WasteWise Logo – Guidelines for Use and Download Options

Important Information

Who Can Use The Logo?
WasteWise partners with approved baseline data

How Can I Get The Logo?
Call the WasteWise Helpline at (800) EPA-WISE

What Formats Are Available?
Hard copy (b/w), camera-ready mechanicals, and electronic versions.

Before you use the WasteWise logo, please take a minute to review the guidelines below. If you have any questions about using the logo or when to use the disclaimer, please contact your WasteWise representative or the WasteWise Helpline at (800) EPA-WISE (372-9473).

How can the WasteWise logo be used?

The WasteWise logo may be used to promote participation in WasteWise, to promote the WasteWise Program to other businesses, or to promote waste reduction in general. The WasteWise logo may not be used in any way that could be perceived as an endorsement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the WasteWise Program of a company's product(s) or service(s). To help prevent such confusion, the logo must be used with the following disclaimer in a clearly readable manner on all advertisements, product or service literature, or any other materials that include or promote a specific product or service:

"Use of this logo does not imply EPA endorsement."

When is the disclaimer unnecessary?

The WasteWise logo may be used without the disclaimer on internal communications and on any materials that promote the WasteWise program, the organization's participation in WasteWise, or waste reduction in general, but which do not reference any product or service.

What are some examples of approved uses of the WasteWise logo?

The WasteWise logo may be used on internal and external communications to publicize participation in the WasteWise program. Examples of internal uses include recycling bins, newsletters, and posters. External communications include advertising, press releases, annual reports, and Web sites. The WasteWise logo must be used in its entirety, without alterations or modifications, unless specifically allowed in writing by EPA. For additional examples, please see "Creative Ways to Use the WasteWise Logo."

What are some prohibited uses of the WasteWise logo?

The WasteWise logo may never be applied directly (as a decal, label, or in any other form) to a product or on any materials used in the primary packaging* of such products, nor used in any way that could be interpreted as a direct or implied endorsement by the EPA of a product or service. Any such use will result in an immediate revocation of the organization's eligibility to use the logo.

Where can the WasteWise logo be placed?

In advertising and promotional materials, the logo should be adjacent to the company name or placed in a corner of the page or advertisement block, separated from the text and photographs of the products or services being promoted. The logo may not be placed in the body of the text or immediately next to or below a photograph or other depiction of the product or service being promoted. For internal company communications and on materials that promote the WasteWise program or waste reduction and that do not reference any products or services, logo placement is not restricted.

Can the logo be used on transport packaging?

Yes, the logo may be used on shipping boxes, grocery bags, or other types of intermediary packaging. WasteWise encourages partners to place the logo on transport packaging to increase its visibility. The logo may be used freely on any packaging that is not primary product packaging*.

*Primary packaging includes product packaging that the consumer sees prior to making a purchase.

Can the logo be used on primary product packaging* that the consumer receives?

The logo cannot be used on primary packaging, because this use might appear to be an EPA endorsement of the product. Any use of the logo that the consumer might logically interpret as an EPA endorsement of a product or service is prohibited. However, when the primary product packaging also serves as the transport packaging, the logo may be used with appropriate disclaimers.

Download the WasteWise Logo

JPEG and GIF Formats

The GIF and JPEG logo images below are often used for adding images to Web pages, but your word processing application also might be able to use these formats. If you would like to place the logo in a word processing document, try using the GIF and JPEG images first. The Exact Index GIF logo has a white background, while the Transparent GIF logo has a transparent background. Use your mouse's right button to click on the image of your choice. A small menu will pop up beside the mouse pointer. To download the file, Microsoft Explorer users should select "Save Picture" from this menu. Firefox users should select the "Save Image As" option.


JPEG(RGB Color)	Exact Index GIF	Transparent GIF

PCX, PDF, BMP, and PSD Formats

If your word processing application does not support these formats, you may choose to download a ZIP file (file size: 701 KB) containing the logo in a variety of other formats, such as PCX, PDF, BMP, and PSD. To access the ZIP file, you need a special utility that can open "zipped" files. If you are unsure whether your computer has this capability, ask your information systems staff.

Once you open the ZIP file, you can choose from a range of graphics formats including PCX, PDF, BMP, and PSD formats that have specialized uses.

PCX (Paintbrush) format is a good choice if you are trying to incorporate the logo into a document on a standard word processing application, such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. Macintosh users also can open PCX files in Macintosh Paintbrush.
The PDF file opens into a 1-page poster in Adobe Acrobat.
The BMP (bitmap) logo can be used as a Windows screen background since the Windows operating system recognizes the BMP (bitmap) format.
PSD format is a good option for more complex graphics projects. Photoshop, a graphics application, uses the PSD format, which might be useful for developing full-color, photographic-quality company brochures and marketing materials.

EPS Format

The EPS files (Photoshop) can be used as a high-quality image in desktop publishing programs, and can be enlarged to any size without loss of quality. However, you may have difficulty using them with word processing programs.

Black and White EPS (335 KB)

Color EPS (358 KB)