White Paper

Protecting Against Forced Labor and Other Forms of Modern Slavery in Agricultural Supply Chains Through Rainforest Alliance Certification

Our 2020 Certification Program—published June 30, 2020, and mandatory for audits beginning July 1, 2021—adopts an “assess-and-address” approach to tackling human rights issues such as forced labor, which will not be tolerated on certified farms or in companies.

Rather than imposing a simple prohibition, which often drives the problem underground, the “assess-and-address” approach goes much further by requiring that specific measures are in place to identify and mitigate labor risks, to monitor them on an ongoing basis, and provide meaningful remediation.