Before we grant any enterprise a license to use the ethical brand Identity® we ask two important questions. First, is this entity
a Non-Starter? Is it known to be a practitioner of exploitation? If it doesn't appear to be a non-starter then we ask the second question, which
is this: "Is this entity predisposed to 'doing the right thing'?" It may conduct regular satisfaction surveys, contribute to worthwhile causes and actively
participate in environmental and or social initiatives. However, none of these things provide any reliable evidence as
to whether or not this organisation is either genuinely committed, or more importantly capable of making
consistently accurate interpretations about what 'doing the right thing' actually means under day to day operating conditions. We call it
operational integrity and it's about the way it listens to, learns from and responds to the
expectations and experiences of its stakeholders. Only evidence of this nature, extracted
from the unfolding brand experience, provides the reference material needed to validate or authenticate the genuine
ethical brand.
With the exception of non-starters, each organisation that is registered as an ethical brand is
initially granted a Limited License, which authorises the use, or display of the ethical brand Identity® on its main website
using one of these to link to its eb Profile Page. Each eb Profile Page
provides formal confirmation of the organisation's credentials as a registered and licensed ethical brand. Installation
of the link to the entity's eb Profile effectively activates it's ethical brand. Each profile serves as a collection point, or node in the
ethical brand Monitoring Program™, which then commences authenticating the ethical brand - not once or twice a year, but every day, all year round.
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If you're an owner, partner or senior executive of an enterprise that is already committed to 'doing the right thing' then
all we need to do is confirm something you already know, so that you begin to communicate the fact that yours is an
authentic ethical brand. The shortest route from here to your Full License is in
Getting Started.
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A license to use the ethical brand Identity® is very different from any other commercial license we have ever come across.
A license to use the ethical brand Identity® for commercial purposes is not available for purchase. These are simply not for sale, but
only ever granted to those enterprises, organisations or individuals who are qualified, or rather authenticated
through their participation in the ethical brand Monitoring Program™, which constantly evaluates the ability of each one to make consistently accurate
interpretations about what 'doing the right thing' actually means. We chose this approach because we felt that the idea of selling a
license of this nature seemed to run counter to our mission, to 'changing the world... one experience at a time'.
We provide a standardised, single point of entry for all participating organisations and a totally unbiased,
uniform method of licensing - irrespective of the nature, size or geographic location of the registered ethical brand. Our Service
Plans are widely accessible to every qualifying organisation and deliver exceptional value in their own right. We
also offer an optional Service Level upgrade path, which provides for enhanced levels of support to larger
organisations that feel they need it, but these upgrades are not compulsory.
During some of our early work we discovered three areas of interdependent activity, which every organisation
that is evidently predisposed to 'doing the right thing' does reasonably well most of the time. These are: Listening, Learning and
Responding. We called this the ethical brand Process™ because it clearly concerns the ability of the organisation to synthesise
relevant external information and therefore its capacity to 'do the right thing'.
We activate an effective Listening capability
on behalf of each newly registered ethical brand by enrolling each one in the ethical brand Monitoring Program™, which is a standard feature of all our
service plans. This not only delivers highly qualified feedback to owners or executives and or their delagates, but also
provides the opportunity for us to observe the health and vitality of the ethical brand Process™ at work in the licensed enterprise.
We place significant emphasis on stakeholders feedback for authenticating ethical brands,
which is collected via
the ethical brand Monitoring Program™ environment. Our proprietary rating engine enables us to
consistently analyse large volumes of online feedback and to maintain an unbiased, real-time view of how well an organisation
is dealing with the expectations of its stakeholders. All insight is shared with the Sponsor (owner, or executive who registers the ethical brand) and treated in
the strictest confidence. We also employ a number of confidential techniques and measures to ensure that only the most
relevant, qualified and validated feedback is reported to the registered ethical brand and admitted to our rating engine for
analysis.
With the exception of Non-Starters, each newly registered ethical brand is granted a
Limited License, which essentially authorises it to display the ethical brand Identity® only on its main website and only using
one of these. Once that link is implemented it begins participating in the ethical brand Monitoring Program™, which commences
with an initial Qualifying Period. During this time our
Rating Engine will produce a rating for the organisation,
reflecting an early assessment of its commitment and ability to 'doing the right thing', which is either: Genuine, Ambiguous or
Other.
Each registered ethical brand that completes the Qualifying Period with a Genuine
rating is automatically granted a Full License, which authorises use of the ethical brand Identity® on
any of its owned websites, stationery, marketing, advertising and sales collateral as well as promotional
merchandise. Notably, this excludes the right to use the ethical brand Identity® on product packaging or labeling, or to mark, name,
identify or distinguish a product of any description as this requires an Extended License. A Full License is the only license that most
non-manufacturing service organisations require.
A high resolution media production package containing a range of high resolution print ready images in all of the
commonly used industry standard formats is available to all Full License holders. An unusual feature of the Full License is that it
explicitly authorises the reproduction and use of the ethical brand Trademark using colours of the
licensees choosing. This is to provide some scope to those ethical brands that may wish to, in effect, integrate the ethical brand Identity®
into the colour scheme of their own identity. Also, see Identity Extensions below.
There are three areas where Extended Licensing is applicable and each request for an Extended License is considered entirely on
merit. We only accept requests for Extended Licenses from authenticated ethical brands.
The licensing process is comprised of 3 stages: 1) Submit Formal Request - include all relevant references, motivations
and samples; 2) Review & Clarification - respond with an expression of our initial thoughts and may request more information; 3) Terms &
Conditions - we discuss, negotiate and agree the terms of the Extended License. There is no formal 'application fee' as such. We do
not usually charge fees for processing Identity Extension requests.
We do also permit Full License holders who wish to formally adapt and customise the base ethical brand Identity®
for their own exclusive purposes. These adaptations or extensions must retain some visual connection or relationship with
the original core ethical brand Identity®. Each identity extension must be submitted to Ethical Brand (International) for approval prior to its production or use,
together with a brief on how the identity extension is to be employed. If approved, an Identity Extension referencing a
specified design, collection or theme will become the subject of an Extended License with mutually agreed terms and conditions.
Those authentic ethical brands in possession of a Full License who wish to extend their use of the ethical brand Identity® to package,
label, mark, name or otherwise identify or distinguish a product of any description and in any manner whatsoever require an
Extended License from Ethical Brand (International).
Supply Chain Registration
We generally insist that all members of the
relevant supply chain associated with each product (representing at least 90% of externally sourced inputs (assessed
on the basis of value) including all materials, components, transport and labour) be registered as ethical brands in their
own right. Generally speaking they will have up to a year to achieve an authentic rating, but some of these may be
required to achieve this within a specified shorter period of time. These licenses may also be Sponsored by the
product procurer, or brand owner.
Product Stewardship
Where relevant, products bearing the ethical brand Identity® are also required to clearly address issues relating to
Product Stewardship and
propose strategies concerning all relevant issues in both the up-stream and down-stream supply chain, such as environmental
impact; the use of recyclable and or disposable packaging and materials; health and safety in use, etc..
ILO Declaration
If any product is produced by one or more contractors and or sub-contractors located in a foreign country - that is, different to the home country of the licensee - then we
also look for a report setting out the extent to which the production settings comply with the
Multinational Enterprises Declaration ('MNE Declaration') of the International Labour Organization ('ILO'). We are NOT expecting 100% compliance, but formal
acknowledgement and assessment of relevant issues; how the grant of an Extended License in respect of the product would impact
those issues and an outline strategy on how the parties intend to co-operate with one another to address and resolve these
issues within a reasonable and realistic timetable.
Fees
A fee is usually applicable for license requests in this category, in respect of our time and expenses to process,
administer and or validate license requests in this category and this can vary dramatically from one product to another,
depending on the nature of the product and the complexities associated with it and can range from US$ 200 - 10,000.
If you would like to have an indication of what the fee is likely to be prior to submitting a formal request please contact
us with an outline of your proposal. Alternativey, we will contact you to discuss a fee shortly after receiving your formal
request.
If approved, a Product Labelling & Identification Extension referencing a specified product or range will
become the subject of an Extended License with mutually agreed terms and conditions.
Extended Licensing is the
context in which we explore and develop opportunities to leverage the ethical brand Identity®. The possibilities are fresh, inspiring and
unlimited.
From supporting social and environmental entreprenuership to commercial ventures in publishing and financial services
(to name just two areas we are presently exploring) we are looking to develop viable, sustainable projects that operate
as independent, licensed entities and at least in part for the explicit benefit of compelling social, economic and
environmental causes, projects or initiatives.Θ
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