The Communiqué on The Use of the Domestic Production Logo on the Labels and Price Lists of Goods ("Communiqué"), which has been expected for a long time, has been published in the Official Gazette dated 5 October 2018. The Communiqué aims to encourage consumers to use domestic products.

The Scope of the Communiqué:

The Communiqué aims to determine the procedures and principles that regulate the use of the domestic production logo ("yerli üretim logosu"), which must be included on labels and price lists for goods offered to consumers.

Goods Considered to be Domestically Produced:

According to Article 6 of the Communiqué, goods considered to be domestically produced and therefore entitled to bear the domestic production logo are as follows:

  • Goods produced in Turkey according to Article 1 of the Industrial Registry Law ("Law Nr. 6948") by industrialists;
  • Handcrafted and domestically crafted goods manufactured in Turkey; and
  • Goods obtained or manufactured in Turkey and listed under Article 18 of the Customs Law (Law-Nr. 4458), e.g. mining products, herbal products, fishing and hunting products etc.

According to the Communiqué, to determine whether the domestic production logo is required, the following criteria must be indicated on the labels and price lists of goods:

  • Place of production;
  • Any distinctive characteristics;
  • Sales price, including any applicable taxes;
  • Unit price;
  • Effective date of the relevant sale and unit price of the goods; and
  • Form, logo or symbol determined and announced by the Ministry for goods produced in Turkey.

Goods not subject to labelling:

Domestic production logo usage is controversial for goods that do not require labelling. According to Article 6 of the Regulation on Price Marking ("Regulation"), exceptional goods have been determined and are as follows:

  • Goods that fulfil the written label requirements of the Regulation and clearly contain all the necessary information, and whose labels are printed on them or their packages;
  • Goods, such as books, magazines and newspapers, whose price is written on the front; and
  • Goods sold at auction or in accordance with special laws.

Since the Communiqué defined its scope as the labels and price lists of the goods offered to consumers, these exceptional goods will also fall under the scope of the Communiqué, as long as they indicate the abovementioned criteria.  In the upcoming days we may expect clarification on the subject; however, the goods subject to labeling will come first, if the domestic production logo is to be used.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.