FAQ: New Solutions

Yes, the solutions will have different pricing associated.

For our Core solution, the costs associated are determined on a case-by-case basis and only after initial partner consultations.

For our Advanced solution (our certification program), as with previous versions of our standard, farmers do not pay anything to the Rainforest Alliance. Payment is made for audit services to the certification body of their choice. Please note that the Rainforest Alliance does not regulate these costs.

For companies, the royalty fees associated with Rainforest Alliance traceable volumes will not change with the launch of version 1.4 of our standard. Additionally, for seals associated with our new specialized standards, the specific pricing systems will be flexible, allowing companies that opt for multiple programs the freedom to choose the seal(s) and claims that work best for them..

The finalization and launch of the specialized standards and Gold solution will occur sequentially, beginning with the roll-out of the specialized regenerative agriculture standard in 2025 and followed by our other solutions.

At present, our focus is on final preparations for the launch of version 1.4 of our standard. To support this goal, we are working across teams to develop and align training materials and supporting communications, troubleshoot and strengthen the technical roll-out of the new RACP—including pilot testing with select certificate holders—internally socialize and educate on key changes and updates within version 1.4.

While we understand that any transition can come with a few bumps in the road, we’ve got all hands on deck to support the upcoming transition to version 1.4, with the goal of identifying and resolving foreseeable pressure points so that we can better support certificate holders across the supply chain before the first audits begin in 2025.

We’ve made version 1.4 of our certification program more user-friendly and streamlined, removing unnecessary complexity to make it our most farmer-centric version to date. Taking input from our continued conversations with certificate holders, legislation and regulatory developments, and our own research and experience, we have honed this latest version of our standard and strengthened our data-driven approach. Through it, the Rainforest Alliance will continue to serve our millions of existing farmers and companies while welcoming new participants.

What does simpler mean? For one, it means refining our requirements without losing rigor. After conducting an in-depth review of both farm and supply chain requirements, we’ve taken out those criteria which haven’t been shown to add sufficient value for certificate holders  or companies, or support them with the improvement information they need. Concretely, we’ve slimmed down our farm requirements by a third and our supply chain requirements by even more.

We’ve also simplified data collection by removing data points that weren’t adding value for farmers or companies, and by taking steps to improve data quality. By honing in on fewer and clearer data points, version 1.4 should provide higher-quality, more actionable metrics for actors across the supply chain, including those data points which are frequently requested by partners.  

Additional measures have also been put in place to lower the resource burden required for internal inspections and audit preparation—and, to support certificate holders who consistently meet or exceed the requirements of our standard, the latest version of our Certification Rules and Auditing Rules has also introduced steps to reduce the audit burden for lower risk producers who have demonstrated continued strong performance over time.

Finally, as new sustainability and due diligence legislation comes into force across the EU and other nations, we’ve evolved our standard to ensure farmers and companies retain market access for certified products and are supported in meeting these growing expectations.

*A full list and explanation of what is changing in 1.4—including which data points—will be provided in the upcoming article We’re launching version 1.4 of our Sustainable Agricultural Standard – here’s what’s changing.

It’s true that there is a lot changing as we move to version 1.4 of our standard, but it’s also important to note that many things will stay the same. For one, our standard remains risk-based and farmer-focused, and continues its pioneering approach to key human rights and environmental topics. This means key criteria, including our Assess-and-Address approach, grievance mechanisms, restriction on ecosystem conversion, and others will remain in version 1.4.

Where we are changing, it is in response to our conversations with certificate holders throughout the last several years, our experience and research, and growing legislative requirements. As such, version 1.4 will be our most farmer-centric standard yet.

For companies, version 1.4 will provide a simplified and more user-friendly journey while remaining risk-based and management-focused. All traceability options currently available under 1.3 will continue to be available with the launch of 1.4. We are not taking away any traceability options.

In addition, the royalty fees associated with use of the frog seal will also remain the same under version 1.4 of our standard.

*A full list and explanation of what is changing in 1.4 will be provided in the upcoming article We’re launching version 1.4 of our Sustainable Agricultural Standard – here’s what’s changing.

No. The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard has been remodeled to ensure we remain a best in class certification standard. It  will maintain the pioneering approaches and tools—from Assess-and-Address systems to risk maps—that have shown to lead to significant farm-level impacts. Our standard will also continue to support authorized claims and safeguard partner reputations. Through it, we remain committed to the ISEAL Code of Compliance and to maintaining the integrity.

Our goal is to make the transition to version 1.4 of our standard simple and clear for already certified operations farmers . Companies currently certified by the Rainforest Alliance will not need to reapply for certification nor re-begin the certification process. Auditing against version 1.4 will happen in alignment with current auditing cycles for all crops.

In designing version 1.4 of our standard, we have paid special attention to maintaining rigor and improving data quality while reducing the burden on certificate holders of implementing certification.

By removing requirements that didn’t add value to farmers or companies, we’ve slimmed down both the farm and supply chain requirements significantly (notably, we have not removed key criteria that relate to essential human rights and environmental issues). We’ve also reduced the number of data points that certificate holders need to collect. These two updates alone should significantly reduce the burden of implementation.

We’ve also introduced a number of changes aimed at reducing the resource burden on producers throughout the certification cycle. For example, we’ve removed unnecessary restrictions on internal inspections and allowed their spread across the certification cycle.

In the future, we also plan to reward high performing, low-risk certificate holders by reducing the required sample size for surveillance audits. Through these changes, version 1.4 of our certification standard and the latest version of our Certification and Auditing Rules are designed to be our most streamlined and user-friendly to date.

We would like to clarify however, that the Rainforest Alliance does not regulate the cost of audits, as they are determined by independent certification bodies hired to conduct the audits.

No, we do not anticipate this will be the case. The design of the specialized standards is informed in part by conversations with partners seeking to differentiate themselves beyond ‘the little green frog,’ and seeks to present those standards as complements to our already robust program.

Further, as we begin the launch of our new seals, the Rainforest Alliance will also embark on a journey across sectors to grow market demand in parallel with sourcing possibilities. This will include working closely with farmers and companies and encouraging supply chain actors to support farmers in achieving the certification that works best for all partners.

We are also looking into diverse traceability options including Book and Claim that may better facilitate supply and demand balance and enable companies to both access thematic claims and support farms that are investing in their associated good practices.

Yes. Each of the Rainforest Alliance standards— the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, in addition to the standards focused on climate, livelihoods, and regenerative agriculture will offer key data points to support compliance with legislation including EUDR and CSDDD. The Rainforest Alliance has embedded these within each of our standards, giving partners freedom to choose the standard that works best for them. Further, for EUDR specifically, all standards can be accompanied by our EUDR add-on.

We would also like to note that for non-certificate holders and partner companies that also source non-certified volumes,  the Rainforest Alliance can support their EUDR compliance efforts with our Deforestation Risk Assessment Tool, which will launch soon.

No. Each of the four standards has been designed to function as an independent, robust, and stand-alone certification program. This means that for both farmers and companies, there is freedom to adopt either our Sustainable Agriculture Standard, a specialized standard, or multiple standards simultaneously.

While offering the opportunity for companies and farmers to stand out, each of our standards share a base set of approximately 90 criteria. These set a core baseline for sustainability and offer compliance data to support compliance with key sustainability regulations and objectives. Having a set of base criteria across standards also means that for farmers who opt to implement more than one of our standards, the additional effort required for implementing standard-specific criteria is minimized and auditing against each additional standard can occur with minimum additional time and resource allocation.

It is important to note that we will only begin launching our specialized standards  in 2025. For upcoming audits, certificate holders will either be audited against version 1.3 or 1.4 of our standard. The decision of which standard audits occur against will depend on where the certificate holder is within the auditing cycle at the time version 1.4 is launched.

In addition to the classic Sustainable Agriculture Standard, companies will soon be able to choose to adopt one (or all) of three new specialized standards in regenerative agriculture, climate, and livelihoods. Each of these standards will be optional and can function as an independent, stand-alone certification program.

What’s the same across all four standards is a set of around 90 base requirements. These requirements help establish strong management practices and set the foundation for a risk-based sustainability journey. They ensure that key human rights and environmental topics are addressed and support compliance with ESG reporting requirements and key legislation including EUDR and CSDDD.

Within each standard, there are also additional, standard-specific requirements. By choosing the seal that works best for them, companies will be able to stand out from competitors and distinguish their brand as more sustainable, regenerative, climate-conscious, and/or producer-centric. They will also be able to transparently report on ambitious ESG requirements.

For farmers, each of the specialized standards includes training in sustainability practices that often increase farm productivity, tools to improve working conditions, and increased access to markets that value sustainability.

At present,  each of the specialized standards, in addition to version 1.4 of our Sustainable Agriculture Standard, has been designed for implementation either independently or as complementary to one another. Rigor has been maintained across standards through a foundational set of approximately 90 base requirements which are the same throughout all versions, ensuring compliance with key human rights and environmental topics. Each specialized standard provides both farmers and companies the freedom to select one or multiple standards and follow the sustainability journey that is most suitable for them.

Yes, if a company implements more than one standard, they will be able to use the applicable seal of their choosing. They may also decide to use a specialised seal – either in addition to the ‘little green frog’, or independently with other specialized seals. This freedom aligns with our discussions across partners in addition to our own market research.

While royalty costs are yet to be determined for each of the specialized standards and for the use of multiple seals simultaneously, the royalties associated with frog seal will remain the same in the transition from version 1.3 to 1.4.

As with all previous versions of our standard, farmers will not pay the Rainforest Alliance a fee. This is true for both version 1.4 of our standard and our specialized standards. Where resources are allocated, it is in payment to for audit services to the certification body of their choice or in making necessary investments to comply with standard criteria. For farmers choosing to implement one of our specialized standards, any additional costs are therefore associated with implementation and auditing of the additional criteria covered by the specialized standard—this means the additional criteria (approximately 30 for each standard) which go beyond the base set of 90 criteria running through all standards.

The Rainforest Alliance does not regulate the costs of audits.

For company partners, an additional royalty fee will be incurred for use of a specialized standard.