A Fact Sheet on the Rainforest Alliance Seal

What are the key areas of focus?

• Sustainable agriculture: Promoting sustainable, ecological practices to improve land management
• Protection of tropical ecosystems and their biodiversity
• Promoting producer independence, including increasing incomes through productivity gains

What are the certification criteria?

The “Standard for Sustainable Agriculture” is divided into 10 so-called principles comprising a total of 101 criteria. To achieve certification, at least 50% of the criteria within each principle and at least 80% of all criteria must be met. In addition, 23 critical criteria have been defined that must be met in all cases.

What are the audit cycles?

Initial certification is valid for 3 years. During this period, 5 types of audits are conducted: two regular audits (the certification audit and the annual audit) and three irregular audits, which may also be unannounced. After 3 years, the certification cycle begins again.

What are the costs?

The cost of initial certification is approximately €2,250 and varies depending on the certification body selected. In addition, annual membership and administrative fees must be paid to the FSC. For coffee, an additional $0.015 per pound of green coffee is charged once it is traded on the world market. It is the coffee importers, not the coffee farmers, who are responsible for paying this membership fee. The costs for recertification (3-year cycle) are partially covered by buyers.

What are the criticisms of UTZ?

RFA label, even if only 30% of the product’s ingredients are certified

For a product consisting of only one ingredient (e.g., coffee), the following applies: If at least 30% of that ingredient comes from certified producers, the label may be used with the qualifying statement “30% certified coffee.” Additionally, there is an obligation to increase this percentage by 15% annually. However, 100% must be achieved after 5 years. This “light” version of the seal compromises transparency, as exceptions exist. Furthermore, up to 10% of non-certified coffee is permitted, meaning that even with 90% certified coffee, the standard 100% seal can still be used. Although there is a requirement that 100% must be achieved over time, viewed critically, the 10% threshold can be exploited at the outset, as certified and non-certified beans are mixed during roasting.

“Ecological” Is Not the Same as “Organic”

Although sustainable agriculture is a key focus of the RFA/SAN system, products from organic farming are subject to far stricter regulations. For example, RFA-certified farms may use agrochemicals if necessary. The criteria for organic farming are also legally mandated. On a positive note, however, this distinction is addressed in the FAQs on the RFA website.

“Mainstream Sustainability”

The RFA seal is used primarily by large corporations (e.g., Starbucks, Nestlé, Tchibo, Kraft Foods, Unilever). RFA-certified products are portrayed in the media as particularly sustainable, socially responsible, and fair. However, given the freedom to negotiate purchase prices (e.g., for green coffee), purchasing certified coffee from a major supplier does not automatically result in significantly higher selling prices for coffee farmers. The RFA and SAN do not actively participate in price negotiations. The price is regulated by the market and thus remains at the global market level. Large corporations donate money to the RFA/SAN specifically for the media presentation of the RFA seal. It’s also worth taking a look at the financial statements to get a better picture: While approximately 30% of expenditures were allocated to the “sustainable agriculture” category in 2011, this figure had dropped to only about 19% by 2013. One thing simply won’t work: fair-trade, organically grown, high-quality products at a low price.

Fair trade?

RFA/SAN are committed to protecting biodiversity and improving agricultural practices. Nevertheless, trading practices and structures (such as price negotiations for green coffee) remain largely untouched. Furthermore, the RFA/SAN system indirectly favors medium-sized and large producer associations.

What is the relationship between salespeople and producers?

SAN employees are in regular contact with local producers. Salespeople selling the products in Europe, on the other hand, generally have no need to contact producers in Southern countries.