Instructions: Key Flag Symbol for Private Label products

These guidelines apply to products sold under a private label or brand name instead of the manufacturer’s brand name.

Finnish Work must be made aware of all product groups/products for which

the Key Flag Symbol is used. This is important for product traceability and

the reliability of the Key Flag Symbol, especially if the manufacturer’s name is not visible on the label. However, we recommend transparency.

As a rule, in the case of large commercial enterprises,

the manufacturer of the product applies for the right to use the Key Flag Symbol, because the manufacturer knows

the manufacturing process and the domestic content, which are disclosed in the application form.

In this case, the manufacturer will also take care of practically all matters related to the right to use the Key Flag Symbol. The manufacturing company must also be a member of Finnish Work.

If the marketer/seller wants to be responsible for the right to use the Key Flag Symbol and the mark, the company must apply for the right to use the mark for the product. If the manufacturer does not wish to disclose its cost structure to its partner, the manufacturing company can send

the domestic content estimate directly to the Association. All information provided is confidential. These are contractual matters between the partners.

The name or brand of the Private Label product must appear in the application, e.g. Pirkka toilet paper, Iisi soap or Kotimaista shampoo.

Guideline: Private Label: xxx product/product group and company xxxx. In the case of a product group, the domestic content is calculated for the product which

is known to have the lowest domestic content. This product is mentioned in the application.

A company can apply for the Key Flag Symbol in two ways::

If a company already has the right to use the Key Flag Symbol for a product in a product group and the Private Label product is similar (same manufacturing process and domestic content) to other Key Flag products, an expansion application can be used. You can find it in our Extranet service under Mark usage rights -> Expansions. It should be noted that the title of the right to use the Key Flag Symbol will not change and there will be no new permit number for the expansion.
If a company wants a separate permit number for its Private Label production, it must submit a completely new Key Flag Symbol application for the Private Label product/product group. This is a good way to distinguish your own trademark/production from a partner’s trademark and make it easier to manage the marks in the future. When new product groups are produced for new partners, an expansion application must be submitted for the new brands and partners. If necessary, the mark permit can be “non-public”.

You can find the Key Flag Symbol Committee meeting schedule here.

Membership and mark fee

The annual membership fee consists of two parts:

A table membership fee based on the company’s total turnover, and
a fee for the use of the mark, which is 0.01% of the value of their of the total turnover of products for which the mark is issued.

You can calculate the membership fee here.

More information:

Nina Pohjoiskoski
Account Manager, Key Flag Symbol050 344 6048
nina.pohjoiskoski@suomalainentyo.fi

04 October 2024