Certification

Certification has had a huge impact in bringing sustainability to the forefront of business thinking, but it must continue to evolve to provide more value to farmers and companies and ensure that people and nature can thrive in harmony.

That's why the Rainforest Alliance launched its new Certification Program, which entered into force in July 2021. The Sustainable Agriculture Standard, along with its assurance and technology systems, are data-powered, and based on the principles of continuous improvement, risk-based assurance, contextualization, and shared responsibility. This is how we can deliver more value to the two million farmers and thousands of businesses that use Rainforest Alliance certification to drive more sustainable agricultural production and responsible supply chains.

At the heart of the Rainforest Alliance

The certification program is part of the Rainforest Alliance’s strategy to drive sustainability at scale in the sectors in which we operate through interconnected interventions supporting certification, tailored supply chain services, landscapes and communities, and advocacy.

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What We're Working On

Strengthened Cocoa Certification Program

Key priorities of our cocoa strategy are assurance, shared responsibility, supply chain transparency, and profitability and resilience.

Risk Maps for Risk Management

How we have tailored the implementation and verification of standards requirements on child labor and forced labor to the risk exposure of each farm.

Shared Responsibility

Our shared responsibility approach aims to distribute benefits and costs of certification more evenly between farmers and companies.

Ready to Get Started?

Begin your journey of certification with the Rainforest Alliance.

Additional Resources

Find An Authorized Certification Body

Rainforest Alliance certification is carried out by our authorized certification bodies. Find an authorized certification body in your county.

Help Center

All resources for Certification

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Certification cost transparency tool

As outlined in the rules for Certification Bodies in the Cocoa Policy 2.0, Certification Bodies must comply with cost transparency requirements. The tool is a template which enables the Certification Body to break down the total certification cost and share it with Certificate Holders. It is mandatory for all certification offers made to farm Certificate […]

Guidance
May 7, 2021

Guidance for the Certification Cost Transparency Tool

This guidance contains detailed instructions to complete the certification cost transparency tool. The tool is mandatory for all certification offers made to farm Certificate Holders by Certification Bodies in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.

Guidance
May 7, 2021

Stakeholder Consultation Letter

The Stakeholder Consultation Letter explains the process of a stakeholder consultation previous to an audit, when it is considered there is high risk of child labor, forced labor, freedom of association or labor rights violations. We request that the Certification Bodies consult stakeholders that are relevant to the matter to best understand the local context.

Guidance
April 20, 2021

Guidance G: Yield Estimation

Accurate estimation of crop yields is important for the agronomic, entrepreneurial, and environmental benefits of the farm. Reliable harvest estimation enables producers and group managers to become better farm managers, helps guide in adopting sound agricultural practices, and brings transparency to the supply chain. In addition, having accurate numbers on certified volumes is essential for […]

Guidance
April 8, 2021