Since its founding in 1987, the Rainforest Alliance has pioneered a comprehensive transformation across the industries that most impact our environment -- farming, forestry and tourism -- and successfully engaged the support of consumers around the world to protect the forests and ecosystems that are essential to our future. This report incorporates numerous impact studies to demonstrate how the spread of sound land-use practices and the development of sustainable supply chains have begun to arrest the tide of destruction and lay the groundwork for a better future.
Over 120,000 cocoa farms in 11 countries have achieved Rainforest Alliance certification, covering an area of nearly 500,000 hectares (1.24 million acres), and with recent commitments by Unilever, Mars, Kraft and others to source Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa, these numbers are almost certain to increase. The program’s exponential growth has prompted the Rainforest Alliance to take a step back and examine how certification has affected farmers’ livelihoods, families, communities and environments.
A 12-member Steering Committee composed of international business and civil society leaders and academic experts released this state-of-knowledge assessment that describes what is known and what is most important to learn about the performance and potential of voluntary standards and certification. The Rainforest Alliance, ISEAL Alliance, RESOLVE and the Soil Association were among the NGOs that participated in the process.
For 25 years, the Rainforest Alliance has worked to arrest the major drivers of deforestation and environmental destruction. In our 2011 Annual Report, we provide a comprehensive overview of our on-the-ground work and detailed financial information. Click on the image below to browse the interactive version, or download the PDF below that.
