Responsible Use Guidelines

1. Objectives & structure

This document sets out the responsible use requirements for the use of TNFD’s Trainer Modules provided to all types of training organisations, including in-house training teams and third-party training providers. 

It is a non-legal, non-binding agreement between the TNFD and you as a training organisation interested in using this package of TNFD training materials. 

TNFD is making the Trainer Modules’ content available free of charge, subject to training providers committing to observe the responsible use expectations described below.  

2. License to use TNFD content

The Trainer Modules content is licensed by TNFD under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Licence, giving training organisations the freedom to: 

• share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, (including commercial).  

• adapt — transform, translate and expand the material for any purpose (including commercial) within the terms outlined in the accompanying guidance notes for each module.  

3. Background

TNFD is committed to support the learning and capacity building of market participants on their path towards adoption of the TNFD recommendations and additional guidance. 

To that end, the TNFD has created a suite of training materials (Trainer Modules) for use by training organisations. The TNFD’s objective in providing these materials is to ensure that key concepts and technical details in the TNFD guidance are presented accurately and consistently to market participants, while also providing some flexibility for training providers to adapt the use of these materials to meet the specific needs and learning objectives of their audiences. 

This content is limited to be used by training organisations across the world who: 

• are aligned with and support the mission and principles of the TNFD;  

• wish to contribute to scaling the adoption of the TNFD recommendations and guidance. 

4. Access and Intended Use

These materials are being provided by the TNFD as structured, modular and unbranded (“white label”) content. They have been designed for in-person classroom delivery, instructor-led remote delivery or a hybrid model of delivery.  They have been developed as foundational and broadly applicable to a wide range of audiences, agnostic to specific job functions, organisational business models, industry sectors and geographic considerations.

As a provider of training, you are responsible for the quality of the TNFD-related training content and activities delivered by your organisation or affiliates. To that effect, your organisations will make reasonable efforts to ensure that any TNFD-related training content adopted or developed by your organisation or affiliates is accurate, clear and aligned with TNFD’s guidance.

You organisation or affiliates will follow the adaptation guidance outlined in the guidance notes for each module, as updated from time to time.

In delivering their capacity building interventions, training providers may:

• use the Trainer Modules in the format and sequence provided and recommended by the TNFD (accessible on TNFD’s website); or
• adapt the content within and across the modules provided to create, or combine with, their own bespoke training materials, following the guidance in section 5.

5. Acceptable use and adaptation of content – restrictions and flexibility

These materials must not be used in a manner that may be inconsistent with the principles of TNFD.

Content in these materials, either graphics and/or text, that should not be modified is provided in these materials as uneditable photo (jpeg) images on each slide. They should not be edited, deleted, cropped or otherwise altered in any way, including the association of words and graphics together.  This is to ensure that core TNFD concepts are communicated clearly to participants in a way that reflects the guidance in TNFD documentation. 

TNFD content is also visually sourced to TNFD and this sourcing should be maintained on the slide to clearly indicate to the audience the content that refers to TNFD materials.

You may alter other text (in editable text boxes including slide headings, taglines and text boxes) and add additional text, graphics and images on slides as you deem appropriate to your audience.   This may involve adapting materials for context and including local or sector-specific examples and case studies.

Within the Guidance Notes accompanying each module, the TNFD indicates slides that cannot be edited, or should be delivered together. To maintain the integrity of key TNFD concepts and messages to your audience, you should not adapt/separate these slides.

6. Contributing back to the TNFD’s training platform

In using these materials, the TNFD asks all training providers to provide feedback and periodic updates to the TNFD in relation to two aspects of your activities:

1. Any case study or use case materials that you develop to supplement the delivery of this material; and
2. Completion of periodic surveys from the TNFD in relation to the number and profile of the individuals you deliver TNFD-related training to each year.

6.1 Sharing of case studies and use cases

The TNFD is continuously building its global repository of learning resources and is keen for your organisation to contribute to that global effort alongside our other partners.

As a contribution back to the TNFD for access to these materials, we ask that you share with us any case studies and use cases you develop to supplement your use of these materials.

• Case studies are illustrative examples of an organisation’s or sector’s dependencies and impacts on nature, or the corresponding risks and opportunities to an organisation or sector.
• Use cases are illustrative examples of how TNFD’s recommendations and guidance, such as the LEAP approach or scenarios guidance, have been used by companies or financial institutions to help advance their understanding of their nature-related issues and represented in their public-facing corporate reporting.

If you have developed case studies and use cases for your audience’s specific context, we would be grateful if you could share those materials (MS PowerPoint slides or word.doc materials) with us at [email protected]. Where applicable, please clearly indicate any sensitivities or confidentiality considerations. Where these are not stated, TNFD will assume the information shared may be publicly disclosed/distributed.

If you have developed case studies and use cases for your audience’s specific context, we would be grateful if you could share those materials (MS powerpoint slides or word.doc materials) with us at [email protected]. Where applicable, please clearly indicate any sensitivities or confidentiality considerations. Where these are not stated, TNFD will assume the information shared may be publicly disclosed/distributed.

6.2 Provision of data on number and profile of individuals trained

The TNFD will periodically send you a survey on your TNFD-related training activities to contribute to our monitoring of the use of TNFD content in market engagement globally.  This is important for the Taskforce to assess the global impact of its work, to inform future upgrades of our content and to report back to our funders.

We will contact your organisation at the contact details provided when you consent to these Responsible Use Guidelines.

The information we ask about your training participants will be general in nature and not include any of their personal information or contact details in line with international privacy requirements such as EUDR.

7. Branding of materials delivered to training participants

Materials delivered by your organisation should carry your organisation’s branding. The use of TNFD branding on your training materials is not permitted.

In using these materials, you acknowledge that your organisation is not doing so as an authorised agent or representative of the TNFD and therefore not authorised to use, attach or affix the TNFD branding or logo to your training materials or verbally or otherwise indicate, in marketing materials or in the delivery of your materials, that you are a representative of the TNFD.

You should however maintain any source references to TNFD included in your materials, so that it is clear to your audience what materials have been prepared and provided by the TNFD.

For the avoidance of doubt, the training content and training activities (in-person, online or hybrid) must not carry the TNFD logo, branding or any references to being endorsed by TNFD.

8. Translation of materials into languages other than English

TNFD’s Trainer Modules are only available in English. Training organisations can translate them (at their own cost) and will need to ensure they quality assure the translations.

9. TNFD Secretariat support

These materials are being provided globally to enable training providers to have access to a foundational set of high-quality TNFD-related training materials.  The TNFD is unable to enter into partnerships with training providers or co-develop or review any additional content developed by training organisations or adapted from TNFD’s Trainer Modules.

10. Non commercial provision of these materials

While the TNFD respects your right to charge for the training services you provide, including through the use and adaptation of these materials as outlined in this Responsible Use Guidelines, you are not permitted to charge any fee for supplying your customers with these Trainer Modules in the generic format they are in (branded or unbranded) as provided here on the TNFD website.

11. Handling of any fair use infringements or feedback of concern from market participants

The TNFD will monitor fair usage of these materials in line with these Responsible Use Guidelines.  If we have any concerns or receive any negative feedback from market participants in relation to content developed and delivered by your organisation, we will contact you.

12. TNFD Trainer content revisions and updates

The TNFD reserves the right to revise and update the Trainer Modules’ content, as appropriate. TNFD will publish notifications of any such modifications in the Trainer Portal.

You should frequently check the TNFD website for updated materials. The TNFD may also periodically send email updates to training providers who have provided the TNFD Secretariat with their contact details and have consented to these Responsible Use Guidelines.