be done by an FSC-certified Chain of Custody company (e.g., the manufacturer). A trademark licence simply allows retailers to use FSC trademarks to promote the certified products it offers to its customers.
Why Get A Promotional Licence?
The Promotional Licence allows companies to use FSC trademarks in your marketing and advertising efforts including printed, training and point of sale materials, social media, video, websites, reports and more.
With a promotional licence, you can:
- Promote specific FSC-certified products wherever they are sold (POS, website, brochures, catalogue, etc.) as long as the products being promoted are properly labelled and sourced directly from an FSC-certified supplier. This includes use of FSC trademarked assets (logo, acronym, name, tagline, etc.) in any form of marketing promotion;
- Gain access to FSC Brand Hub*;
- Get listed in FSC’s public global certificate database (FSC Search), which enables third parties of all kinds (consumers, businesses, media, etc.) to confirm that certification claims made by the trademark licence holder are verified.
*FSC Brand Hub is FSC’s one-stop platform, designed to simplify and elevate the way you use the FSC marks, marketing assets, and campaigns. With seamless access to powerful tools and resources, promoting your commitment to responsible forestry has never been easier.
Exclusively available to our authorized stakeholders and partners, the FSC Brand Hub empowers you to showcase your affiliation with FSC and amplify your impact.
As a company at the end of the supply chain, you can use FSC trademarks to:
- Inform your stakeholders that you:
- source for FSC-certified products;
- use FSC-certified products;
- sell FSC-certified products;
- sell FSC-related services;
- promote FSC-certified projects;
- invest in FSC-certified forests with verified ecosystem services, and/or
- Build awareness around the importance of responsible sourcing, sustainable forest management, and FSC, through an FSC-promotional licence programme, without having to obtain FSC-certification.
The use of FSC trademarks in such cases is limited to off-product (vs. on-product use by FSC-certificate holders), e.g. brochures, price-lists, catalogues, advertising, video content, sustainability/CSR reports, articles, corporate websites and other social media platforms, training materials, press releases, point-of-sale materials and more.
Important update: With effect from 1 September 2026, the “Forests For All Forever” trademark and its language variationswill now be reserved exclusively for use by FSC Network Partners and will no longer be available for use by Promotional Licence Holders.
Steps to Become an FSC Promotional Licence Holder
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Step 1: Start your application
Your local FSC team will determine whether the Promotional Licence Holder (PLH) programme is the best fit or whether another FSC programme is a better option.
For Malaysia, please contact us at info@my.fsc.org.
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Step 2 - Submit supporting documentation
Once your local FSC team confirms that you are a good fit for the programme, they will advise you on how to provide documentation proving that the products you wish to promote are FSC certified.
PLH applicant will have to complete the PLH Application Form (information provided must be in line with official documents) and have the Application Form and Consent Form signed by an authorised signatory.
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Step 3 - Sign the FSC Promotional Licence Agreement
Signing the promotional licence agreement and paying a service fee (where applicable) will give you access to the FSC Trademarks, a unique FSC licence code and access to FSC Brand Hub.
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Step 4 - Promote with FSC Trademarks
Once you have completed the licencing process, you’ll be free to use the FSC trademarks in your promotional materials. You will have to submit the draft artwork and promotional text to be approved by your local FSC team (Trademark Service Provider) before publishing.
FSC Promoted via E-commerce Platforms
FSC is a participant of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly programme, which makes it easier for consumers to discover and shop for more sustainable products. The products on Amazon that carry the Climate Pledge Friendly badge, signify that the products have one or more of 19 different sustainability certifications.
FSC is the only certification system focusing exclusively on forest products that Amazon has selected to feature in the program.
For detailed information on the programme qualification criteria and to start shopping for these products visit the link below, or look for the Climate Pledge Friendly badge on qualifying products.