Communication Guidelines
Sustainable Brand Index™ Winner Material
Guidelines, terms and conditions for the use of Sustainable Brand Index™ Winner and Industry Winner badges.
Version 2.0 · Updated 17 September 2026 · Supersedes all previous versions
These guidelines have changed
Directive (EU) 2024/825, the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, applies in EU Member States from 27 September 2026. We have revised these guidelines in response. The wording and layout requirements below are stricter than in previous versions, and some placements have been suspended pending an external legal review. The changes apply with immediate effect to all licensees. Licensees have received a separate position statement dated 17 September 2026 setting out our reasoning in full; contact us if you need another copy.
General information
As a winning brand of Sustainable Brand Index™ (SBI), either market or industry, you are entitled to purchase a Sustainable Brand Index™ badge to communicate about your performance. This means that you — in the annual brand study Sustainable Brand Index™ — have been perceived as the most sustainable brand in your industry and/or on the market, according to consumers.
The badge reports a research finding about consumer perception. It is not a certification, an approval, an endorsement, an audit or a verification of environmental performance, and it must never be presented as one.
Where the badge may be used
Permitted placements are set out below. This replaces the general list of permitted uses in previous versions of these guidelines.
| Placement | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual and sustainability reports | Permitted | |
| Corporate website and brand websites | Permitted | |
| Press releases and newsroom | Permitted | |
| Email signatures | Permitted | |
| Recruitment and employer branding | Permitted | |
| Internal communication | Permitted | |
| In-store brand storytelling and environmental graphics | Permitted | Full lockup, proximity rule applies |
| Newsletters and brochures | Permitted | |
| Advertising — film, out-of-home, digital, print | Pre-approval required | Submit to SB Insight before production |
| Product packaging | Suspended | Withdrawn pending legal review |
| Shelf tags and point-of-sale material adjacent to an individual product | Suspended | Withdrawn pending legal review |
| The symbol on its own, without claim and source line | Not permitted |
Annual and sustainability reports
PermittedCorporate website and brand websites
PermittedPress releases and newsroom
PermittedEmail signatures
PermittedRecruitment and employer branding
PermittedInternal communication
PermittedIn-store brand storytelling and environmental graphics
PermittedFull lockup, proximity rule applies
Newsletters and brochures
PermittedAdvertising — film, out-of-home, digital, print
Pre-approval requiredSubmit to SB Insight before production
Product packaging
SuspendedWithdrawn pending legal review
Shelf tags and point-of-sale material adjacent to an individual product
SuspendedWithdrawn pending legal review
The symbol on its own, without claim and source line
Not permitted
Wording
Do
SB Insight encourages you to communicate about your win and urge you to follow our guidelines. When communicating about your win, you should always use the winner material provided by SB Insight and the applied wordings.
You should communicate about your brand as being "perceived as the most sustainable brand" on the market / in the industry. You may also communicate that you are "perceived as the most sustainable type of company" — e.g. "Consumers perceive us as the most sustainable restaurant". The important thing is to always use the word perception.
Country winner default headline wording:
- (Nationality) consumers perceive us to be the most sustainable brand in (country).
- (Nationality) consumers perceive us to be (country's) most sustainable brand.
Industry winner default headline wording:
- (Nationality) consumers perceive us to be the most sustainable (x category) brand in our industry.
- (Nationality) consumers perceive us to be the most sustainable brand in the (x industry).
Always name the source, the year, the market and the category on the same medium as the claim — not by asterisk alone.
Don't
You are not allowed to communicate that you "ARE the most sustainable brand" or the like without, in direct relation, referring to consumer perception. In addition, you are not allowed to refer to yourself as "the most sustainable company", since the study measures brands.
Never describe the result as a certification, an approval, an endorsement, an audit or a verification, and never use the words "certified", "approved" or "verified" in connection with it.
Never downplay the essential wordings. Never insinuate that you ARE the most sustainable brand.
The perception qualifier
The qualifier must appear in the same field of view as the superlative, at no less than the same size AND the same font weight. It may not be set in a lighter weight, at a smaller size, in a paler colour, or moved to a footnote. This is stricter than previous versions of these guidelines, and existing material that sets the qualifier in a lighter weight should be corrected at the next production cycle.
Layout
Do
Choose from large or small SBI badge to adjust to your specific needs. The badges are always presented in its entirety.
Don't
- Never divide the badge by separating the dark green text area from the SBI symbol.
- Never alter the design by replacing the green colour, cutting out the symbol or placing it on another background.
- Never display the symbol without its accompanying claim and source line.
Terms and conditions
Sustainable Brand Index™ Winner or Industry Winner badges are intellectual property material that belongs to SB Insight AB. A winning brand owner must adhere to the guidelines given by SB Insight when using our material. If a winning brand does not comply with the guidelines by altering the badge or through misleading or inaccurate communication, SB Insight has the right to contact the company and request changes or removal.
The licence period and fee
The badge licence is valid for 12 months from the date of the signing an agreement. The use of the badge is subject to a fee based on the annual net turnover of the brand owner. The badge is delivered in two design versions, large and small.
If eligible, meaning if the brand has been perceived as the most sustainable brand in its industry and/or on its market according to consumers in SBI prior to this year, we give the right to use preceding winner material based on the earlier editions of SBI.
Approval of material
The brand owner is responsible for the content of their material, which is communicated (press releases, product labels, brochures, mail signatures, shelf tags, advertising, etc.) — that is, correctly reproduces the badge. SB Insight have the right to pre-approve such communication material where the badge is part of the brand owners' communication. Advertising now requires pre-approval before production.
Preceding years winner material — symbol exceptions
Exceptions can be made for brands that has won the industry or Index ranking before. Therefor there is sometimes a wish for displaying several wins. The default headline wording is placed directly next to the symbols or in a clear context. The SBI winning symbols are always placed on white circle backgrounds. These exception SBI symbols are delivered on request, together with an additional fee. Please contact SB Insight for more information.
Where several years are shown as text rather than as symbols, every line must carry the perception qualifier and the source must be named once in the same field of view.
What changed in version 2.0
- The perception qualifier must now match the superlative in both size and weight.
- The source, year, market and category must be named on the same medium as the claim.
- Permitted placements are now set out in a table, replacing the previous general list.
- Product packaging, shelf tags and product-adjacent point-of-sale material are suspended pending an external legal review.
- Advertising now requires pre-approval before production.
- The symbol may never be displayed without its claim and source line.
- Explicit prohibition on describing the result as a certification, approval, endorsement, audit or verification.
Questions about your communication?
We would rather answer a question early than ask for a change later. For questions from legal and compliance functions, please contact us.
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