Rainforest Alliance
Sustainable Coffee Certification
R AINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFICATION HELPS FARMERS
bear the erratic swings in the global market by giving them
negotiating leverage and access to premium markets. By implementing the program’s sustainable farm-management system,
farmers can reduce costs, become more efficient and improve
crop quality while conserving the natural resources that they
and their children will need in the future.
Rainforest Alliance certification is managed by the Sustainable
Agriculture Network (SAN) — a coalition of independent, nonprofit conservation groups. Along with members of the SAN, the
Rainforest Alliance consults with farmers, social and environmental groups, industry, government and other stakeholders to
develop guidelines for tropical agriculture. These standards
cover all aspects of production, and protect the environment, the
rights and welfare of workers and the interests of local communities. For consumers, certification offers a choice, an opportunity to “vote with their dollar” and affect changes that will lead
to sustainable coffee practices.
What Gives Rainforest Alliance Certified
its Widely Respected Credibility?
TM
As the world’s first organization to use market forces as a means
of conserving tropical forests, the Rainforest Alliance pioneered
a worldwide certification movement, launching a sustainable
forestry division in 1989 and a sustainable agriculture division
in 1991. The Rainforest Alliance has since recruited over 2,200 of
companies in this effort and improved the quality of life for tens
of thousands workers and their families. The Rainforest Alliance’s
sustainable agriculture certification program has certified more
than 9,000 farming operations, including plantations and cooperatives, and has benefited over one million farm families in the
tropics. The Rainforest Alliance sustainable agriculture program
is managed by leading, national NGOs. It was developed in the
tropics through a process that
Certified farms can be
included all stakeholders, was
a haven for wildlife.
tested for years on hundreds of
farms before marketing began,
and the auditors who evaluate
the farms carry more than a
checklist — they bring lifetimes
of experience as agronomists,
biologists, farmers, sociologists
and other expertise. The
Rainforest
Alliance
and
The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal stands for sustainability —
we protect the Earth’s resources today for the benefit of tomorrow.
Sustainable Agriculture Network are members in good standing
of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and
Labelling Alliance (www.isealalliance.org).
How Does Certification Work?
The certification standards guide farmers
toward true sustainable agriculture and give
independent auditors concrete and measurable
indicators by which to measure social and environmental
improvements. Farms that meet the standards are awarded the
Rainforest Alliance Certified seal of approval, a prestigious badge
that can be used to market farm products. This program is unique
in that it is managed by a coalition of local groups that understand the culture, ecology, farming traditions and governments in
the areas they work. Local certifiers mean lower costs, greater
cultural sensitivity and readily accessible representatives to help
farmers, traders and exporters.
The certification process begins with a preliminary site visit by
Sustainable Agriculture Network technicians to establish the
changes necessary for achieving certification. Once a landowner
or farmer determines that his or her operation is up to SAN
certification standards, he/she may request a full audit of the
farm’s operations. Based on a comprehensive evaluation report,
the certification committee determines whether or not the farm
merits certification. A written contract governs and monitors
the use of the ecolabel, the handling of certified products and
marketplace promotion.
How Much Coffee is Certified?
As of January 2007, Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farms
encompassed more than 320,000 acres (130,000 hectares) of
sustainably managed land. Rainforest Alliance takes a market
driven approach, certifying farms to meet the needs of roasters
and retailers. Annual supply of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee
increased by 66% from the 2005 to
more than 157 million pounds (71
million kilos) in 2006, a reflection
of the rapid growth in demand
for sustainably certified coffee.
Is There a Market for
Rainforest Alliance
Certified Products?
How Does Rainforest Alliance Certification
Compare to Fair Trade Certification?
Fair Trade Certification is an alternative marketing system
designed to give disadvantaged farmers a guaranteed price for
their products. The SAN program, on the other hand, focuses on
how farms are managed rather than how products are traded.
SAN standards cover all the issues that must be considered on
the path toward sustainability, including a full range of worker
protection issues such as the right to organize; the right to a
safe, clean working environment; the right to be paid at least the
national minimum wage; dignified housing (including potable
water); access to medical care for workers and their families and
access to free education for
workers’ children. The Rainforest
Alliance and SAN work with all
types of farms — from small
cooperatives and family farms to
large plantations owned by companies — as a means of promoting change at many levels and of
ensuring that all agricultural
workers are treated well.
Yes. Consumers are interested in
knowing more about how their
Does Rainforest Alliance
products are grown, where and
Certification Require
by whom and with what social
a Farm to be Organic?
and ecological consequences. As
a result, smart shoppers everyNo. SAN standards are based on
where are looking for ecolabels
an internationally recognized
and demanding groceries from
integrated pest management
responsibly managed farms. In
(IPM) model, which allows for
response to consumer demand,
some limited, strictly controlled
market leaders, such as Kraft,
use of certain agrochemicals. SAN
Procter & Gamble, Sam’s Club,
standards go beyond organic in
Wal-Mart and Caribou Coffee in
two critical sectors: wildlife conthe U.S.; Tchibo, KLM and Lavazza
servation and worker welfare.
in Europe, and Ueshima Coffee
Farms certified by the Rainforest
Co. and Key Coffee in Japan, have
Alliance do not use agrochemilaunched Rainforest Certified
cals prohibited by the US
products. Today, consumers can
Environmental Protection Agency
Consumers are interested in knowing more about how their products
find Rainforest Alliance Certified
are grown and with what social and ecological consequences.
and European Union, nor do they
coffee in more than 50,000 superuse chemicals listed on the
markets, mass market, convenience stores, cafes, restaurants,
Pesticide Action Network’s “Dirty Dozen” list. They are required
hotels and corporate offices worldwide.
to continually reduce their agrochemical use and to use biological
alternatives whenever possible. Rainforest Alliance certification
There is a growing consensus that certification is the most
was developed to deal with agriculture at large, and we have
effective way to ensure the establishment and enforcement of
demonstrated that these standards afford a realistic and effective
management practices that protect the environment, the rights
way for farms of all sizes to move toward independence from
of workers and the interests of local communities.
agrochemicals.
The Rainforest Alliance and its SAN partner groups are raising
public awareness about the interdependence between conservation and agriculture. The Rainforest Alliance Certified label stands
for sustainability, a term that encompasses the ways that we
protect the Earth’s resources today for the benefit of tomorrow.
It describes a means of reducing costs and improving profits. As
this “people, planet and profits” message spreads throughout
the marketplace, demand for goods from sustainable farms will
continue to grow.
How Do I Know the Coffee Really
Comes from Certified Farms?
The certification seal is a way for farmers and consumers to
communicate, providing credible and transparent links all along
the supply chain. All certified coffee is traceable from farm or
exporter to roaster and, in some cases, retailer. Traders and
roasters are required to maintain a paper trail, tracing each unit
of certified coffee back to the farm where it was harvested.
How Do Farmers Benefit?
The certification standards are designed to increase farm efficiency, reduce costly inputs and improve management. Workers
benefit from a cleaner, safer, more dignified workplace where
their rights are respected. Certified farmers have better access
to specialty and mainstream buyers, contract stability, favorable credit options, publicity, technical assistance and premium
markets.
How is the Price of Coffee Determined?
The Rainforest Alliance and SAN members are not directly
involved in the negotiations between farmers and their product
buyers. However, most farmers are able to use their certification
as leverage to command a price premium. On average, farmers
receive an additional 10 to 20 percent over the market price for
their certified coffee.
Does Wildlife Benefit from
Rainforest Alliance Certification?
Absolutely. Wildlife conservation is an integral aspect of our
sustainable farm management system. Certified farms can be
haven for wildlife, and often serve as buffer zones around parks
and as “wildlife corridors” between parks. SAN standards provide
guidelines for the protection of wildlife, forests and other valuable habitats in and
around farms. Certified
coffee and cocoa farms
in natural forest zones
are required to maintain
diverse shade-cover of
native trees, which provide habitat for all types
of species, from birds to
monkeys. Many farmers
designate areas of their
certified farms as protected forest reserves.
How is the Program
Financed? Who Pays?
Producers pay for the
initial certification of
their farms and the
annual audits to mainSAN standards cover a wide range of
worker protection issues.
tain the certification.
Audit fees are based on
the size, location and accessibility of the farm, as well as the
complexity of farm operations. Qualified local auditors are used
where possible to lower audit costs and ensure that local social,
Rainforest Alliance and SAN work with farms of
all sizes to promote change at many levels and ensure
that all agricultural workers are treated well.
cultural and other traditional practices are taken into account.
Costs to individual small farmers can be reduced if they are certified in groups, such as cooperatives or farmers associations,
or if they organize audits with their neighbors to share costs.
In many cases, the certification services are underwritten by
foundations, traders and buyers.
What Other Products are Certified?
In addition to coffee, the Rainforest Alliance certifies banana,
cocoa, orange, pineapple, cut flower and fern farms according
to our environmental and social standards. Through its forestry
program, the Rainforest Alliance has certified more than 95
million acres (40 million hectares) of forests around the world as
sustainably-managed. Today consumers can find forest products
certified by the Rainforest Alliance to Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) standards in many forms, including, paper, furniture
and construction materials in locations all over the world.
For more information, visit
www.rainforest-alliance.org/coffee
www.rainforest-alliance.org
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity
and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use
practices, business practices and consumer behavior.
Photos: R. Goodier, Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest Alliance
New York . United States . Mexico . Costa Rica . Guatemala . Indonesia . Spain . Bolivia . The Netherlands
665 Broadway, Suite 500 . New York, NY 10012-2331 . Tel: 212/677-1900 . Fax: 212/677-2187
www.rainforest-alliance.org
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