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      • 2020 Certification Program

        Designed to deliver most value to the farmers and companies that use Rainforest Alliance Certification
        LEARN MORE

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      • WHY CERTIFICATION

        Considering getting certified? Learn how Rainforest Alliance certification can help people, nature, and your business.
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Home » Business » Certification

Certification

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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.

Learn more

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


Help Center

FAQ: 2020 Farm Requirements

A detailed FAQ about the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard Farm Requirements.
Learn More
Help Center

FAQ: 2020 Supply Chain Requirements

A detailed FAQ about the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard's 2020 Supply Chain Requirements.
Learn More
Partner Update

Early Feedback on the New Certification Program: Kyagalanyi Coffee Shares Their Implementation Experience

Find out what Ugandan coffee exporter, Kyagalanyi Coffee, had to say about the new program—from the improvements to the challenges.
Learn More
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Organizational Updates

Learnings from the Field: Finca Esmeralda and the Future of Certified Bananas

After teaming up for an early implementation pilot of our strengthened certification program, both Finca Esmeralda and the Rainforest Alliance took away learnings that will contribute to a more sustainable banana sector.
Learn More

All resources for Certification


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Policies and rules

Policy on changes to certification and auditing rules for audits in the transition year

This policy describes the changes to ensure consistent implementation of the Certification and Auditing Rules across the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program during the Transition year.
View: Policy on changes to certification and auditing rules for audits in the transition year

Published on May 16, 2022
Available in: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, French

Topics: 2020 Certification ProgramAssurance SystemBinding DocumentsCertification

Policies and rules

Adjusted Timelines for the Transition and Full Certification Cycles of the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program

The Adjusted Timelines for the Transition and Full Certification Cycles of the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program have been introduced to further support certificate holders to transition
View: Adjusted Timelines for the Transition and Full Certification Cycles of the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program

Published on May 10, 2022
Available in: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Turkish, Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, German

Topics: 2020 Certification ProgramBinding DocumentsCertificationFarm CertificationSupply Chain Certification

Policies and rules

Policy: New Certificate Holders During the Transition Period For the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program

Rainforest Alliance has established a one-year period with special, transitory rules intended to facilitate a smooth transition from the UTZ and 2017 Rainforest Alliance Programs into the new 2020
View: Policy: New Certificate Holders During the Transition Period For the 2020 Rainforest Alliance Certification Program

Published on May 10, 2022
Available in: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, French

Topics: 2020 Certification ProgramAssurance SystemBinding DocumentsCertificationFarm CertificationSupply Chain Certification

Sell Sheet

Improving Farmer Food System Resilience through Climate-Smart Agriculture

A key aspect of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is helping farmers to improve farm productivity, thus achieve higher incomes and improved standard of living.  Our four main interconnected areas of
View: Improving Farmer Food System Resilience through Climate-Smart Agriculture

Published on May 5, 2022
Available in: English

Topics: 2020 Certification ProgramCertification

Forms and Templates

Deforestation Inconsistency Registry

This document is for Certification Bodies to register inconsistencies found in the field during the audit by comparing field observations and the risk assessment results provided by the Rainforest
View: Deforestation Inconsistency Registry

Published on May 5, 2022
Available in: English, French

Topics: 2020 Certification ProgramAssurance SystemBinding DocumentsCertificationCôte d’IvoireGhana

How to Use Our Certification Program’s Online Portals

As we are developing our certification program, we currently have multiple systems in place for labeling, licensing, and traceability. To ensure clarity for all company partners we work with, we’ve created a quick guide to the various platforms and portals you may use as a certificate holder.[Read more...]

Published on May 3, 2022

Topics: CertificationSupply Chain Certification

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