WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS

In our work with partners, adhering to certain principles when our name or brand is used protects the brand.

Partnership agreements (with a company or a merchandising programme of a local WWF office) often include licensing of the WWF brand and trademarks. Similar to our own merchandising products, this helps us to communicate our message to a wider audience that we would not normally reach otherwise.

The licensing guidelines are an extension of the partnership guidelines. The following guidelines focus on the use of WWF trademarks on physical (e.g. on-pack) and digital (e.g. e-commerce) products.

When we associate ourselves with a product, service or campaign, we have a responsibility to protect the WWF brand and ensure that we are represented in a way that is consistent with who we are and what we are trying to achieve.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Any use of WWF trademarks by third parties must be appropriately defined within a contractual licensing agreement. A contract that includes the licensing agreement must be signed before using the guidelines on this page. Make sure you consult the Corporate Partnership Rules and Guidelines (only available for WWF staff) for the latest guidance, and contact the relevant team – corporate, public sector or fundraising – when creating merchandising or licensing the WWF trademarks locally or globally.

Key principles

Items associated with WWF need to follow the highest standards for sustainability covering environmental as well as social criteria: our credibility depends upon it – it should not be about meeting basic standards but trying wherever possible to exceed them.

Whenever our name or brand is associated with a product, service or campaign the following principles should be applied:

1. SUSTAINABILITY FIRST

Minimize the impact on the environment, generating the minimum amount of waste. Items should be built to last and adopt a circular economy approach. The sustainability credentials of the items should be highlighted. Never use our logo on single-use plastic packaging and single-use items. All items and packaging must follow WWF’s minimum sustainability criteria and guidelines on plastic packaging and products. The criteria are maintained by the WWF International Corporate Partnerships team and are constantly reviewed by internal experts. For more information, please contact the Corporate Partnerships team.

2. PROVIDING CONTEXT

Whenever we associate our brand with another brand, it is essential that we provide clear context to our audiences to explain why we have formed the partnership.

The context of the partnership must be clear to our audiences, with a partnership statement that explains the partnership aims visible at all times. Audiences must understand why WWF is on the product at a glance.
While we are flexible about where the logos and partnership statement appear, please make sure they are visible together.

More information about communicating about a partnership can be found in our partnership guidelines.

3. PURPOSE

Items must have a worthwhile purpose so make sure they are not gimmicky, with limited use. They have to be desirable in their own right; the association with the WWF brand should not be the only reason someone buys them.

4. OPTIMISTIC MESSAGING

Use friendly, inspiring and engaging imagery and messaging that fit with WWF and our mission – avoid anything that seems threatening or aggressive. More information is available on our tone of voice and photo and video guidelines.

5. ENGAGING

Design and packaging should stimulate people to think more about the planet and their environmental responsibilities. They should ideally learn something new, including facts about the environment and WWF’s work in this area. Key messages should include calls to action that enable consumers to find out more about relevant issues, and actively contribute to achieving WWF’s mission. Make sure all communications also follow WWF brand guidelines.

DOS & DON’TS

These “Dos and Don’ts” will help you develop your brand elements in licensing partnerships.

CLEAR AND VISIBLE PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT

The most important element to include is the partnership statement. It should clearly describe the partnership goals and be visible at a glance. The statement is not a marketing slogan.

The WWF logo can never appear without the partnership statement or other wording that provides clear context. You may add a URL to direct audiences to more information about the campaign, the partnership and other relevant topics.

If a page is needed on panda.org (strictly for high visibility international partnerships), please contact the Corporate Partnerships team at globalpartnerships@wwfint.org. If space is limited, the statement or URL should be prioritized over the WWF logo.

See the partnership guidelines for more information about developing a strong partnership statement.

Do

Don’t

There should be a clear and visible partnership statement to explain the goals of the partnership.

The partnership statement is not and should not be used as a marketing slogan.

Do not use vague or unclear partnership statements.

Do not alter or modify the WWF Logo in any way.

USE ON POINT-OF-SALE MATERIALS BUT NOT ON THE PRODUCT

The WWF brand can appear on promotional and point-of-sale materials but not on the product. Where the nature of the partnership does not allow in-store communication, the partnership can be communicated on secondary packaging but not on the product, unless specifically approved by the Global Partnerships Committee or, for strictly local partnerships, by your office’s Corporate Partnerships approval committee.

The WWF logo should also not be used on materials that do not follow our minimum sustainability criteria or guidelines on plastic packaging and products, or that could be perceived as unethical or pose a reputational risk for WWF.

Do

The WWF logo can appear on partner in-store communication. There is flexibility in the design elements since this appears in ‘their world’ but the partnership statement is always clearly displayed:

For every [PARTNER] x WWF item purchased between [DATE], [PARTNER] will donate [AMOUNT] to [WWF or WWF PROGRAM]. The total amount of the contribution – a minimum of [AMOUNT]– will be shared after the campaign has ended at [URL].

If space is limited, the shorter version of the statement is used: [PARTNER] is partnering with WWF to raise funds for [PROGRAM]. For more information, visit [URL].

Make sure you check local requirements and legal requirements with the appropriate team.

Don’t

The WWF logo should not appear on the product.

Do not use vague or unclear partnership statements.

Do not alter of modify the WWF logo in any way.

LOOK OUT FOR FALSE CERTIFICATION OR ENDORSEMENT

The certification scheme (such as MSC, FSC, etc.) or other relevant eco-labels should appear on the front of the product along with the product/service information. The WWF logo is not and should never be seen as a certification scheme or an endorsement of the partner. We work with partners for many different goals but we are not a certification scheme and should never be seen as such.

The WWF logo must always appear as a secondary logo, alongside the partnership statement.

They should both appear on the side or back of the product/asset/packaging/communication, not at the centre of the communication/product.

To avoid any misinterpretation, we recommend the addition of the following disclaimer: WWF does not endorse any product or service. For more information on this partnership, visit [partnership URL].

Do

Verified certification schemes and standards logos are displayed on secondary packaging or hangtags of products. There is flexibility in the design elements since this appears in ‘their world’ but it still has the partnership statement that clearly defines the scope of the partnership and includes a URL for more information on the partnership.

The WWF logo appears as a secondary logo, alongside the partnership statement, and on the side of communications.

Don’t

Do not put the WWF logo at the centre of the communication/product.

The WWF logo is not and should not be seen as an endorsement scheme.

Do not modify or alter the WWF logo.

Do not use outdated versions of the logo and or the badge. Make sure your design is clear and balanced. More information on how to use our logo and partnership badge is available.