Getting Certified as a Supply Chain Actor

1. Getting Started with Certification for Supply Chain Actors

Once your organization is setup and the pre-requisite steps (Let's Get Familiarized Section; General Information, Organization Structure and Sites tiles) have been completed on your MyRA dashboard. The pre-requisite setup inputs can be found in this section of the MyRA dashboard only visible to the Organization Administrators (MyRA Admin), as below. The status tags are either shown as “To do” or “Completed”.

Note: If the certification tile still appears locked, make sure you complete the pre-requisite steps and assign the certification role by following the “MyRA Quick Start for all Users” guide.

If you complete the process, you will notice the Certification tile is now “Unlocked”. You can begin your certification journey by clicking on the arrow icon on the “Certification” tile in the dashboard.

Note:  Please make sure that an Administrator of the account indicates a Certification Administrator in the Organization structure tile before accepting the Certification Terms & Conditions. If you want to know how to do this process, please follow the section 3, Getting Started with MyRA for All Users

1.1 Accepting Certification Terms & Conditions

Before beginning the certification process, you will be prompted to review and accept the Certification Terms & Conditions if you wish to proceed with any certification-related services.

These terms relate specifically to your use of the online platform that support the certification system.

They describe:

• How your organization may access and use the platform

• Responsibilities for secure login and appropriate use

• System availability and what happens if your access is suspended

On this screen, review the agreement carefully. Once you are ready, check the box next to the agreement and click “Sign Up” to confirm.

You will then be taken to your Rainforest Alliance Certification Dashboard, where you can begin completing the tasks required for certification.

1.2 MyRA Certification Overview

Your Certification Overview page is designed to guide you step by step through the certification journey.

Each “tile” represents a specific task or set of requirements you will need to complete along the way. Tiles include short descriptions to help you understand what is expected and what actions to take.

This guide will walk you through each step.

1.2.1 Registration Section

Landing on the Certification Overview page you will find the various sections of tiles where your input is required, starting with the “Registration” section.

Here, your task is to review and verify that all information relating to the organization structure and sites is accurate. If anything has changed or needs correcting, now is the time to update it.

Follow the steps below to confirm your registration information and proceed with certification.

1.3 Review Your Organization Structure

1.3.1 Review Organization Structure

The person selected for Certification Administrator will receive automatic emails from New RACP along certification journey. Ensure the legal representative is correct and the number of workers is accurate.

Note: to add a legal representative and/or certification administrator, the person will need to already be a member of the account. MyRA Administrators can invite new members to the account via the "Organization" Tab; steps outlined in MyRA User & Organization Management Guide.

A worker is a person who performs labor in return for a monetary amount. A worker encompasses all types of persons working irrespective of their contractual status, such as permanent, temporary, seasonal, migrant, piece rate workers, documented, undocumented, as well as hired through a labor provider, persons in training, group management staff, including interns and apprentices, and also persons temporarily absent from a job or enterprise at which they recently worked for illness, parental leave, holiday, training, or industrial dispute

Once the information is reviewed you can click on the “Finish” button.

You will be returned to the MyRA dashboard, simply click the “Certification” tile again to access the Certification Overview page and continue.

1.3.2 Review and Confirm Sites

The next step in your certification journey is to review and confirm the sites linked to your organization.

From your Certification Dashboard, click on the “Sites” tile. This opens the Sites page, where you will see a list of any sites already entered by the organization administrator.

What is a Site?

In the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program, a site is referred to as any physical location where certification-related activities take place.

This may include:

• A headquarters or office

• A processing or packing facility

• Any location where certified products are stored, handled or interacted with

Every certified organization must register at least one site, and one of them must be designated as the Central Management Location (CML), the site responsible for overseeing and managing certification activities. The CML will be designated by a star on the sites page.

Note: If your organization only has one site, it will automatically be marked as the Central Management Location (CML). If you have multiple sites, you can assign the CML by checking the box on the General Information page when entering or editing a site.

How to Add and Manage Sites

On the Sites page, you can:

• Add a new site by clicking the “+ Add Site” button in the top right corner

• Edit any existing site by clicking the pencil icon next to it

• Delete an existing site

Each site will require you to provide general information such as:

• Name

• Address

• Country and location details

Add Crops to a Site

Once the general information is saved, you will need to ensure that each site has at least one crop associated with it.

1. Click the “+ Add crop” button

2. In the pop-up, select the applicable crop from the drop-down list

3. Enter the required details about your activities related to that crop

These fields vary depending on the type of crop selected.

Repeat this process to add all relevant crops or crop variant for the site.

Varieties cannot be edited once a crop has been created. If you wish to change the variety, you will need to delete the crop and create a new one with the correct Variety. However, you can still edit the activities and traceability levels for a crop.

If you have multiple varieties of the same crop, create an individual crop for each variety.

When you have finished creating or editing sites you’ll be brought back to the Sites overview page and when you click “Leave” you’ll be redirected to the MyRA Dashboard. Simply click on the “Certification” tile to go back into the Certification overview page. The sites tile should now display a tag “Completed”.  

Now that the site data has been captured ready to move on to the next step – completing your Supply Chain Risk Assessment.

1.3.3 Signing a License Agreement with the Rainforest Alliance

Note: if you have already signed a License Agreement you can skip the following subsection.

License Agreement

The License Agreement grants your organization the right to participate in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program and to use the Rainforest Alliance name and trademarks under specific conditions.

By signing it, your organization agrees to:

• Comply with the Binding Documents, which include the License Terms and Conditions, applicable standards, rules, and policies.

• Make use of the Rainforest Alliance trademarks only upon approval on the Claims platform

• Notify Rainforest Alliance of any misuse or infringement related to its trademarks

• Comply with relevant trade control laws, and cooperate fully with Rainforest Alliance if needed

• Pay royalties or fees if applicable, based on your business model and product transactions

You can proceed with signing the License Agreement by opening the License Agreement tile.

This will lead you to the License Agreement page in the Organization tab. Click on the “Sign a License Agreement” button to review the document.

You may then check the box confirming you agree with the content of the License Agreement and submit. This agreement can be accessed at any time through the Organization tab.

Signing the License Agreement is a mandatory requirement for certification. Without it, your certification process can't be finalized, and the certificate can't be awarded.  

If you have questions about your License Agreement, you can get in touch with Customer Success at customersuccess@ra.org  

Now that the License Agreement has been signed, move on to the next step – completing your Supply Chain Risk Assessment.

2. Application for Certification for Supply Chain Actors

Note: Please ensure you follow the steps below in sequence, i.e do step 2.1 before proceeding with remaining steps.

2.1 Complete the Supply Chain Risk Assessment

You must now complete a Site Supply Chain Risk Assessment for each of your listed sites.

This step ensures that key site-specific risks are documented for evaluation ahead of the certification process via endorsement or audit.

How to Complete the Supply Chain Risk Assessment:

1. From MyRA dashboard, click on the Certification tile.

2. In the Certification overview page click on the “Complete Certification Scope” tile.

3. You will be presented with the Terms and Conditions for the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP). Review the Terms and Conditions and accept them by checking the box and then clicking on the “Sign up” button.

4. From there you will be directed to the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) Dashboard.

5. In the Dashboard, click on the “Sites” tab in the top navigation bar.

6. You will see a table displaying all the sites linked to your organization.

7. For each site, click the “page” icon on the left side of the row; this will open the Site Data page.

8. In the top navigation bar, select the “Site Questions” tab.

9. You will now see a list of “Site Certification Questions” related to supply chain risk and operational context.

10. Use the dropdown lists to select the most appropriate answers for each question related to the site.

11. Once all the answers are answered, click on "Save and Close". Repeat this process for every site listed under your organization.

All questions for each site must be completed before you can proceed to finalize your Certification Scope.

Once the supply chain risk assessments are completed for each site and saved, you can continue with the next step: Signing a License Agreement with Rainforest Alliance

2.1.1 Risk Level For Sites

The risk level for each site is automatically generated once all site-specific questions have been completed. After submitting your responses and completing the Scope Form, the calculated risk level will appear at the bottom of the Site Questions page.

(It may take approximately an hour instead of 1-3 weeks)

Once the Site Questions are completed for each site and saved, you can continue with the next step.

2.2 Completing the Certification Scope

Your certification scope defines:

• The sites and activities you are certifying.

• The products or crops you handle.

• The traceability levels applicable to your operations.

• The estimated annual volumes you are handling annually.

This information will be shared with your selected Certification Body if you qualify for an audit and will form the foundation for the audit planning and quotation.

Step 1: Open RACP

From the MyRA Dashboard click the “Certification” tile to access the Certification overview page

Locate the Application section and click the tile labelled “Complete Certification Scope”.

After clicking “Complete Certification Scope” you will be directed to the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) where you will be logged in automatically provided you have the Certificate Role assigned to your profile in MyRA.

Step 2: Complete the Certification form

In the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP):

• Go to the “Certification Preparation” section

• Click on “Certification Scope”

• A form will open, displaying several sections on the right-hand side already pre-populated with the data you inputted from MyRA (e.g., your sites, crops, and activities).

Note: Do not alter the pre-filled data, if there are any corrections in the data to be made please contact Customer Success at customersuccess@ra.org. Changes here could affect the accuracy of your certification information.

• Review all fields. Make sure everything is accurate.

• Action Required: You must fill in the “Threshold” column in the Crops table, indicating whether your organization handles above or below the volume threshold for each crop, as indicated in the threshold table included in the certification scope form. This includes all crop volumes that are Rainforest Alliance-certified and non-certified that are handled by your organization. You can refer to the volume threshold guidance here.

It is important to note that there is a confirmation selection box in the questionnaire. This should be checked as "Yes" if applicable. Provide an answer to the questions based on the activities performed by your organization in relation to Rainforest Alliance Certified crops.

If you answered “No” to any of the questions in the Certification scope the small icon on the right-hand side of the panel will display as a red “X”. Sections that have been answered with “Yes” will display a green “Check” mark.  

• When complete, click “Save and Validate” at the top of the form.

• If information is missing in the Certification scope form a red warning block will appear indicating what information is missing. By clicking on the message, you will be led to the question you are asked to answer.

• If everything is correctly completed, a green confirmation message will appear.

• Next, click “Submit form” at the bottom right.

• On the next page, enter any comments if you have any, and confirm that your information is truthful by checking the box, finally complete by clicking the

  “Submit” button.

Note: If you need to re-do your Scope Form, please contact customer success at customersuccess@ra.org.

How Certificate Holders Can Register for Regenerative Agricultural Certification 

If you are a Certificate Holder handling coffee and want to extend your scope to include the Regenerative Agricultural Standard (RAS), you can do this via your Certification Scope form.  Please follow the steps outlined below. 

Scenario 1: Certificate Holders who have not submitted the Certification Scope form yet.

• Step 1: Complete the Certification Scope form 

Follow the steps in 2.3 above to find your Certification Scope form.  When filling out the information, you will see the question: 

“Are you interested in being certified for Regenerative Agriculture Standard?”   

Please note that currently this question and option is available only in the Certification Scope form of Certificate Holders handling coffee. Select Yes. 

Scenario 2: Certificate Holders who have already submitted their scope forms 

If you have already submitted a Certification Scope form but would like to add Regenerative Agriculture Standard to your scope:  

Reach out to our Customer Success team at customersuccess@ra.org requesting the creation of a new Certification Scope form. 

Once you receive a new Certification Scope form, complete it by selecting  Yes as an answer to the question “Are you interested to be certified for Regenerative Agriculture Standard? . Your organization will now be successfully enrolled in the Regenerative Agriculture Standard.

2.3 Certification Pathway

After submitting your Certification Scope, this will be processed. This may take approximately 60 minutes.

Once the processing of your Scope is complete, you will receive an email from Rainforest Alliance titled “Certification Scope Submission Confirmation" confirming your certification pathway and providing you the steps to follow based on the risk ratings:

Audit (Risk level B-C) or Endorsement (Risk level A).

For a detailed description of the Supply Chain Risk Assessment and how the relevant pathway is determined, please refer to the “Certification Process & Timelines” manual.

The process for you to follow for both pathways is described in more detail in the sections below.

2.3.1 Certification Through Audit

If your organization receives a supply chain risk level of B or C, you qualify for the Certification path via Audit.

This involves:

• Completing the Certification Application Form (CAF)

• Contracting with an authorized Certification Body

• Undergoing an external audit to verify compliance with the requirements of our Standards.

• Receiving a Certificate upon successful verification

This certificate confirms that your operations meet the Rainforest Alliance certification standards and allows use of the Rainforest Alliance trademarks.

For detailed instructions, please go to the section “3. Apply for New Certification with Audit”.

If you have questions about the pathways or risk levels you can reach out to Customer Success at customersuccess@ra.org

2.3.2 Certification Through Endorsement

If your organization receives risk level A, you qualify for the certification path via Endorsement.

In this case:

• You will complete a Self-Assessment based on the Sustainable Agriculture Standard

• Rainforest Alliance will review your submission internally

• If the information cannot be fully verified, you may be redirected to the Audit route

• If approved, you will receive a Certificate for Endorsed Companies; this Endorsement Letter affords the organization with the same rights and responsibilities under certification as the Certificate does.

The Endorsement formally confirms your compliance with Rainforest Alliance Standards against which you are assessed, enabling you to trade certified products and use the Rainforest Alliance trademarks where applicable.

For a more detailed description of getting certified through Endorsement you can go to the section “4. Apply for new certification with Endorsement” below.

If you have questions about the pathways or risk levels you can reach out to Customer Success at customersuccess@ra.org

2.3.3 How to Proceed with Certification

Once you receive email with information and checked RACP for level:

1. Log in to MyRA portal and enter the Certification overview page

2. Go to the “Application” section of your Certification Dashboard

3. Use the toggle button underneath to select either Audit or Endorsement, this will show you what the next steps to take are based on the path you qualify for.

4. Follow the relevant steps displayed to proceed with your certification

3. Contracting & Certification with Audit

Note: Only follow the steps in this section if you received verification level B or C, which means an audit will be required. If you are eligible for Certification through Endorsement (risk level A), you can skip ahead to that section.

3.1 Application and Contracting

The Certification Application and contracting with a Certification Body are closely linked in the sense that the application form contains the data relating to scope that the Certification Body uses to quote you for the audit.

3.1.1 Process Overview

Below is a high-level overview of the steps involved in choosing a Certification Body and applying for certification. Be sure to note which actions take place within the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) and which are handled off-platform. A detailed step-by-step guide can be found in the next section.

1. Complete the Certification Application Form (CAF) (in RACP)

   • Finalize and submit your CAF to summarize your certification details.

2. View the list of authorized Certification Bodies in your region (in RACP)

   • The CAF will display a list of Certification Bodies (CB) eligible to perform an audit in your region and for your scope (crop, activity).

3. Select and contact a Certification Body (off platform)

   • Review the available Certification Bodies listed in the CAF and reach out to the chosen one(s) via phone or email, you can check the information by looking the Find An Authorized Certification Body.

4. Agree on a quote and sign a contract (off platform)

   • All pricing discussions and contract agreements take place directly with your chosen Certification Body.

5. Return to the platform to initiate a Handshake (in RACP)

   • Once a contract is in place, log back into MyRA with your credentials and navigate to the RACP to initiate the Handshake and give the Certification Body access to your certification data.

3.1.2 Complete and Submit the Certification Application Form (CAF)

If you receive risk level B or C, the next step is to complete the Certification Application Form (CAF). This form consolidates all your organization’s information completed in the platform from MyRA (General information about Sites and Organization) & RACP (CAF questions) into a structured summary for Certification Bodies to review and use during the quotation and audit planning process.

Step 1: Access the CAF

If your CAF PDF is not generating or shows incorrect/blank data, contact Customer Success for a temporary template to avoid audit delays. Ensure it matches your MyRA data.

• Log into the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) using the “Fill in Certification Form” tile in MyRA. If you are already logged in the RACP ignore this step.

  

• From the Dashboard, locate the “Certification Preparation” section

• Click on the row titled “Certification Application Form”

• 

Step 2: Complete the Form

You will now be directed to a questionnaire-based form with fields that require responses.

• Scroll through the form to review and update the required fields:

  • Year in Cycle: Indicate which year your organization is currently in within the certification cycle.  

  • What type of audit are you applying for? Specify whether you are applying for a certification audit (initial audit) or a surveillance audit (a follow-up audit in subsequent years).  

  • Is this a combined audit? State whether the planned audit will cover both the Sustainable Agriculture Standard (SAS) and another certification standard at the same time.  

  • Are you also currently certified for other certification schemes? Indicate if your organization holds certification under any other standards, such as Organic, Fairtrade, or similar schemes.

  • What is the travel time in hours from the central office to the site?

    Indicate the number of hours it takes to travel from your organization’s central management office to each site included in your certification scope.

  • What is the average travel time in hours between sites located in the same region? Provide the average time it takes to travel between sites that are within the same geographical region.

Regenerative Agriculture Note:

If your scope includes the Regenerative Agriculture Standard, kindly note that the Certification Application Form (CAF) will contain extra questions specifically related to this standard. However, these questions are marked as "FOR FARMS ONLY", so you do not need to respond to these questions. 

• When ready, click “Save and Validate” in the top task bar.

• Any outstanding fields or questions will be highlighted in red to you, simply click the red warning bar and it will show you the fields to complete.

If all information is entered correctly, you will see a green confirmation message that everything is in order. As below:

Then click “Submit Form” button at the bottom right of the page to finalize your application.

Enter any additional comments applicable to your Certificate Application, then check the Confirmation box and click “Submit” again.

Step 3: Download Your CAF Document

After submitting the CAF, you can download it from the Documents tab. Please note that it will not be available in the same section where you submitted it.

After submitting, return to your RACP Dashboard and go to the “Documents” menu.

There, you will find a downloadable PDF titled “Rainforest Alliance Certification Application”, This document compiles all the information you have submitted and will be helpful during the quotation phase with Certification Bodies.

• Click and Check the box on the left of the line to select the document

• Then, click the “Download” icon in the top right task bar

  Note: for less steps you can also click the download button in the row of the document.