Implementing Version 1.4 - What You Need to Know Now

On March 3, 2025, we launched version 1.4 of our Sustainable Agriculture Standard on the Knowledge Hub.

This streamlined version of our standard will become binding on October 1, 2025,  bringing considerable improvements for both our farm and supply chain Certificate Holders.

As of March, we’ve also introduced a Simplification Policy for version 1.3. This means that both current and new Certificate Holders can start benefiting from some of the changes, like fewer requirements and reduced internal inspections, even before version 1.4 becomes binding. Find more information about this and the Knowledge Hub below.

How to apply the Simplification Policy

The Simplification Policy is available on the Knowledge Hub. It clearly outlines which requirements from version 1.3 will no longer apply as well as which policies remain in place.

To make implementing the Simplification Policy even easier, we’ve updated the Certificate Holder self-assessment checklist in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP).

• Certificate Holders must first re-confirm their scope in RACP. This will enable Certification Bodies to view the updated checklist in RACP, and Certificate Holders to take the optional step of checking which requirements no longer apply to them.

• Certification Bodies can then use RACP to manage the process of applying this checklist to upcoming audits.

• For Certificate Holders that have already been audited, non-conformities based on “not mandatory” requirements will no longer need to be closed.

• For audits planned against version 1.3 before October 1, 2025, any requirement marked as “not mandatory” will no longer need to be complied with by Certificate Holders, nor audited by Certification Bodies.

The Knowledge Hub: Your go-to place for version 1.4 content

Version 1.4 of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard, along with its supporting documents and the Certification and Auditing Rules, have been published on the Knowledge Hub. Many of you already use this platform, and we’re consolidating all certification-related documents there to make content easier for you to find. While the version 1.3 documents will still be available on our website for now, we’ll transition everything to the Knowledge Hub over time. Don’t worry—we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.