ARPANSA issues millions of Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) swing tags every year for labelling sun protective clothing. These tags carry the Australian government trademark.
The UPF Certification Scheme
The Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of a material is a measure of how effective it is at sun protection.
In 1990, ARPANSA developed a UPF Certification Scheme. This involves testing materials to determine their ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protective abilities, then labelling products made from those materials with the highly recognised UPF Certification Trade Mark. This Trade Mark is owned by the Commonwealth of Australia and administered by ARPANSA. ARPANSA may grant use of the UPF Certification Trade Mark on products for which a sample of material of the same type, quality and colour has been tested and has a rating of at least UPF 15. The primary use of this trademark is the labelling of products with the ARPANSA UPF tags. This labelling encourages manufacturers in the promotion of sun protection products and educates the community about appropriate UVR protection strategies. Consumers can be confident about the amount of ultraviolet radiation blocked by labelled products.
The new ARPANSA Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark
The UPF Certification Trade Mark has now been replaced with the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark which has been approved for use in 2021.
Tags compliant to the Australian Standard
The Australian standard for evaluating sun protective clothing was last revised in March 2020 and is no longer a joint Australian/New Zealand standard (AS 4399:2020 Sun protective clothing – Evaluation and classification). It details how materials are to be tested to determine a UPF rating and also specifies appropriate wording to be placed on UPF labels. The new UPF tags carrying the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark issued by ARPANSA comply with the labelling requirements of AS 4399:2020. Further information for consumers and manufacturers is available from our Australian and New Zealand sun protective clothing standard page.
Testing materials for UPF rating
ARPANSA UVR Services can test materials and issue UPF test reports that comply with AS 4399:2020.
For more information visit our clothing and fabric testing page.
Labelling sun protective articles
Swing tags showing that the products have been tested to the AS 4399:2020 are now available from ARPANSA. The ARPANSA UPF swing tags feature an image of the Australian government’s Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark and companies using the tags must first obtain a licence from ARPANSA for use of this trademark. Hence the ARPANSA UPF swing tags can only be purchased after ARPANSA has tested the materials and a licence application has been approved. The tags are available with UPF ratings of 15, 30, 50 and 50+ depending on the ratings of your materials.
Example UPF swing tag featuring the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark (front and back):
The name of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) may only be used on products, promotional material and web sites if ARPANSA has given specific written authorisation. Licensees who wish to use images of this trademark on web sites, in promotional material or on packaging in situations where the ARPANSA UPF swing tags cannot be used, must first apply to ARPANSA for approval of each use.
Companies that use the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark are responsible for assuring that the trademark is only associated with products made from materials listed on their licence, and that products are labelled with the correct UPF ratings as measured by the ARPANSA UVRS laboratory. Products made from two or more materials must be labelled with the UPF rating of the lowest-rated material. Products made of a combination of rated and non-rated materials cannot be labelled with the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark. For more information refer to ARPANSA’s policy on use of its name in association with products.
The sun protective clothing standard, AS 4399, has requirements for body coverage. You should ensure that your products comply with these requirements before labelling with ARPANSA UPF tags.
ARPANSA operates a compliance monitoring scheme to ensure products are labelled in accordance with the rules governing the use of the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark. This involves sampling of licensees’ products regularly to ensure that the correct rating labels have been applied.
Schedule of licence fee options
Sun Protection certification trade mark licence fee:
| Annual licence fee (including Australian GST) | Annual licence fee (excluding Australian GST) |
|---|---|
| $390.00 | $354.55 |
Volume-discounted pricing for ARPANSA swing tags:
| Quantity of tags ordered | Number of packs | Cost per pack of 500 tags (including Australian GST) | Cost per pack of 500 tags (excluding Australian GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 – 6,000 | 1–12 | $57.50 | $52.27 |
| 6,500 – 12,000 | 13–24 | $56.00 | $50.91 |
| 12,500 – 30,000 | 25–60 | $41.50 | $37.73 |
| 30,500 – 90,000 | 61–180 | $40.50 | $36.82 |
| 90,500+ | 181+ | $39.00 | $35.45 |
Swing tags:
- Swing tags are shrink-wrapped in bundles of 500 tags
- The minimum order quantity is 500 tags
- Specify your preferred method of delivery on the order form
- Delivery costs are additional to the cost of the tags
Australian companies pay the charges in the GST-included column. Non-Australian companies pay the charges in the GST-exempt column. Payment is in Australian dollars, either by electronic funds transfer (EFT), BPAY or by credit card (VISA or MasterCard) up to $10,000.
Applying for a licence to use the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark
To obtain a licence to use the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark, complete and sign the application form, Schedule 3, which is available from the document titled Rules governing the use of the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark.
- Describe the type of your products and list all of the commercial names that will be associated with the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark.
- Attach copies of ARPANSA UPF test reports, or a list of ARPANSA test report numbers, for all types and colours of materials you intend to label. The test reports should not be older than 12 months.
- Return the application form to ARPANSA along with the licence application fee.
- ARPANSA will send you a contract to be signed and returned. The licence will take effect from the date the signed contract is received by ARPANSA.
- Do not complete Schedule 4, it is only an example of a Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark licence.
Any additional materials tested by ARPANSA during the licence period will automatically be added to the licence.
Note that any use of the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark apart from on the ARPANSA UPF tags must have prior approval in writing from ARPANSA. If you are considering a non-swing tag use of the trademark, fill out the form titled ‘Application for a specialised use of the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark’ which is available from the attachment below and email it to spc-trademark@arpansa.gov.au for review by the ARPANSA legal office.
Application for a specialised use of the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark
Locating sun protective products
Each year ARPANSA receives many enquiries from consumers about sun protective products and where to purchase them. To address these questions, ARPANSA maintains a buyer’s guide for sun protection which lists a range of companies that provide products and services related to sun protection.
Any company that provides products and services related to sun protection can have their contact details listed on the buyer’s guide page by providing ARPANSA with brief information about their products, refer to the buyer’s guide page for further details.
Further information
Please address any questions about the Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark to:
Sun Protection Certification Trade Mark Administration
ARPANSA
619 Lower Plenty Road
Yallambie VIC 3085
AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 3 9433 2309
E-mail: spc-trademark@arpansa.gov.au
