Restoring soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem function is an urgent priority for farmers, businesses, and global economies. The new Rainforest Alliance standard aims to accelerate these efforts.
New York, 23rd September 2025
On Sept 8th, the Rainforest Alliance unveiled its new Regenerative Agriculture Standard for farms meeting a comprehensive set of requirements[1]. Nespresso will be the first brand to source certified regenerative coffee, with one of the initial coffees coming from Yamileth Chacón’s farm in Costa Rica. Additional farms in Costa Rica and Mexico have also received certification and will soon bear the new regenerative seal. The seal will begin appearing on Nespresso’s coffees starting in 2026.
The threat of climate change to coffee is clear: rising global temperatures cause erratic weather events and enables pests and diseases to proliferate. 33% of the Earth soils are already degraded and over 90% are likely to become degraded by 2050[2]. But there is an opportunity for agriculture to help restore nature’s essential functions while improving farmers’ livelihoods. This is what regenerative agriculture is all about. What’s more, regenerative practices such as planting shade trees can actually enhance the quality of fine arabica[3], which is particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuations and disrupted rainfall patterns.
Yamileth Chacón, a coffee farmer from Costa Rica, said“With regenerative agriculture, you can see a change. By working with the trees, you see more foliage, more green, and more animals.”
For nearly 40 years, the Rainforest Alliance has partnered with farmers, companies, and communities around the world to advance sustainable agriculture. The Rainforest Alliance’s brand awareness covers the globe, with 1 in 3 consumers saying they are familiar with the brand in the United States, and 5 out of 6 in the UK. More than 50% say they are more likely to trust a product with the Rainforest Alliance’s green frog seal (IPSOS, 2025).
In recent years, the organisation has worked with farmers, partners, and experts to develop its new Regenerative Agriculture Standard. Initially available for coffee, the standard aligns with international and local requirements for environmental labels. The new certification seal is designed to help companies and farmers measure regenerative outcomes, build climate resilience, and stand out in a fast-changing regulatory and consumer landscape.
Santiago Gowland, Rainforest Alliance CEO, said: “Rooted in four decades of experience in sustainable agriculture, our new Regenerative Agriculture Standard combines scientific rigor with proven regenerative practices tailored to specific crops and regions. Our goal is to accelerate the transition to a new model of agriculture — one that helps protect, restore and regenerate the ecosystems on which we all depend. The new seal will help consumers support this transition by identifying certified products from farms adopting regenerative methods. For farmers, it offers recognized external validation for their efforts, greater market access, and enhanced value for their coffee—while supporting a more resilient future for both people and nature.”
The Rainforest Alliance has an ambitious vision to support 100 million farmers and workers by 2030 with more sustainable livelihoods and regenerative practices.
Nespresso is the first coffee brand to source Rainforest Alliance Certified Regenerative coffee.
Nespresso has already come a very long way when it comes to implementing regenerative practices at scale. For more than two decades, Nespresso has built relationship with coffee farmers across the world to protect the nature and life in landscapes where coffee is grown and to strengthen communities’ resilience.
The first Nespresso coffees to bear the new regenerative seal will go on sale in 2026.
Jérôme Perez, Head of Sustainability Nespresso, said: “We’re proud to be the first brand to source Rainforest Alliance Certified Regenerative coffee. It’s a symbol of our commitment to building balanced, resilient, yet productive landscapes within our supply chain, which is essential if we’re to protect the future of the world’s quality coffees and the communities which depend on them. I hope this consumer-facing seal will encourage other brands to support coffee farmers in a wide-scale regenerative transition, while also enabling consumers to become more aware of the benefits of purchasing products sourced from farms that have implemented regenerative agriculture practices”
Nespresso’s purchase marks an important milestone in the partnership with Rainforest Alliance which began more than 20 years ago when the Rainforest Alliance co-created the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program. In 2022, Nespresso supported the Rainforest Alliance to create the Rainforest Alliance Regenerative Coffee Scorecard, which created a framework for smallholder coffee farms to transition to regenerative agriculture practices and laid the foundation for the new standard.
About Nestlé Nespresso SA Nestlé Nespresso SA is a pioneer and is widely regarded as one of the top references in the field of high-quality portioned coffee. The company works with more than 168,550 farmers in 18 countries through its AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program to embed sustainability practices on farms and the surrounding landscapes. Launched in 2003 in collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Alliance, the program helps to improve the yield and quality of harvests, ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality coffee and improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities.
In 2022, Nespresso achieved B Corp™ certification – joining an international movement of over 9,700 purpose-led businesses that meet B Corp’s high standards of social and environmental responsibility and transparency.
Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 96 markets and has over 14’000 employees. In 2024, it operated a global retail network of 818 boutiques. For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website: www.nestle-nespresso.com.
About the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organization, works to restore the balance between people and nature for both to thrive in harmony. Active in 62 countries, its alliance brings together farm and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals to drive positive change in some of the world’s critically important landscapes and global supply chains. The Rainforest Alliance implements landscape and community projects, engages in advocacy, and works to improve markets by putting farm and forest communities at the centre. In 2024, the Rainforest Alliance partnered with nearly 8 million farmers and workers and over 7,850 companies. Millions of consumers around the world can find the Rainforest Alliance seal on more than 40,000 of their favorite products. To accelerate the speed and scale of its impact the alliance wants to reach 100 million farmers and workers by 2030.
[1] Regenerative Agriculture Certification | Rainforest Alliance
[2] https://www.fao.org/about/meetings/soil-erosion-symposium/key-messages/en/
[3] (PDF) Effects of shade on growth, production and quality of coffee (Coffea arabica) in Ethiopia