Swiss lawmakers move to reserve cross for Swiss-made goods

Swiss lawmakers have moved to restrict use of the Swiss cross on products to goods made or processed in Switzerland, SRF reported. The National Council’s Committee for Science, Education and Culture has authorised its counterpart in the Council of States to draft a stricter law.

Under the proposed rules, companies could not use the cross on foreign-made goods merely because design or research was carried out in Switzerland. The committee backed an initiative from the Council of States and supported two other proposals and a motion by 22 votes to two.

The Council of States is expected to consider the draft in the first half of 2027, after a consultation process.

The move follows a change in practice by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property after a legal dispute with shoe brand On. The institute allowed the cross on products made abroad if specific parts of the work, such as design, were completed entirely in Switzerland.