Disney FAMA and Factory Certificates

Disney FAMA is Disney's written permission for one factory to make products for one Disney licensee. FAMA stands for Facility and Merchandise Authorization. It is not a general quality certificate, and it cannot be passed from one licensee to another. This guide explains how Disney FAMA works and how a licensee gets one. It then covers the other factory certificates worth asking for: BSCI, ISO 9001 and FSC.

What Is Disney FAMA?

The FAMA full form is Facility and Merchandise Authorization. It is a document from The Walt Disney Company that names a licensee (the company with the Disney licence) and a factory. It confirms that the licensee may make or sell Disney-branded products at that factory. Those products can include Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars brands. The licensee can also show the document to customs, to prove the goods are authorised.

Most people call it a FAMA certificate or FAMA certification, and that is what you will see in search results. Strictly, it is an authorisation, not a certificate. A factory with one is often called FAMA certified, or a Disney approved factory.

How Long a FAMA Lasts

A FAMA ends at the first of three dates:

• Disney cancels it.
• The licensee's agreement with Disney ends.
• One year passes from the date it was issued.

It is valid for the named licensee only. Another licensee using the same factory needs its own FAMA. So a factory's FAMA status is always tied to the licensees it makes products for.

How to Get a FAMA Certificate

A FAMA is requested by the licensee, not by the factory alone. Before Disney authorises a factory, the factory must pass the social audit Disney asks for, often called a FAMA audit. That audit checks working conditions, such as pay, hours, safety and the age of workers. The steps are:

1. Your company holds a licence from Disney to use its characters or brands.
2. You choose the factory that will make your product.
3. You ask Disney, through your licence, to authorise that factory.
4. The factory shows its audit results, and Disney issues a FAMA naming you and the factory.

Disney publishes its rules for suppliers in the supply chain section of its website.

Our Disney FAMA Certification

Our factory is FAMA certified as facility FAC-115925. Our current authorisation was issued under The Upper Deck Company's Disney licence, and it runs to 2027. If you hold a licence to use Disney products, we can produce your game. Depending on how your company operates, you would most likely get another FAMA for our factory under your own licence. Our existing Disney FAMA certification shows that our factory has already passed Disney's checks.

What Is BSCI Certification?

BSCI is a check of a factory's working conditions, run by the business group amfori. People call it BSCI certification, but it is really an audit (the amfori BSCI social audit), not a certificate. An independent auditor visits the factory, interviews workers and checks records. They cover 13 areas, including fair pay, working hours, health and safety, child labour and the environment.

The result is a grade from A to E:

• A: very good.
• B: good.
• C: acceptable, with a plan to fix the gaps.
• D: insufficient.
• E: unacceptable.

A factory graded A or B needs no follow-up audit before its next full audit. A factory graded C, D or E must fix the problems found, and is checked again within 12 months. Our factory was audited by SGS in September 2025 and graded B. Our next full audit is due by September 2027.

What Is ISO 9001 Certification?

ISO 9001 certification shows that a company runs a proper quality management system. That means written procedures, clear responsibilities, records and regular reviews. It does not test the product itself. It tests the way the company works. Our factory holds ISO 9001:2015, certified by Intertek, valid to September 2028. Its scope covers paper board game sets. Always check that a certificate's scope covers games, not just an office.

What Is FSC Certification?

FSC certification shows that paper and board come from responsibly managed forests. A factory holds an FSC chain of custody certificate (FSC CoC), which tracks certified material from the forest to your game. Our factory's certificate is SAI-COC-011275, valid to August 2028, for FSC 100%, FSC Mix and FSC Recycled. To print the FSC logo on your own game, the FSC Mix label costs about 5% more per game, from 5,000 sets. A fully FSC game needs about 20,000 sets.

Certificates Are Not Safety Tests

Factory certificates describe the factory. Your game itself still needs safety tests for each market it is sold in. In the US that means a Children's Product Certificate (CPC), and in the EU the CE mark. Great Britain needs the UKCA mark, and Australia and New Zealand test to AS/NZS ISO 8124. Our guide to board game safety tests explains how testing works.

Which Certificates to Ask a Factory For

Ask every factory for copies of its certificates and its latest factory audit report, and check four things:

1. The name and address on each certificate match the factory that will make your game.
2. The scope covers games or paper products, not just an office.
3. The dates are still valid.
4. For a Disney game, the factory can get a FAMA under your licence.

Our guide to how to choose a board game manufacturer lists the other questions to ask. To see our certificates, contact us.