How-to Guide

How to Get Approval to Use Rainforest Alliance Trademarks

Filed Under: Marketing sustainability  |  Tagged:

As an organization working with the Rainforest Alliance, you have the opportunity to promote your sustainability commitments by using and promoting our seal on your products. All public use of Rainforest Alliance trademarks requires approval prior to printing and publication. This applies to product packaging, promotional materials, or other communications related to Rainforest Alliance Certified products. This also applies to communications materials relating to collaboration with or support for the Rainforest Alliance, whether for B2B or B2C audiences. Approval is not required for trademarks use on B2B material that is exclusively shared in a commercial relationship (and therefore not publicly accessible), e.g., bulk packaging sold from one manufacturer to another, or a coffee bag sold between traders.

Pre-conditions for trademarks use  

Organizations wanting to use one of our trademarks for product labeling and/or promotional materials for both B2C and B2B audiences, shall: 

  1. be covered by a valid License Agreement 2020 (LA 2020) either through their own LA or as a sublicensee to another company’s LA; and 
  2. meet the applicable compliance requirements to their supply chains (traceability, Chain of Custody, etc.). For organizations that are part of the new Rainforest Alliance Certification Program, a valid certificate and a license to trade are required to be able to use the Rainforest Alliance trademarks; and 
  3. receive full approval via our portals before using our trademarks publicly on any material. 

Third-party agencies that are requesting approval on behalf of another organization, such as design agencies are exempted from pre-conditions 1 and 2.  

Approval needs to be requested through our online labeling platform. There are different procedures that need to be followed to submit your trademark requests on the online labeling platform.  

Online Labeling Platform 

As we transition to the new Rainforest Alliance Certification Program (2020), several older systems (both Rainforest Alliance and UTZ) are being consolidated. During this time, different portals are used, and there are different ways to access the labeling approval system. Please bear in mind that at this time, your company may have several accounts with linked credentials in one system. To use the correct account, please check which scenario applies to you and follow the instructions below.  

In case of questions, please reach out to customersuccess@ra.org . 

Steps to submit your material for approval 

Trademark Used: Rainforest Alliance Certification Seal

Organizations registered for the 2020 Certification Program

  1. Sign a License Agreement or upload a signed License Agreement 
A valid License Agreement 2020 (LA 2020) is required for permission to use our trademarks. If your organization has already signed the LA 2020, the agreement still needs to be uploaded to the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP). You can find the countersigned LA 2020 in Marketplace under the “Legal” tab.
  • Log in to the RACP.
  • Click on the “Legal” tab.
  • Select your type of organization.
  • Read the information and proceed to request the LA 2020 by clicking the button “Request your legal agreement”.
  • If your company has already signed the LA 2020, please select this option and upload the LA 2020. Otherwise, please proceed with the request.
  • Select the language for the LA 2020, and optionally add other organizations to be included as a sublicensee of the license agreement.
  • Fill out the required fields and sign the agreement with the e-signature software. For guidance on how to use DocuSign, please see this video.
  • Submit the signed LA 2020 by clicking the button “Send to the Rainforest Alliance”.
  • The Rainforest Alliance will then review your submission within 2-5 business days.
  • Once the agreement is countersigned and validated, the countersigned license agreement can be downloaded from the RACP.
  1. Go to the labeling system and set up your organization profile
  • Once you logged in the RACP, click on the “Labeling & Trademarks” tab.
  • Then click on the button “Access Marketplace 2.0”.
You will be automatically redirected to Marketplace 2.0, and your credentials will be created. This step will only need to be completed the first time you access the labeling system Marketplace. Once credentials have been created you can access this system directly. When accessing Marketplace for the first time, you will need to set up your suppliers and clients. By doing this, you will be able to indicate the manufacturer or the brand owner of a specific product.
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, click on the tab “Organization Profile.”
  • Select “Suppliers & Clients” then click “New”.
  • Fill out the required fields (marked with an asterisk) and click “Save”.
This step will only need to be completed once, and any modifications will be saved.
  1. Create a trademarks request
To create the trademarks request, please follow the steps below. This process is described in more detail in the Guidance Document: Trademarks & Labeling in Marketplace 2.0.
  • Once you are logged in Marketplace 2.0, create a new brand* by clicking on “Organization Profile” in the left sidebar.
  • Select “Brands”, then click “Add Brand”. Fill out the required fields (marked with an asterisk) and click “Save”.
  • Create an output product* by clicking on “Organization Profile” in the left sidebar. Select “Output Products”, then “Product”. Fill out the required fields and click “Save”.
  • Click on “Request” to access the Approval Request form OR click on “Labeling & Trademarks” in the left sidebar. Select “Approval Requests”, and then click the “Request” button.
  • Fill out the required fields, upload your artwork, and click “Send”.
  • Rainforest Alliance staff will immediately receive your submission. We will respond within five to ten business days. You’ll receive an email when your artwork has been reviewed or approved.
*Brands only need to be created once. You need to create a new Output Products once for each new format.

Organizations registered for the 2017 Rainforest Alliance certification program

  1. Log in to Marketplace 2.0
  2. Sign a License Agreement
A valid License Agreement 2020 (LA 2020) is required for permission to use our trademarks. To use the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal, the LA 2020 needs to be signed. This process is described in more detail in the Guidance Document: Signing a License Agreement (2020 Version) on Marketplace 2.0.
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, click the “Legal Agreements” tab (left-hand side) and then on “New”.
  • Confirm/update your company’s details and select its legal entity and click “Send”. Within a few business days, you will receive an email with the license agreement to review and sign.
  • Ensure the license agreement is signed in the two areas indicated for your company’s signature and that all the fields (signer’s name, signer’s job title, date, etc.) are filled in.
  • Scan the document and follow the link in the email to return the agreement on Marketplace.
  • When on Marketplace, click “Update” and then click “Drop file or click to upload”. Upload your signed license agreement and click “Send”.
  • We’ll email you the countersigned agreement for your records. It will also be available for download on Marketplace in the Legal Agreements tab. Once validated, you’ll be eligible for approvals to use our trademarks.
  1. Create a trademark request
To create the trademarks request, please follow the steps below. This process is described in more detail in the Guidance Document: Trademarks & Labeling in Marketplace 2.0.
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, create a new brand* by clicking “Organization Profile” in the left sidebar.
  • Select “Brands”, then click “Add Brand”.
  • Fill out the required fields (marked with an asterisk) and click “Save”.
  • Create an output product* by clicking “Organization Profile” in the left sidebar. Select “Output Products”. then “Product”.
  • Fill out the required fields and click “Save”.
  • Click on “Request” to access the Approval Request form OR click on “Labeling & Trademarks” in the left sidebar. Select “Approval Requests”, and then click the “Request” button.
  • Fill out the required fields, upload your artwork, and click “Send”.
  • Rainforest Alliance staff will immediately receive your submission. We will respond within ten business days. You’ll receive an email when your artwork has been reviewed or approved.
*Brands only need to be created once. You also only need to create new Output Products once for each new format.

Organizations registered and with a valid license for the UTZ certification program 

  1. Log in to Marketplace 2.0
For cocoa and tea: For all companies registered in the Good Inside Portal, we have created an account in Marketplace 2.0 to create a trademarks request. If you don’t have access to this account, please send an email to customersuccess@ra.org. For coffee and hazelnuts: To create credentials for Marketplace 2.0:
  • Log into MultiTrace.
  • Click on the “Dashboard” tab.
  • Under the header “Actions”, click “Labeling request”.
  • You will be automatically redirected to Marketplace 2.0, and credentials are created.
This step will only need to be completed the first time you access the labeling system Marketplace. Once credentials have been created you can access this system directly.
  1. Sign a Legal Agreement
A valid License Agreement 2020 (LA 2020) is required for permission to use our trademarks. To use the Rainforest Alliance certification seal, the LA 2020 needs to be signed. This process is described in more detail in the Guidance Document: Signing a License Agreement (2020 Version) on Marketplace 2.0.
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, click the “Legal Agreements” tab (left-hand side) and then “New”.
  • Confirm/update your company’s details, select its legal entity, and then click “Send”. Within a few business days, you will receive an email with the license agreement to review and sign.
  • Ensure the license agreement is signed in the two areas indicated for your company’s signature and that all the fields (signer’s name, signer’s job title, date, etc.) are filled in.
  • Scan the document and follow the link in the email to return the agreement on Marketplace.
  • On Marketplace, click “Update” and then click “Drop file or click to upload”. Upload your signed license agreement and click “Send”.
  • We’ll email you the countersigned agreement for your records. It will also be available for download on Marketplace in the Legal Agreements tab. Once validated, you’ll be eligible for approvals to use our trademarks.
  1. Set up your company profile
When accessing Marketplace for the first time, you need to set up your suppliers and clients. By doing this, you will be able to indicate the manufacturer of a specific product.
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, click on “Organization Profile”.
  • Select “Suppliers & Clients” then click “New”.
  • Fill out the required fields (marked with an asterisk) and click “Save”.
This step will only need to be completed once, and any modifications will be saved.
  1. Create a trademark request
To create the trademark request, please follow the steps below. This process is described in more detail in the Guidance Document: Trademarks & Labeling in Marketplace 2.0.
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, create a new brand* by clicking “Organization Profile” in the left sidebar.
  • Select “Brands”, then click “Add Brand”.
  • Fill out the required fields (marked with an asterisk) and click “Save”.
  • Create an output product* by clicking “Organization Profile” in the left sidebar. Select “Output Products”, then “Product”.
  • Fill out the required fields and click “Save”.
  • Click “Request” to access the Approval Request form OR click “Labeling & Trademarks” in the left sidebar. Select “Approval Requests”, and then click the “Request” button.
  • Fill out the required fields, upload your artwork, and click “Send”.
  • Rainforest Alliance staff will immediately receive your submission. We will respond within five to ten business days. You’ll receive an email when your artwork has been reviewed or approved.
*Brands only need to be created once. You also only need to create new Output Products once for each new format.

Third party agencies such as Design Agencies 

To gain access to Marketplace as a design agency, you can ask your client to add your agency to their new Rainforest Alliance Marketplace account by following these steps: Log into Marketplace using the company’s new Rainforest Alliance account:
  • Once logged in to Marketplace 2.0, go to the “Organization Profile” tab.
  • Select “Suppliers & Clients” then click “New”.
  • Fill out the required fields (marked with an asterisk) and click “Save”.
Alternatively, we can create an account for your organization in Marketplace if you send us an email at customersuccess@ra.org containing the following information:
  • Your design agency’s details (name, full address).
  • Your contact details (full name, email address).
  • Your client’s organization details and contact information.
  • Your client’s brand(s) for which you will be uploading trademark requests.

Trademark Used: Legacy Trademarks

From January 1st, 2023, new requests for branded packaging with the legacy Rainforest Alliance trademarks (UTZ logo and legacy Rainforest Alliance Certified seal) can no longer be submitted for approval, as we are phasing out the use of these marks. More information on the phase-out of our legacy trademarks can be found on this page.

For further questions, please reach out to customersuccess@ra.org.

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