The Rainforest Alliance has unveiled its 2020 Certification Program after years of hard work and collaboration. The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make the responsible business the new normal.
The NGO builds an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.
The Country Director for Rainforest Alliance Ghana, Mr. Kwame Osei, expressed that the broader strategy of the Rainforest Alliance includes three interventions; Landscapes and Communities, Advocacy, and Tailored Supply Chain Services in addition to Reimagining Certification.
Mr. Osei said Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program defines their long-term vision for the future.
The Country Director explained that the new standard, assurance system and related data and technology systems are designed to deliver more value to the many people and businesses around the world that use Rainforest Alliance certification as an essential tool to support sustainable agricultural production and supply chains.
‘As experts in sustainable agriculture, we recognize that this is the time to “Reimagine certification” as we know it’ he added.
He added that Reimagining Certification is part of Rainforest Alliance’s wider strategy to drive sustainability at scale in the sectors in which they operate through interconnected interventions supporting certification, tailored supply chain services, landscapes and communities, and advocacy.
He mentioned that at the beginning of July 2021, certificate holders at the farm level will only be required to comply with the core requirements of the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Standard.
“Following successful audits, certificate holders will receive a transition certificate that is valid for one year; this will give more time to implement the full set of 2020 standard requirements,” he said.
He said that this year will be counted as the first year of the full-scale three-year certification cycle, which requires annual surveillance audits.
He explained that the new program would build on 30 years of certification experience and incorporates input for more than 1,000 people in nearly 50 countries, representing over 200 organizations, from farmers, companies, and NGOs to governments and the research institutes.
“We want to say thank you to all members of our alliance who have contributed to these key steps of our journey to a more sustainable world,” he said.
Story by: Reuben Quainoo.
