Rainforest Alliance
| Rainforest Alliance | |
|---|---|
|
|
| legal form | 501 (c) organization |
| founding | 1987 in New York, USA |
| founder | Daniel Katz |
| Seat | New York & Amsterdam |
| main emphasis | Standards for agricultural practice and for responsible business conduct |
| Managing directors | Han de Groot |
| sales | US $ 70,000,000 |
| Employees | 450 |
| Members | over 2,000,000 agricultural producers, 5,000 companies (2019) |
| Website | www.rainforest-alliance.org |
The Rainforest Alliance is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1987 that works at the interface between trade, agriculture and forestry. According to its own statements, the Rainforest Alliance's certification program pursues the goal of continuously improving the participating companies towards more sustainable agriculture through social, economic and ecological standards. The headquarters of the organization is in New York City , the European representation is in Amsterdam . Additional branches are located in Indonesia, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala and the USA. The organization publishes standards for agricultural practice and for responsible, entrepreneurial action in the supply chain to respect human rights, secure income, preserve biodiversity and protect the climate. Companies that obtain certification against compliance with these standards can apply for their commitment with the Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ seal of approval .
Working method
The Rainforest Alliance strives to transform the entire market through the four fields of activity certification, political commitment, individual projects and individual industry solutions. The income from certification is used to fund agricultural training programs.
Training programs
By working with local agricultural societies, government or private educational institutions, consultancies and producer groups, Rainforest Alliance's expert advisors help growers achieve better harvests, adapt to climate change, increase productivity and improve working conditions.
Certification
The certification takes place primarily for products that are grown in tropical agriculture, including: a. Coffee , cocoa , bananas , citrus fruits , nuts, flowers and spices as well as tea . The organization also offers the SmartWood program for forestry . The designation "Rainforest Alliance Certified" (in German " Rainforest Alliance Certified") can be found on a number of products in the food trade and gastronomy . The seal of approval shows a green frog, which is modeled on the red-eyed tree frog . The audits are carried out by accredited, independent testing organizations. The certification scheme is monitored by the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL).
In principle, more than 90 percent of the content of a product must be certified in order to be allowed to use the seal of approval without any additive. Unlike other organizations, products bearing the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal must source at least 30% of their content from certified farms. If only this percentage is achieved, this must be clearly stated on the packaging. In addition, the purchasing company is obliged to increase the share to 100% as soon as this is possible, in which case the seal may be used without any addition.
Certifications:
- Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ for the sustainable cultivation of crops
- Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ for forestry products
The organization advertises its seals of approval as follows:
“The Rainforest Alliance seal stands for a better future for people and nature. Human rights must be respected on certified farms - they should be a safe place to work and live for all employees. The producers receive special training on topics such as gender equality and how to avoid child labor and discrimination. The Rainforest Alliance works to improve the living conditions of farm owners and workers, for example by supporting producers in more sustainable cultivation methods. As a result, they achieve higher crop yields, have lower costs and can better adapt to the consequences of the climate crisis. Certified producers also actively contribute to environmental protection, for example through the careful use of natural resources, the use of less artificial fertilizers and pesticides, and waste avoidance. You will also receive training courses on how to preserve protected forest areas and thus biodiversity. "
engagement
The organization acts on legislators and industry standards through professional and technical cooperation in political bodies, non-governmental organizations, industry associations, producer groups and consumer representatives. The work includes engagement in dialogue with governments, municipal associations and trade unions in the producing countries, as well as providing scientific advice to the Federal Government and the EU Commission.
Merger with UTZ
In June 2017, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ announced their intention to merge, and in January 2018 the merger was legally completed. The organizations merged in recognition of their similarities in strategies against deforestation, climate change, species loss, systemic poverty and social injustices. The new organization under the name Rainforest Alliance is starting to expand significantly, using the combined expertise and shared experience in a broader presence in the market in order to meet the challenges in the regions of origin.
In July 2017, the Rainforest Alliance published a new certification standard.
criticism
The organization is accused of not having sufficiently strict standards, of being close to the industry and of helping corporations maintain their image . For financial contributions and small improvements, they would receive a seal of approval for advertising and public relations .
As a result, the seal of approval only gives the appearance of ecological or fair trade products. In contrast to actual fair trade, there is neither an agreed minimum price nor premium payments for producer organizations that could be used to improve living conditions in local communities or to improve business efficiency. It is only expected that participation in the certification program will enable producers to obtain better prices on the free market. The standards of the Alliance demanded only the payment of the national minimum wage, the part not a living wage are. In order to participate, farmers must pay for auditing and administrative expenses.
Oxfam , the Ecuadorian trade union ASTAC and other organizations investigated the working conditions on pineapple and banana plantations in Ecuador and Costa Rica. In 2016 the results were published in the study Sweet Fruits, Bitter Truth . The report also negatively mentions farms that are certified by the Rainforest Aliance according to the standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). The organizations then initiated an audit.
Research by ZDF on some tea plantations in the Indian state of Assam found in 2017 that the standards were not being complied with and insufficiently monitored.
Web links
- Official website for consumers
- Official website for companies
- Official website English
- Ethical Corporation: Special Reports - Ethical certification - Sustainability with a rich aroma ( Memento of March 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (English, comparison of the Rainforest Alliance with other certifications)
- Three seal of approval and code systems compared with certified fair trade (PDF; 479 kB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Rainforest-alliance.org
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ ethicalconsumer.org
- ↑ Rainforest Alliance: Use of Seal Guidelines (PDF; 712 kB)
- ↑ Consumer Initiative e. V .: Federal Association of Critical Consumers
- ^ Rainforest-alliance.org
- ^ Rainforest-alliance.org
- ↑ [2]
- ^ Rainforest Alliance: The Rainforest Alliance and UTZ to Merge, Forming New, Stronger Organization. June 6, 2017, accessed June 12, 2020 .
- ^ Han de Groot: Together Rainforest Alliance and UTZ will be a more powerful force for positive change. Ethical Corporation, January 12, 2018, accessed June 12, 2020 .
- ^ Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard , Version 1.2, July 2017.
- ↑ Why chocolate giants rely on politically correct cocoa , Spiegel.de, January 3, 2010
- ↑ Human rights: Oxfam criticizes fraudulent labeling in supermarkets . Zeit Online , May 31, 2016; accessed on June 1, 2016
- ↑ Rainforest Alliance website ( Memento of the original dated February 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Sweet fruits, bitter truth. May 31, 2016, accessed July 25, 2017 .
- ^ Investigations of certified fruit plantations in Ecuador and Costa Rica. Retrieved July 24, 2017 (American English).
- ↑ Boiled off - the bitter business with tea. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 11, 2017 ; accessed on October 11, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
