MANAGEMENTSYSTEM CERTIFICATIONCOMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF
THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARKContents
EDITORIAL

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INTRODUCTION

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I. MAIN GRAPHIC PRINCIPLESa) Example of certification mark with one standardb) Example of certification mark with two standardsc) Example of certification mark with three standardsd) Example of certification mark with four standardse) Example of certification mark with five standards

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II. TERMS OF USE
1. Area of isolation
2. Minimum size to use
4. Different backgrounds
5. The no-nos
6. The secondary version

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III. APPLICATIONS
1. General terms
2. Examples: headed paper
3. Examples: email signature
4. Examples: website
5. Examples: sales documentationa) Sales brochuresb) PowerPoint presentations
6. Examples: vehicle fleet
IV. S
 OME ADVICE ABOUT COMMUNICATINGON YOUR CERTIFICATIONS
1. General recommendations
2. Announcing your initial certification
3. Announcing your recertification
4. Announcing extension of your certification

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Congratulations, your management
system has received certification. You can
now communicate on this success, which
is a compelling symbol of your company’s
performance. Having fully met therequirements to obtain certification
it is now equally essential to comply withthe terms set out in this document whencommunicating on this event. Complianceis important for the credibility of yourcompany. It will ensure you avoid making
unclear or imprecise statements in yourvarious communication materials.
These guidelines are designed to help youwith your communications.
Xavier Daniel
Certification - General Manager
If you need further help and/or if you need us to approve youruse of our certification marks, do not hesitate to get in touchwith your local correspondent.

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

Introduction

The certification mark corresponding to the certification(s) that you haveobtained has been sent to you by your certification body. It is the only
mark that you may use to refer to your certification.
You have received JPEG-format files in colour. These can be opened in
Microsoft Office and can be used for all desktop and website
applications, as well as digital publications.
In some cases, such as kakemonos and all other applications where thecertification mark has to be reproduced in a large format, service
providers such as communications agencies or printers may ask you toprovide a “vector format” (high resolution) file. If this happens, contact
your usual local correspondent to make the request.

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 50001
ISO 22000
ISO 45001

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

I. MAIN GRAPHIC PRINCIPLES
The certification mark includes the following elements,
which cannot be separated:- the SOCOTEC Certification International logo,
your certification body- the standard(s) that your company has received(maximum of five)
This can also be called the mark block.

a) Example of certification mark with one standard

SOCOTEC
Certification
Internationallogo

ISO 9001

For more than five standards, you will need to use
two mark blocks.

ISO 9001

Opposite are examples of the certification markISO 9001b) Example of certification markwith two standards

Standardd) Example of certification markISO 9001with four standards
ISO 14001
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO
ISO 9001
50001
ISO
ISO 14001
22000
ISO 50001
ISO 22000
ISO 9001
ISO 14001e) Example of certification markISO 50001with five standards

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO
ISO 9001
50001
ISO 14001
ISO 50001
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 50001
ISO 22000

5

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

Mark block

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO
ISO 9001
50001
ISO 14001
ISO 50001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

c) Example of certification markwith three standards

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO
ISO 9001
50001
ISO
ISO 14001
22000
ISO
50001
OHSAS
18001
ISO 22000
ISO 45001

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

II. TERMS OF USE
1. AREA OF ISOLATIONTo ensure the visibility and unity of the certification
mark, the mark block must be surrounded by an areaof isolation that remains totally blank. The conditions
shown opposite must be adhered to.

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
This rule also applies for the certification markwith one to five standards.

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

2. MINIMUM SIZE TO USE
To ensure the visibility and unity of the certification
mark, the size of the mark block must not be smaller
than the minimum size indicated.
The height of the mark block must be at least 20 mm.
In all cases, the size of the mark block must be
significantly smaller than that of the logo block or thecertified company.

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ISO 9001
ISO 14001

20 mm

39 mm

This rule also applies for the certification markwith one to five standards.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

II. TERMS OF USE
3. DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDSWhen being used on a coloured background it is
not necessary to further outline the certification
mark as the blue dividing line is sufficient.

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ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

4. THE NO-NOS
It is not allowed to:- alter the ratio between the certification mark's
different elements- make the mark block transparent on a colour
background or an image- alter the colour separation- use any other single ink than black- disrespect the area of isolation.

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ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

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ISO 9001
fuga. XeruptaRiossequia
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sam, volorest, sim quam, sequi

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

II. TERMS OF USE
5. THE SECONDARY VERSION
If the certification mark presented on the previous
pages cannot be applied due to a lack of available
space, you can use the secondary version shown
opposite.
This version may be used with five standards at
most.

ISO 9001

ISO 9001
ISO 50001

ISO 9001
ISO 50001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 50001
ISO 14001
ISO 45001

ISO 9001
ISO 50001
ISO 14001
ISO 22000
ISO 45001

20 mm

Minimum size to use
The minimum width is 20 mm
however many standards areshown (between one and five)ISO 9001
ISO 50001

ISO 9001
ISO 50001

AREA OF ISOLATION

8The height can vary from26.4 mm for one standard to
36 mm for five standards.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
1. GENERAL TERMS
You may use the certification marks on some documents
but not on others.
These issues are regulated by the accreditation
standards (ISO 17021 and ISO 17030).
There must be no ambiguity in the use of thecertification mark on your materials; in other words, do
not make it seem that your products or your staff havereceived certification. It must always be clear that it isyour company that has obtained certification.
The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of thecertified company.

The materials on which you can use our certification mark are:- headed paper- website- email signatures- sales documentation- vehicle fleet and buildings

The items on which you may not use our certification mark are:- products- product wrappings and outer packaging- labels attached to your products or packaging.
If your activities include providing reports from test laboratories, orstandardisation or inspecton reports, or any certificates, you must notdisplay the certification mark on these documents.

The items on which you may use our certification mark that you
need to submit to your local correspondent for prior approval:- business cards

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
2. EXAMPLES: HEADED PAPER

Internationalfirm

We recommend you print the certification mark inthe bottom right-hand corner of your letterhead.
The recommended height for the mark block is 20mm.
The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of
the certified company.

18 rue Lécluse
75017 Paristel. : +33 (0) 1 00 00 00 00
mobile : 06 00 00 00 00
Fax : +33 (0) 1 00 00 00 00
www.internatinnalfirm.com

18 rue Lécluse
75017 Paristel. : +33 (0) 1 00 00 00 00
mobile : 06 00 00 00 00
Fax : +33 (0) 1 00 00 00 00
www.internatinnalfirm.com

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

20 mm
5 mm

5 mm

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
3. EXAMPLES: EMAIL SIGNATURE
The certification mark must be positioned as far
away as possible from the employee’s name to
avoid any confusion with a personal certification.
Only employees working in the certified scope
may refer to the certification
The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of
the certified company.

International Firstname Name
FU NCT IO N
firm
18 rue Lécluse - 75017 Paris
mobile : 06 00 00 00 00
tel. : +33 (0) 1 00 00 00 00
Fax : +33 (0) 1 00 00 00 00
www.internationalfirm.com

ISO 9001 ISO 9001
ISO 14001 ISO 14001

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
4. EXAMPLES: WEBSITE

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of
the certified company.

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
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5. EXAMPLES: SALESDOCUMENTATIONa) Sales brochures
On sales brochures, the certification mark may
be placed on the front and back covers or on theinside pages.
b) PowerPoint presentations
On your PowerPoint presentations, the certification
mark may be placed on the cover.

Internationalfirm

The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of
the certified company.
International
firm

ISO
00000
ISO 9001
ISO
00000
ISO 14001

Sales brochures

Reduced-scale image

International
firm
Lorem ipsum dolores

Lorem ipsum dolores

ISO 9001
ISO 14001

Reduced-scale image

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PowerPoint presentations

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
6. EXAMPLES: VEHICLE FLEET
On both heavy and light vehicles, the certification
mark has a maximum size equal to 30% of that ofyour company logo.
The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of
the certified company.

Internationalfirm
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

Internationalfirm
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

III. APPLICATIONS
6. EXAMPLES: VEHICLE FLEET
On both heavy and light vehicles, the certification
mark has a maximum size equal to 30% of that ofyour company logo.

Internationalfirm
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

The size of the certification mark must always besignificantly smaller than that of the logo block of
the certified company.

Internationalfirm
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

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Transportation

Internationalfirm
ISO 9001
ISO 14001

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

IV. SOME ADVICE ABOUT COMMUNICATING ON YOUR CERTIFICATIONS
1. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
You must always be very clear about the scope
covered by your certification in order to avoid any
misunderstanding about the type of certification
and also about what part of your company iscertified (geographic site and/or activities).
• It is your management system for quality,
environment and/or occupational health &safety that is certified and not your company.
It is best to say “our quality management
system has obtained ISO 9001 version 2015
certification”. However, it is acceptable to saythat the company has received certification.

• You must always say what type of certification
you have obtained (9001, 14001, etc.):
say “ISO 9001 version 2015 certification”,
never “ISO certification”, or “certified• You must be particularly clear and careful whenyour certification scope covers only some of thesites where you operate and/or only a part ofyour company’s activities. You must never givethe impression that your certification covers
all of your operations. For example: “Ourcompany’s quality management system has
ISO 9001 certification for training activities at
our Lyons site.”

Basic information
When you mention your certification, you must state the type of standard, its number andits version: ISO 9001 version 2015.
The word “version” can be replaced by a colon: ISO 9001: 2015.
Please be careful as the standards are constantly evolving!
Remember to update your documents when you move to a new version of a standard.
Use of the ISO logo is strictly forbidden.

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

IV. SOME ADVICE ABOUT COMMUNICATING ON YOUR CERTIFICATION
2. ANNOUNCING YOUR INITIAL CERTIFICATION
The text below is intended to serve as an example. It can be tailored to the type of certification
obtained and adapted to your business and communication requirements.

“ABC” is proud to announce that it has received “name year“ certification from “name ofyour Certification Body“ for the “quality/environmental/etc.“ management system covering
its “XXX“ activities and “XXXX sites“. This recognition from an independent third party is amajor step forward for our company and staff.
The audit that was conducted from “day/month“ to “day/month/year“ concluded that therequirements of the “name version“ standard are being met and that a genuine
continuous improvement process is in place for “quality/environment/energy/etc.“
The impact of this certification and the introduction of a “quality/environment/ health &safety/energy/etc.“ process at “ABC“ is essential. Over and above clarifying and settingout clear practices that enable “ABC“ staff to work in a consistent, efficient manner, thiscertification answers the selection criteria that are increasingly being required by somecustomers. For prospective customers, investors, suppliers and all other interested parties,
it also brings more credibility to “ABC’s“ projects and marks its commitment to “quality/
environment/health & safety/etc.“

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - MAY 2022

IV. SOME ADVICE ABOUT COMMUNICATING ON YOUR CERTIFICATION
3. ANNOUNCING YOUR RECERTIFICATION
The text below is intended to serve as an example. It can be tailored to the type of certification
obtained and adapted to your business and communication requirements.

“ABC“ is proud to announce the renewal of “name year“ certification by “name of yourCertification Body“ for the “quality/environmental/etc.“ management system covering its“XXX“ activities and “XXXX sites“.
The audit conducted from “dd/mm/yyyy“ to “dd/mm/yyyy“ confirmed that the
management system remains in compliance with the “name year“ standard and noted theprogress made since initial certification was obtained.
This recognition from an independent third party for the “XX“ year running is the result of adetermined joint effort from everyone in the company. It confirms “ABC’s“ commitment to
its current and prospective customers, investors, suppliers and other parties interested in“quality/environment/energy/etc.“.

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MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK - JUNE 2021

IV. SOME ADVICE ABOUT COMMUNICATING ON YOUR CERTIFICATION
4. ANNOUNCING EXTENSION OF YOUR CERTIFICATION
The text below is intended to serve as an example. It can be tailored to the type of certification obtained
and adapted to your business and communication requirements.

In support of its commitment to “quality/the environment/etc.“, which is a key priority forthe company, “ABC“ is proud to announce the extension of its “name year“ certificationfrom “name of your Certification Body“. This certification, which already covered part of its“activities/sites“, has now been extended to its “xx activities“/its “site in xx“.
With this recognition from an independent third party, “ABC“ has taken a further step
forward in its commitment to its current and prospective customers, investors, suppliers
and other parties interested in “quality/environment/energy/etc.“ and has confirmed theefficiency of its organisation in relation to these matters.

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APPENDIXMANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION - COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES - USE OF THE COLLECTIVE CERTIFICATION MARK -May 2022

APPENDIX TO COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES FOR USE OF THE COMBINED MARK (PAB ACCREDITATION)

The Combined Mark includes the SOCOTEC
Certiﬁcation Mark and the PAB Accreditation Markboxed together.
The use of the Combined Mark is not mandatory.
However, the use of this Combined Mark is allowed
only if the certiﬁcation has been granted underaccreditation. Use of the PAB symbol in any otherway than as part of the Combined Mark layout shown
opposite is strictly forbidden. The PAB symbol differsfrom one certiﬁcation to another. The number shownin text beneath the symbol refers to the accreditation
number related to the certiﬁcation standard. Therefore
the Combined Marks you have been provided with byyour local correspondent may not be amended.

ISO 9001

Combined
Mark

ACCREDITEDQMS Certification Body

Accreditation No :MSA-005

Accreditation
Mark

Mark

All the rules described in the main document regarding
the use of the collective Certiﬁcation Mark apply to the
Combined Mark.
In the event of withdrawal of accreditation, your local
correspondent would inform you of the procedure andtransition period to cease the use of the Combined
Mark on your communication tools.
Source: Philippines Accreditation Bureau Management System Accreditation
Guidelines for the use of PAB MSA Symbol and reference to accreditation MSA
GD 01 Issue 1 – November 2019

Combined
Mark
ACCREDITEDQMS Certification Body

Accreditation No :MSA-005

ISO 9001

Mark

Accreditation
MarkFor any questions you may have on the use of our certification marks,
please contact your local correspondent.