The new logo is highly symbolic of life in the territory, with curves that may evoke a hand print, strata of coal, waste tips, the letter M for « mine » or waves in the soil. The warm grey refers to waste tip rock, cast iron and steel used in the headgear structures. The red recalls the brickwork, fire used in industry and the blood shed by the miners in their work and union action. Sponsors and long-standing partners of World Heritage inscription, like the towns within its scope and the buffer zone, may all use this brand, provided they have signed the brand licensing contract, which is tacitly renewed each year, free of charge.

Use of the brand can also be granted to stakeholders in civil society (tourist accommodation, companies, commerces, organisations, BMU clubs and cultural structures) for a limited duration or for a specific project. An Ethical Review Committee will be set up by end 2015 to handle requests for usage, with a view to avoiding possible contradiction with the values inherent in inscription. Once approval has been given, a brand licensing contract and ethics charter will be signed.

Requests to use the brand must be submitted to the Communications Department of the Mining Basin Mission.

In January 2013, the World Heritage Centre allocated this emblem and user rights to the Mining Basin Mission, as joint manager of inscription along with the French state. The rights exclude commercial use, with the exception of certain top-quality publications. The emblem is reserved for signage (plates at the actual sites listed, road signs etc.) and for communication materials promoting the sites and monuments included within the Mining Basin World Heritage scope.