Applying for marks:
How do I apply for the right to use the marks?
Your company must be a member of the Association for Finnish Work to be granted the permission to use a mark. You can fill in a member application at the same time as you apply for the right to use a mark. We will email you links to the applications after you have filled in the preliminary information form on our website. If necessary, we will help you fill in the application by telephone.
Who processes the applications and grants the permission to use the mark?
Member applications are processed at meetings of the Executive Committee, while mark applications are processed by mark committees. The committees consist of experts in various fields. After the processing, you will receive an email regarding the status of your application. Please send your application the week before the meeting in which you would like your application to be processed. The meeting schedule is available here.
How do I know if my company is eligible for one of the Association for Finnish Work’s marks?
You can complete the simplified mark test on our website. You can also review the mark criteria.
From where can I obtain the logos and instructions for the marks?
Once your application is approved, you will receive personal IDs to our Extranet. There, you can download the official logos for the marks in different file formats, graphic instructions, social media images, bulletin templates and other communications tips. The material bank also includes research, current campaign materials, recordings of our events as well as presentation materials.
How is the use of the marks monitored?
Each mark is granted for three years in accordance with strict criteria. Each year, the companies are obligated to notify the Association for Finnish Work about any changes in the key figures impacting the use of the mark. If necessary, we will visit the company in person to examine whether the criteria is fulfilled or not. The mark committees have the right to withdraw a mark from a company if it breaches the law and stipulations, for example, on the basis of a statement from National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira or other decision by a government authority.
The use of the mark is also largely monitored by consumers and competitors who notify the Association for Finnish Work of any misuse of a mark or a suspicion thereof. Misuse is rather rare. If you suspect any misuse, please notify us at stl@suomalainentyo.fi.
What does it cost to use the mark?
The membership consists of a fee based on the company’s total turnover as well as a right of use fee, which is 0.01% of the turnover of the products or services for which the mark is granted. The payment is EUR 97–5,900 per year, depending on the company’s turnover. Use the membership fee calculator to see what your payment would be.
Do I apply for the mark for a single product, product group, service or company?
You can apply for the Key Flag Symbol and Design from Finland marks for individual products, product groups or services. Please note that the Key Flag Symbol has separate applications for products and services. If you are applying for the Key Flag Symbol for an online shop, use the service application. The Finnish Social Enterprise Mark is applied for the entire company.
Key Flag Symbol:
What kind of a company can apply for the right to use the Key Flag Symbol?
The Key Flag Symbol is a registered organisation mark granted by the Association for Finnish Work. It can be granted to a member company of the Association for Finnish Work that has a business ID and fulfils the criteria of the mark. The Key Flag Symbol can be granted to a product manufactured in Finland or a service produced in Finland by a Finnish-owned company (including online shops).
Who grants the Key Flag Symbol?
The mark is managed and monitored by the Association for Finnish Work. The Key Flag Symbols are granted on the basis of applications, which are processed by a committee consisting of independent experts that convenes six times a year. The mark is generally granted for three years at a time; however, the committee may also grant the mark for a shorter time.
What are the criteria for granting the mark?
The Key Flag Symbol can be granted to a product manufactured in Finland or a service produced in Finland (including online shops). Furthermore, the domestic content of the product or service must be at least 50 percent. The domestic content refers to the share of Finnish costs of the product’s or service’s cost price. The calculation takes into account all production costs allocated for the product or service, such as raw materials, components and other variable and fixed costs allocated for the product.
For service companies, the company must also have a significant Finnish ownership, its management must be based in Finland, and the company headquarters must be located in Finland. If you apply for the mark for an online shop, in addition to fulfilling the service criteria, the online shop must present its payment and delivery terms clearly, the customer service and warehouse should be in Finland, and deliveries must be handled in Finland. An online store must also clearly display its privacy policy in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation.
Review all of the criteria here.
How does the company benefit from the Key Flag Symbol?
The Key Flag Symbol is a label of origin controlled by the Association for Finnish Work, and it has clear criteria. It allows your company to indicate the Finnish origin of its products and services with the help of a familiar, distinguished and trusted symbol.
An image of the Finnish flag does not guarantee the origin country of the product, as there are no clear instructions for the use of the flag, and there is no party that monitors the use of the Finnish flag in products. A misuse of the Finnish flag can be notified to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.
What are the questions on the application form?
Among other things, the application asks for the company’s basic information, questions regarding the manufacturing process of the product/product group and the purpose of use. In addition, you have to fill in a domestic content calculation as the domestic content of your product and service must be over 50%. If you are applying for the mark for a service, we will ask for a service process description as well as an account of owners and shares of ownership. Please note that products and services have separate application forms. You can access the application by filling in the preliminary information form.
How many Key Flag Symbols have been granted? Can I see a list of the products and services it has been awarded to?
Thousands of marks have been granted so far. You can see the current number as well as descriptions of the products and services it has been granted to in the Sinivalkoinenvalinta.fi search service.
For how long has the Key Flag Symbol been granted?
Originally, the Key Flag Symbol was created as a campaign symbol for Finnish products in 1965. In 1975, it became an official label of origin as it became possible to apply for the symbol for products manufactured in Finland. The Key Flag Symbol has been granted for services of Finnish-owned companies since 1995.
Why is the limit for domestic content 50% instead of 100%?
All of the necessary raw materials and partly or semi-finished goods needed in Finnish products are not manufactured or available in Finland. This is why the domestic content requirement cannot be 100%. The domestic content is calculated from the product’s cost price. This means that costs paid for by the buyer after the packaged product leaves the plant’s front door do not count towards the Finnish costs. Products with the Key Flag Symbol have had the 50% domestic content requirement since it became possible to apply for it in 1975. On average, the domestic content of all Key Flag Symbol products is 80%.
How can I calculate the domestic content of our product/service?
We have a domestic content calculation which you can use before filling in the application. You can ask for it by emailing us at stl@suomalainentyo.fi.
You can review the domestic content of a Key Flag Symbol that has already been granted from your application. The company’s mark contact person can see it in Extranet under Applications (Hakemukset).
Only one of our products has been granted the Key Flag Symbol. How do we apply for the mark for the rest of the products we manufacture?
If the products are part of the same product group or their domestic content and manufacturing process are similar with a product that has already received the mark, you can apply for the mark for the new products with an extended application. You can find it in our Extranet service under Permissions to use marks -> Extensions (Merkkien käyttöoikeudet -> Laajennukset). If the new product is significantly different from the product that has already received the mark, you must fill in a new application in Extranet.
How can I use the Key Flag Symbol?
The mark is always used in connection with the product or service for which it was granted. You can use it in, for example, product packaging, advertising, social media, catalogues and offers as well as online. If more than 75 per cent of an organisation’s turnover is created by products or services for which the Key Flag Symbol has been granted, the applicant organisation can use the Key Flag Symbol as it communicates its corporate image, for example, in image and brand advertising.
Can I apply for the Key Flag Symbol for food products? Do all of the raw materials need to be Finnish?
You can apply for the Key Flag Symbol for all products manufactured in Finland, including food products. Because the Key Flag symbol is a sign of Finnish work and not raw materials, the requirement is not that all of the raw materials must be Finnish.
However, the Key Flag Symbol must not be misleading. For food products, we encourage you to always use the Key Flag logo’s Made in Finland (Valmistettu Suomessa) text version. We also encourage companies to be transparent if their main raw material comes from outside Finland.
How can I apply for the Key Flag Symbol for Private Label products?
In general, the product’s manufacturer applies for the right to use the Key Flag Symbol in connection with the product. This is because the manufacturer is familiar with the manufacturing process as well as the matters impacting the domestic content, which will be disclosed in the application form. If the marketer/seller wants to be responsible for the right to use the Key Flag Symbol, they must contact the Head of Administration at the Association of Finnish Work. Read more about applications for Private Label products.
The Key Flag Symbol criteria mention that the committee also considers the image of Finnish origin in its decision. What does this mean?
A Key Flag Symbol product is always a product manufactured in Finland. It must also fulfil the domestic content requirement, which is at least 50% of the product’s cost price. These criteria must always be fulfilled. The image of Finnish origin is an added factor which the committee applies to its decisions on whether to grant the Key Flag Symbol. With some applications, all the other criteria for the Key Flag Symbol are met but the overall image is not Finnish. In such cases, the committee may make the decision not to grant the Key Flag Symbol.
Is it enough that the product is packaged in Finland to be granted the Key Flag Symbol?
When evaluating an application, the committee starts by examining whether there is any manufacturing, i.e. is it a process in which the raw materials’ value increases and some genuine industrial manufacturing happens. Just packaging the product is not enough to fulfil the criteria of the Key Flag Symbol.
How can I apply for the Key Flag Symbol for my online shop?
If your company is already a member of the Association for Finnish Work and:
- The company has already been granted the Key Flag Symbol for a service:
- You can apply for the Key Flag Symbol with an extended application. Log in to Extranet -> Right to use marks -> Extensions (Merkkien käyttöoikeudet -> Laajennukset). In your application, please indicate the name/web address of the online shop, for example, “xxx.fi online shop”.
- The company already has the Key Flag Symbol for a product, the Design from Finland mark or the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark; or the company is a member without the right to use any product:
- You must fill in a Key Flag Symbol application for a service. Log in to Extranet -> Applications -> Right to use the Key Flag Symbol for a service (Hakemukset -> Avainlippu-merkin käyttöoikeus palvelulle). In your application, please indicate the name/address of the online shop, for example, “xxx.fi online shop”.
If your company is not yet a member of the Association for Finnish Work:
- Start by filling in the preliminary information form on our website. Select the options “I am applying for a membership in the association” (Haen liiton jäsenyyttä) and “I am applying for the right to use the following mark(s): Key Flag Symbol” (Haen seuraavan / seuraavien merkkien käyttöoikeutta: Avainlippu).
- We will email you temporary application IDs and a link to our Extranet where you can fill in the application. Start by filling in the association’s membership application. Next, select the Key Flag application for a service.
- On your application, please indicate the name/address of the online shop, for example, “xxx.fi online shop”.
Can an online shop that sells products from other companies or foreign products be granted the Key Flag Symbol?
Yes. The Key Flag Symbol can be granted to Finnish companies that sell their own products or resell someone else’s products in their online shop regardless of whether the products are Finnish or foreign. This is because the mark is granted to the online shop service, not the products. However, various marketplace operators that focus on moving products from China to the world or between various online shops cannot apply for the Key Flag Symbol. Localised online shops operating from abroad also cannot apply for the Key Flag Symbol. The warehouse must be in Finland and deliveries must happen from Finland. Behind a Key Flag Symbol online shop must always be a Finnish company serving customers in Finnish.
If product data mentions the Key Flag Symbol, the mark must have been granted to the product in question. Product-specific Key Flag Symbols are applied for by the manufacturer of the product in question.
Where can I find all of the online shops with a Key Flag Symbol?
All products and services (including online shops) with Key Flag Symbols can be found in the Sinivalkoinen Valinta search service which is maintained by the Association for Finnish Work.
Where should I place the Key Flag Symbol in my online shop?
The symbol may be placed in a static part of the website, such as the header or footer or, potentially, the content section in the middle of the page (the so-called add-on-value bar) as well as the customer service contact information page. The mark must be large enough to be clearly legible. We recommended providing more information about the mark on the website. The symbol may not be present on the product pages in connection with a product unless the product in question has been granted the right to the use of the Key Flag Symbol. We also recommend creating a link from the mark to the association’s website where we explain what the Key Flag Symbol’s online shop mark is.
If I apply for the Key Flag Symbol for an online shop, can I use the Key Flag’s Finnish Service (Suomalaista palvelua) logo and the related materials?
If the mark is granted to your company’s online shop, you can only use the Key Flag’s Finnish Online Shop (Suomalainen verkkokauppa) additional text version. If your company’s services have been granted the Key Flag Symbol, you can also use the Finnish Service (Suomalaista palvelua) additional text version in connection with those services. Services, no matter if it is an online shop or some other service, must always be accompanied by the additional text version of the mark.
Design from Finland mark:
What kind of a company can apply for the right to use the Design from Finland mark?
The Design from Finland mark is a registered organisation mark granted by the Association for Finnish Work. It can be granted to a member company of the Association for Finnish Work that has a business ID, headquarters in Finland and that fulfils the criteria of the mark. The mark may be granted to a product, product group or service that has been designed professionally and responsibly in Finland with the user in mind. The manufacturing country can be Finland or some other country. The main category on the application must be product or service. If you are applying for the mark for both a product and a service, you must fill in two separate applications.
Who grants the Design from Finland mark?
The mark is managed and monitored by the Association for Finnish Work. The Design from Finland marks are granted on the basis of applications, which are processed by a committee consisting of independent experts that convenes six times a year. The mark is generally granted for three years at a time; however, the committee may also grant the mark for a shorter time.
What are the criteria for granting the mark?
The company must be a Finnish company, and its headquarters must be in Finland. The company must invest in design and demonstrate the benefits of design investment to its competitiveness and business operations. The operations and design must consider users, and the company must communicate the structure of its manufacturing chain publicly. Review all of the criteria here.
How can the company benefit from the Design from Finland mark?
The Design from Finland mark is an organisation mark with clear criteria, controlled by the Association for Finnish Work. The mark signals that the product, product group or service has been designed professionally and responsibly in Finland with the user in mind. The mark helps you distinguish yourself from competitors and communicates high-quality Finnish design internationally.
At what point of the product’s/service’s lifecycle can I apply for the mark?
The design process of the product/service must be complete, and you must have photos of them. You must have a website or another electronic platform on which we can get to know the product. You can apply for the mark for products with at least small series manufacturing. You cannot apply for the mark for fully unique pieces or products.
What are the questions on the application form?
Among other things, the application asks for the following: basic information about the company, turnover of the last financial period for those products/services for which you are applying the mark, the designers’ work experience and educational background in design, the value of any purchased design services, a description of the design process as well as information related to the production chain’s transparency and manufacturing country. If you are applying for the mark for a service, we will ask for a service description. You will need to attach a brand logo and pictures of the products/service concept.
If you are applying for the mark for both products and services, you will need to fill in separate applications. You can access the application by filling in the preliminary information form.
How many Design from Finland marks have been granted? Can I see a list of products and services it has been awarded to?
Hundreds of marks have been granted so far. You can see the current number as well as descriptions of the products and services it has been granted to in the Sinivalkoinenvalinta.fi search service.
Why and when was the Design from Finland mark established?
The Design from Finland mark was launched in 2011 at the initiative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland. Its purpose is to highlight companies that have invested in professional design. One of the objectives was to support the internationalisation of such companies. The immaterial work happening alongside manufacturing creates an increasing number of jobs in Finland. This means, for example, the design of products and services.
Is a Made in EU label enough for communicating the manufacturing country?
A Made in EU label does not fulfil the criterion for communicating the manufacturing country. You must specify the manufacturing country in more detail.
Finnish Social Enterprise Mark:
What kind of a company can apply for the right to use the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark?
The Finnish Social Enterprise Mark is a registered organisation mark granted by the Association for Finnish Work. It can be granted to a member company of the Association for Finnish Work that has a business ID, headquarters in Finland and that fulfils the criteria for social entrepreneurship.
What are social enterprises?
The purpose of a social enterprise is to contribute to social or ecological good through business activities. These enterprises share their goal of producing good openly and use most of their revenue to promote this objective. The mark has been granted to many kinds of companies, associations and foundations regardless of company form. Among others, the mark is used by companies in the care sector, actors in the environmental sector, the cultural sector and providers of health services.
Who grants the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark?
The mark is managed and monitored by the Association for Finnish Work. The Finnish Social Enterprise Marks are granted on the basis of applications, which are processed by a committee consisting of independent experts that convenes six times a year. The mark is generally granted for three years at a time; however, the committee may also grant the mark for a shorter time, for example, one year.
Can a recently established enterprise apply for the right to use the mark?
New, recently established organisations can receive the right to use the mark for one year even if they have not completed their first financial statements yet. However, the organisation must be able to prove that they have business activities and turnover through which they contribute to social good.
What are the criteria for granting the mark?
The enterprise’s purpose must be to produce social good through its business operations, and most of its revenue is used to promote this social objective. The enterprise has a new kind of operating method related to its social mission, and its business activities are transparent and follow good governance. The company must define its social objective and the way it uses its revenue in its articles of association, regulations or some other review. Review all of the criteria here.
How does the company benefit from the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark?
The mark is a reliable way to communicate that the company produces social good through its business activities. This way, the mark can impact consumers’ and municipal decision-makers’ purchase decisions. The mark also increases awareness of social enterprises.
At what point of the enterprise’s lifecycle can I apply for the mark?
The enterprise can apply for the mark once operations have started and services are concretely realised on the market. Start-up companies still starting their operations can also apply for the mark; however, in the application phase, they must be able to prove that the company already has activities. They must also have at least a plan and operating principles for how revenue will be used.
The committee is generally able to process applications from companies whose activities can be examined online, for example, on the company website.
What are the questions on the application form?
In addition to basic information about the company, the application must also describe the company’s objective for producing social good as well as how the company will use any revenue/surplus to promote its objective. In addition, the application asks you to explain how the impact of the company’s activities is measured and to describe the transparency and responsibility of the business activities. You need to attach the organisation’s logo, financial statements of the previous financial period or some other review of ongoing operations as well as a document indicating the use of revenue/surplus. You can access the application by filling in the preliminary information form.
Why and when was the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark established?
The Finnish Social Enterprise Mark was established to help people identify social enterprises in a reliable manner. Its purpose is to increase awareness and appreciation of social business activities. Social business activities are not well known in Finland even though enterprises play a significant role in solving social and environmental problems. Social business activities are also confused with charity, social companies and corporate social responsibility.
The mark was launched in 2011. The criteria of the mark is modelled after countries such as the United Kingdom, where social entrepreneurship has long traditions. A working group by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to import the mark to Finland. Its purpose was to create reform and innovations to publicly financed services operating according to this business model. The Association for Finnish Work was trusted with the administration of the mark.
How many Finnish Social Enterprise Marks have been granted? Can I see a list of products and services for which it has been granted?
Hundreds of marks have been granted so far. You can see the current number as well as descriptions of the companies it has been granted to in the Sinivalkoinenvalinta.fi search service.
Are social enterprises eligible for public grants?
Social enterprises are not eligible for any public grants that other companies are not eligible for. They carry out profitable business activities and compete on the same market as other companies.
Association for Finnish Work and membership in the association:
What does it mean to be a member of the Association for Finnish Work?
In order to apply for the marks monitored by the association (the Key Flag Symbol, the Design from Finland mark and the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark), you must be a member of the association. There are separate applications for applying for a membership in the association and the right to use the marks. As a member of the association, you get to be part of a value community that networks and meets regularly in various meetings organised by the association and stakeholders. Member companies are supported in communications with the association’s channels and materials. In addition, member companies have access to important research data and help from the association’s specialists.
Companies can also be members of the Association for Finnish Work even if they are not applying for the right to use any of the marks. This is an easy way to communicate the company’s values and responsibility.
Who founded the Association for Finnish Work and why?
The association was originally founded by the same public enlightenment actors and factory owners who founded the School of Economics and Chamber of Commerce.
In its founding year 1912, Finland was a Grand Duchy in the multinational Russian Empire. Originally an association of enlightenment and industry, the Association for Finnish Work was part of Finland’s pursuit of independence.
Originally, the association was founded for the organisation of the Week for Furthering Finnish Industry, i.e., Finnish Week. The Finnish Week was organised several times between 1913 and 1975. The great national celebration consisted of seminars, concerts, outdoor events, advertising processions, shop window competitions and industrial exhibitions.
Who owns the Association for Finnish Work?
The Association for Finnish Work has no actual owner. The members of the association-like organisation hold the highest decision-making powers. The association is a non-profit specialist organisation, funded by its member companies and organisations through member fees.
The association’s highest decision-making body is with the Board of Governors, consisting of representatives of the association’s member companies and various associations, appointed at an election meeting annually. The Executive Committee appointed by the Board of Governors meets six times a year under the leadership of its chairman. The Executive Committee supervises the work of the mark committees for the Key Flag Symbol, Design from Finland mark and Finnish Social Enterprise Mark and the Association’s employees. Read more about the organisation here.
Does the Association for Finnish Work receive any government grants?
We do not rely on government subsidies. We are an operator fully independent from labour market organisations and fully funded by our member companies.
What kind of member companies does the Association for Finnish Work have?
Our member companies come from all sectors, from microenterprises to major employers. Most of the members are SMEs.
What kind of member benefits does the Association for Finnish Work offer?
When you apply for the right to use our marks (the Key Flag Symbol, the Design from Finland mark or the Finnish Social Enterprise Mark), you are also joining the association as a member and, in addition to the user rights, you will have access to all of the membership benefits. You can also become a member without applying for user rights of the marks and still have our general membership benefits.
As a member of our association, you can participate in all of our training sessions and seminars free of charge and watch recordings of the events for free. Yearly, we organise joint campaigns together with our members offering materials free of charge for everyone. We cooperate with our members regularly in communication at different levels, and we also promote our members in our channels.
The association’s regular surveys on consumers, BtoB buyers and public procurement are available to our members. This valuable research data can be utilised in sales and marketing.
Read more about the member benefits here.
My company is a member of the Association for Finnish Work. Why do I not receive your newsletter or invitations to training sessions?
We send our newsletter and event invitations to those member company employees whose contact information we have in our customer database. You can ask us to add your contact details to the database by emailing us at stl@suomalainentyo.fi. We will also provide you with personal IDs to our Extranet where you can edit the information of your company’s contact persons.
Where can I find all of the products and services for which some of the association’s marks have been granted?
Sinivalkoinenvalinta.fi is an online service maintained by the Association for Finnish Work that collects together all products and services for which we have granted the Key Flag Symbol, Design from Finland mark and/or Finnish Social Enterprise Mark. The user can search and browse information about the products and services that have the right to use one of the marks by brand or product group.
How do I update our company’s information in the Sinivalkoinenvalinta.fi service?
Member companies can update their information and content in the Extranet service by selecting Right to use marks -> Update Sinivalkoinen Valinta (Merkkien käyttöoikeudet -> Päivitä Sinivalkoinen Valinta).
Where can I find the Extranet service?
You can log in to the service in the right-hand corner of our website suomalainentyo.fi or by clicking here.
How do I log in to the Extranet service?
For privacy reasons, you can log in to our Extranet service with a personal number ID and related password.
When logging in to Extranet for the first time:
After your membership/mark has been approved, you will no longer need the ID starting with 50 that you used in the application phase. It is only used when applying for the membership/right to use a mark for the first time. After your membership/mark has been approved, you will receive a new ID and password by email. If you need us to send the IDs to you again, please email us at stl@suomalainentyo.fi and let us know the company you represent as well as your name, position, email address and mobile phone number.
Contact persons for member companies already in our register:
If you cannot remember your ID and/or password, you can order them by clicking Did you forget your ID/password (Unohtuiko tunnus/salasana?) in Extranet.