What's New in Version 1.1 of the Standard?
The Rainforest Alliance just published version 1.1 of the certification program.
The Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program defines our long-term vision for the future, and the path required to get us there. The Sustainable Agriculture Standard, along with its assurance and technology systems, are designed to 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.
If you have any questions, please contact us at customersuccess@ra.org. Certification Bodies can contact us at CBcert@ra.org.
The Farm Requirements of our new Sustainable Agriculture Standard are designed to help farmers protect the landscapes where they live and work, while offering an enhanced framework to improve their livelihoods and advance the human rights of rural people.
The Sustainable Agriculture Standard’s Supply Chain Requirements aim to foster transparency and responsible business practices among companies from farm to shelf.
An important aspect of the program is the collection and verification of credible, useful data and compliance evidence. These documents provides the rules and guidelines for assurance:
Documents and tools to help understand and implement the program.
The Rainforest Alliance just published version 1.1 of the certification program.
The program’s publication is followed by a carefully planned roll-out phase to help all stakeholders learn about the new standard and systems.
This Transition Tool provides the processes for certificate holders of the 2015 UTZ Certification Program and/or 2017 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program wishing to be certified under the our new 2020 Certification Program.
In line with the approach advocated by the Accountability Framework Initiative—and other leading environmental NGOs— our 2020 Certification Program not only prohibits deforestation but also the destruction of all natural ecosystems, including wetlands and peatlands—meaning more land will be protected.
Instead of a standalone climate chapter or requirement, the 2020 Certification Program is now inherently oriented towards climate-smart agriculture with a focus on adaptation and resilience. The relevant climate-smart aspects are now embedded throughout the new standard’s Farm Requirements.
The Rainforest Alliance’s sustainability certification is evolving, with the publication on June 30 of a new program with more robust criteria, measurement, and impact featuring several key innovations.
The Rainforest Alliance’s improved certification system will adopt an “assess and address” model, which goes much further than a simple prohibition approach in its ability to drive change on human rights. Read this position paper to learn more about the “assess and address” model.
The Audit Allocation system is a new approach that Rainforest Alliance will implement in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana from June 2020 to strengthen assurance of our certification system.