How Much Does Rainforest Alliance Certification Cost?

The Rainforest Alliance reviews its royalty rates annually to ensure they keep pace with inflation and allow us to maintain the quality, credibility, and impact of our certification program.

Following the first adjustment in 2024 after many years without an increase, royalty rates will now be updated annually, where needed, to reflect inflation. This approach helps avoid large, infrequent increases by introducing smaller, more predictable adjustments over time.

The updated royalty rates will take effect on October 28, 2026. All transactions confirmed in our traceability platform from that date onward will be charged at the updated royalty rate.

The royalty rates in effect until October 27, 2026 remain available in the royalty rate overview above.

In November 2026, your company will begin to receive invoices which reflect our updated royalty rates for all transactions confirmed from October 28, 2026 in our traceability system.

Royalty rates are reviewed individually for each crop. Adjustments depend on factors such as when a royalty rate was last introduced or updated, and the application of the Rainforest Alliance’s annual inflation adjustment process.

Where no adjustment is shown for a crop, the existing royalty rate will remain in effect until a future review.

We believe that sustainability is the responsibility of the entire supply chain and each party needs to honor their responsibilities. By having a transparent and simple volume-based fee, the participation royalty is a cost that can be shared and discussed openly as part of trade negotiations.

Our volume based royalty rates are charged only once in the supply chain. The royalty charge has been placed in the middle of supply chain in most cases and is generally set at the point where the original certified farm product is blended or transformed into processed products.

The Rainforest Alliance is a non-profit organization with a mission to transform agricultural practices, supporting biodiversity conservation and promoting sustainable livelihoods. We use standards and certification as a key mechanism to achieve this. As such, we incur costs that arise from developing standards and policies, managing the certification scheme, maintaining databases, and measuring the impact of certification.

At no additional cost to companies, we also provide marketing support, validate certification claims, and raise public awareness of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal in the marketplace.

We believe that all parties buying and selling certified products are beneficiaries of the very comprehensive Rainforest Alliance certification system and want to continue promoting sustainable farming and sustainable value chains. In most cases, the royalty charge has been placed in the middle of supply chains to support market pull and enable the scale up of sustainable production of certified products at source. It is generally set at the point where the original certified farm product is blended or transformed into processed products, hence breaking up the original traceability reference – a critical control point in the Rainforest Alliance Certified supply chain.

The Rainforest Alliance mission is best served with increased demand for sustainably grown agricultural products. Placing the royalty charge at the end of the supply chain would have meant significantly higher charges, a barrier to entry and would have kept the system niche. This format has allowed for the Rainforest Alliance to go mainstream, enabling truly transformational large-scale commitments to sustainable sourcing.

Non-payment will disrupt future ability to buy, sell or label any products Rainforest Alliance Certified. If your supplier continues to fail to pay invoices the company will lose the right to sell Rainforest Alliance Certified products and you will no longer be able to use the seal on your packaging or accompanying materials. If you intend to use the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal on your packaging, or make claims on products coming from Rainforest Alliance certified farms, you and your suppliers must have up-to-date declarations of volumes of products sold and purchased from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Non-payment will disrupt future ability to buy, sell or label any products Rainforest Alliance Certified. If your supplier continues to fail to pay invoices the company will lose the right sell Rainforest Alliance Certified products and you will no longer be able to use the seal on your packaging or accompanying materials. If you intend to use the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal on your packaging, you and your suppliers must have up-to-date declarations of volumes of products sold and purchased from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Royalty levels are usually set at around 1% of the FOB price for the commodity traded. But at the Rainforest Alliance we are aware that bananas carry different margins than other added value products. That is why the royalty levels for banana and also fresh fruit are set at a lower percentage than other Rainforest Alliance Certified traded commodities.

The products that qualify as “Key Herbs & Spices” are Pepper, Ceylon Cinnamon, Chili Pepper, Oregano, Coriander, Paprika, Cardamom, Dill, Clove, Parsley, Thyme, Laurel/Bay Leaf, Rosemary, and Tarragon.

In the “Other Herbs & Spices” category fall all other herbs, spices and herbal tea ingredients, that do not fall into the other categories, including Rooibos, Nutmeg and Cassia.