What Does "Rainforest Alliance Certified" Mean? (original) (raw)

You’ve seen our little green frog on some of your favorite products, but what does it really mean? We’re so glad you asked!

That frog is the symbol of our Rainforest Alliance Certification Program. We’re on a mission to create a world where people and nature thrive in harmony—and certification is a key tool of our approach.

Read on to learn all about what our certification entails.

The Rainforest Alliance Certification Program

Often, when we think of sustainability, we think first of the environment. But at the Rainforest Alliance, we believe that sustainability extends to people, too. A product with our seal contains one or more key ingredients produced with social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Our certification program is committed to protecting and improving the following:

• Forests: Forests are critical to the survival of every living thing on Earth. Our training and certification program require best practices for protecting forests and fighting deforestation. Cutting down trees to expand farmland is not allowed; in fact, farmers are encouraged to plant more trees on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
• Climate: Standing forests are also excellent at storing carbon and keeping it out of our atmosphere (which is our best way to alleviate climate change). That’s why our certification program promotes responsible land management methods that increase and conserve the number of trees. In addition, the farming practices embedded in our training help farmers face climate-related disasters like droughts and flooding.
• Human Rights: Certification supports the rights of farmworkers and their communities. Our program provides robust tools for preventing child labor, forced labor, poor working conditions, low wages, gender inequality, and the violation of Indigenous land rights—and identifying and addressing these issues when they do occur. Although no program alone can guarantee protection against human rights abuses, we are committed to working with local experts, companies, and labor organizations to address the root causes.
• Livelihoods: People and nature need each other. Improving opportunities for smallholder farmers and forest communities is the most effective way to lift rural people out of poverty and protect critically important landscapes. Our certification program is a useful tool to help improve farmer incomes.

What does it take to become Rainforest Alliance Certified?

It’s not enough for a company to just place our emblem on their products—they must prioritize sustainability in their supply chains, starting with the farms they source from.

Our certification program is based on the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, which has different sets of requirements for farmers and companies.

• For farmers, the requirements help them make a better living while enriching—rather than harming—the land through sustainable and regenerative farming. Certified farms are required to provide safe and fair working conditions for their workers.
• For companies, the requirements encourage responsible business practices and transparency from farm to shelf. In turn, this helps them build stronger supply chains, strengthen consumer loyalty, and achieve their sustainability goals.

Together, we’re building a future where people and nature thrive. Sign up to learn how you can help.

Our commitments

When you see our frog on your favorite food and beverages, you can feel confident that these goods support a better world. And you don’t have to take our word for it: our robust verification system includes checks by independent auditors to be sure the farms that grow these crops, and the companies that source them, are meeting our strict certification requirements—which are all expertly designed to improve farmer incomes and well-being, as well as to regenerate the land.

Together, we can make a difference

While we’re doing our utmost to change the world for the better, we know that no certification program alone can solve the interconnected issues facing our world—most of which result from hundreds of years of colonialism. It will take all of us working together to fully eliminate crises like human rights abuses, deforestation, and the climate emergency. Those with the most power—governments and corporations—have a significant role to play.

We also know that people can make an enormous impact when they demand companies do better. When you buy something with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, you’re proving that your individual, everyday actions can contribute to something much bigger.

That’s why the Rainforest Alliance is not just a certification program, but a global movement for positive change. When it comes to envisioning a better world, we’re all in. And we hope you’re with us!

Support Our Work

Create a world where people and the planet prosper together.