Sublicense FAQ

A sublicense allows the BPI Certification Mark to be used by a customer of a BPI License holder on private label products for resale under the customer's brand. It is a legally binding agreement between BPI, the Licensee and the Sublicensee that includes product titles and SKUs from the BPI License holder and their customer. The customer is given access to the BPI Certification Mark files, including a version with their own unique BPI Company ID Number/CERT # to display on the sublicensed products and their packaging, and the sublicensed products are listed under the customer’s name in BPI’s online product catalog (products.bpiworld.org).

No. All sublicensed products must be manufactured by the BPI License holder at authorized facilities, without exception. If any modifications, such as printing or date labeling, are made by the customer, then BPI must be informed ahead of time or the License holder and their customer risk losing the certification. 

If the license holder company is not identifiable on the product (printed items only) and packaging (all items) then it needs to be sublicensed. The company/brand selling the product must have the license to use the BPI Certification Mark whether through a certification or a sublicense.

No. BPI-certified resins, film, granules, components, and intermediates cannot be sublicensed for resale purposes, only finished products. A company can purchase these materials from a supplier to use in a finished product, but the finished product must go through the certification process. Additionally, pet waste bags are restricted to distribution in Canada only.

The sublicensed product must be completely covered by the tests conducted for certification by the licensee. For example, if packaging film uses a hot-sealed edge that is not covered by the original film certificate's disintegration test, the film cannot be directly sublicensed.)

If your company is looking to sublicense from a BPI Member, please visit our searchable catalog for a list of BPI-certified products. You will need approval from the licensee in order to move forward with the sublicense process.