Overview of the Rainforest Alliance Certification

1. Introduction to Rainforest Alliance Certification and Landscapes

Welcome to Rainforest Alliance. Whether you manage a single farm, coordinate a group of farms, or work along the supply chain for certified products, this manual along with others located on Knowledge Hub are your guide to understanding the Rainforest Alliance, its ecosystem of online platforms, and how to engage with its Certification Program and other offerings.

First, we will introduce MyRA, the Rainforest Alliance’s central digital portal. It is your single point of access to the full ecosystem of Rainforest Alliance offerings. Through MyRA, you will register your organization, manage your team, and access key services such as:

The Certification Platform (for applying and preparing for audits)
The Claims Platform (for using the Rainforest Alliance seal)
The Traceability Platform (for managing product flow)
The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

Everything starts in MyRA, and from there, you can gain access to the right services based on your organization’s role and goals.

2. What is The Rainforest Alliance Certification?

The Rainforest Alliance Certification Program is a sustainability assurance system that helps drive positive change in agriculture and supply chains. It aims to improve livelihoods, advance human rights, and protect biodiversity.

Certification supports responsible business practices. When you participate, you are part of a global alliance working for a world where people and nature thrive together.

The Rainforest Alliance Certification Program includes:

Certification for Farms – for farmers and forest communities committed to sustainable practices
Certification for Supply Chain Organisation– for companies that buy, handle, or sell Rainforest Alliance Certified products

If you want to find more information about how to get certified, you can look at these articles:

MyRA Quick Start for all Users
MyRA User & Organisation Management
Getting Certified as a Farm
Getting Certified for Supply Chain Organization

3. Key Parties Involved with Certification

Several key actors play a role in the certification process. Each has a defined place in the system, with specific responsibilities and access to the Rainforest Alliance online platforms.

As part of your journey as a Certificate Holder while setting up your organization in MyRA, you will be asked to select all the relevant functions or activities that your organization performs within the Rainforest Alliance system.

Read further below for more detailed information about each party involved.

Certificate Holders (this includes prospective applicants)
1. Farms
Supply Chain Organizations
Certification Bodies
Third Parties
1. Design Agencies
2. Trainer Partners

3.1 Certificate Holders

3.1.1 Farm Organization

Are those organizations engaged in farming activities that contribute to estimated volumes. May operate as a single farm, multi-farm, or a farm group.

Farm Certificate Holders include:

Individual farms
Groups of farms managed by a central entity
Farm management companies operating across multiple locations

Whether you’re applying for the first time or maintaining your certification, you are treated as a Certificate Holder within the Rainforest Alliance system.

Certificate Holders are responsible for implementing and maintaining the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard within their operations. They play a key role in preparing for certification, ensuring ongoing compliance, and managing all related processes.

Certificate Holder responsibilities include:

Providing farm and site data
Uploading geolocation files (polygons)
Completing self-assessments and indicator data
Coordinating with your Certification Body for audit preparation and follow-up

3.1.2 Supply Chain Organizations

Supply Chain Organizations are companies that manage certified products throughout the supply chain, from trading and processing to manufacturing and final sale.

This includes:

Traders
Manufacturers
Processors

They are responsible for the movement and integrity of certified products after they leave the farm and play a key role in maintaining traceability and chain of custody.

As a Supply Chain Organization Certificate Holder, you’re responsible for:

Defining your certification scope
Providing site and activity information
Managing traceability
Completing self-assessments and indicator data
Working with a Certification Body or going through the endorsement process, if eligible

3.2 Certification Bodies

Certification Bodies are independent, authorized organizations responsible for evaluating whether farms and supply chain organizations meet the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance standards. They play a central role in verifying compliance, conducting audits, and issuing certification decisions.

Certification Bodies operate regionally. Based on the location of your operations, the platform will present you with a list of eligible Certification Bodies that you can engage with as part of the certification process.

You will interact with a Certification Body throughout your certification journey, from application and audit preparation to corrective actions and renewal.

Certification Bodies are responsible for:

Review your submitted data and documentation
Conduct remote or on-site audits
Provide findings and guide corrective actions
Make certification decisions based on your level of compliance

3.3 Third Parties

Third parties are external partners who support Certificate Holders with specific tasks inside the MyRA platform.

This may include:

Design agencies develop packaging, branding, and marketing materials for food products on behalf of client organizations
Trainer Partners visit Certificate Holders on site and assist them with using the Rainforest Alliance systems

Note: Third parties are not Certificate Holders themselves. However, they can be granted platform access through delegated roles by the main Certificate Holders.

4. How MyRA Platform Facilitates the Certification Process

When you begin your certification journey, everything starts in MyRA. It is the Rainforest Alliance’s central portal for engaging with our range of sustainability services, including certification.

From registering your account to building your organization profile, MyRA gives you access to everything you need in one place: certification, traceability, and claims. As you move through key steps, like submitting your application, preparing for your audit, or entering farm data. MyRA guides the process and helps you stay on track.

Behind the scenes, MyRA seamlessly connects with specialized tools that manage specific parts of the journey. You won’t need to manage separate logins or platforms. MyRA keeps everything connected, secure, and easy to navigate.

What MyRA does:

Facilitates the creation of your organization’s central profile
Allows an Administrators to manage users and roles
Provides access to the full range of Rainforest Alliance sustainability services
Guides you through key foundational actions for engaging with services
Connects you to specialized modules for submitting and reviewing data relating to services

You may notice different screens or layouts as you engage with various services but that is just MyRA helping you complete the required tasks using the right tools. Whether you’re submitting data or confirming your scope, everything stays connected to your MyRA profile and organization.

Note: If you ever feel unsure about where you are in the certification process, just return to your certification dashboard through MyRA or refer to the set of user manuals on Knowledge Hub. They will guide you and indicate your next steps at any point in the process.

5. MyRA User Manuals

To help you navigate the MyRA online system and the Rainforest Alliance services we have developed User Manuals as your step-by-step guide. Whether you’re applying for certification for the first time or managing your annual renewal, these manuals are here to help you succeed at every stage.

Each user manual is tailored to a specific party:

Certification for Farms
Certification for Supply Chain Organizations

6. European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

6.1 EUDR and How it Relates to Rainforest Alliance

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is a new European Union law aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation linked to global supply chains.

Starting December 30, 2025, companies placing certain commodities on the EU market (or exporting them from it) must prove their products have not contributed to deforestation or forest degradation after December 31, 2020.

If your organization works with cocoa or coffee, you will be automatically assessed against Rainforest Alliance’s EUDR-aligned requirements during the certification process.

This assessment is:

Mandatory for all coffee and cocoa Certificate Holders
Based on the same data collected during certification (e.g., farm location, crop data, and deforestation risk)
Automatically carried out in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) – no separate EUDR application is required

Non-compliance with EUDR-aligned requirements will not lead to decertification. However, all coffee and cocoa Certificate Holders must undergo the assessment.

You cannot opt out of being assessed against these requirements if you work with cocoa or coffee, but you can opt out of sharing your EUDR-related data externally.

7. Glossary of Rainforest Alliance Terms

The table below lists the most frequently used terms and abbreviations and their significance for working with RACP. Understanding these terms is necessary to accurately complete your registration.

See also our online glossary, for an explanation of the terminology you will find within the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program's documents and tools.

7.1 Glossary of General Terms

Term	Definition
Farm organization	Engaged in farming activities that contribute to estimated volumes. May operate as a single farm, multi- farm, or a farm group.
Supply Chain Organization	Any non-farming organization that manages certified products throughout the supply chain, from trading, processing, manufacturing, to final sale.
Central Management Location (CML)	Location where most of the management activities take place. This includes the management of the processes and procedures needed to become and remain certified.
Certificate Scope	A set of activities, processes, actors, and products covered under the certification of a certificate holder.
Certification Overview	Section in the RACP where a Certificate Holder can submit the information on their 'certificate scope'.
Certification Profile	The page in RACP where a Certificate Holder can submit the information on their 'certificate scope'.
Site	A geographically separate entity belonging to a Farm or Supply Chain Organization where a specific number and type of operations are conducted.
Subcontractor	An organization or individual contracted to carry out one or more specific operations on the certified products, for example, processing, storing, packaging, and/or labelling products.
Sublicensee	One Legal Agreement can cover multiple entities called sublicensees. Permitted sublicensees inherit the rights and obligations of the Legal Agreement signed by your organization.
Farm	All land and facilities used for agricultural production and processing activities under the geographical scope of the farm applicable for Rainforest Alliance certification. A farm may be composed of several neighbouring or geographically separate farm units within one country, provided that they are under a common management body. All farm units falling within this geographical scope must comply with the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard, including both crops to be sold as certified and other crops.
Producer	A person (either male or female) who owns and/or operates an agricultural enterprise, either commercially or to sustain him or herself or his/her family.
Audit	A formal, third-party evaluation conducted by an approved Certification Body to assess whether a Certificate Holder complies with the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program. The audit process may include document reviews, site visits, worker interviews, and verification of farm or supply chain data. Audits are required for most Certificate Holders and are a key step before certification can be granted or renewed.
Geodata Risk assessment	GIS tool developed by the Rainforest Alliance to identify the risk of deforestation and encroachment into Protected Areas, which in turn, could jeopardize the compliance with the standard requirements and the expected sustainability outcomes.
Retail/ Brand owner	Sells or markets finished food products under a brand name to consumers, in stores, markets or online (excl. manufacturing/processing activities)
Design Agency	Develops packaging, branding, and marketing materials for food products on behalf of client organizations.

7.2 Glossary of Farm Terms

Term	Definition
Single farm	This certification option applies for farms with an independent organizational structure, where management and all activities take place at a single physical location. This farm will be certified individually. Most farms in this category will be large farms; however small farms may also be certified under this option. Please note that even with single farm certification, a management site still needs to be added to your organization scope and your certification scope.
Multi-farm	This certification option is for two or more farms owned or rented by the same person or organization, that want to get certified together. If the farms are not owned or rented by the same person or organization, they can be certified together under the group of farms certification option, or each farm can be certified individually under the single farm certification option.
Geolocation data	Data that identifies the geographic location of farms and boundaries of farms, farm units, and other facilities of the Rainforest Alliance Certificate Holders. Geolocation data is represented by coordinates generally collected through Geo Positioning Systems (GPS) mapping using either individual location points (including envelopes) or polygons which define the full boundaries of the relevant area.
Group of farms	This certification option is for farms that are not owned or rented by one organization but do implement a common management system. The group can be organized as an association or cooperative or be managed by a farm or other supply chain organization such as an exporter. This type of certification is most appropriate for small farms that do not have the means to get certified individually. However large farms may form or be part of a group.
Group Management	The entity that signs the certification agreement with the Rainforest Alliance accredited certification body and takes responsibility for the development and implementation of the group’s internal management system and all member farms’ management systems. The group management is responsible for assuring member farms’ compliance with the Standard.
Group Member Registry (GMR)	A binding template that allows Farm Certificate Holders, especially those under group certification, to upload relevant data from their internal inspections around their group members to the RACP in preparation for their audit.
Indicator	Quantitative or qualitative data included in the standard to measure and monitor the changes connected to the improvement requirements, or to assess the reach and output of the organization related to core requirements. The certificate holders are requested to report yearly on the applicable indicator data.
Large farm	All farms with 10 or more permanent workers.

7.3 Glossary of Supply Chain Organization Terms

Term	Definition
Multi-site	A supply chain organization that does not have farming in the scope of its Rainforest Alliance certification and has an identified central location under which two or more sites are operating.
Subcontractor	An organization or individual contracted to carry out one or more specific operations on the certified products, for example, processing, storing, packaging, and/or labelling products.
SCRA	As a part of the assurance system, data is collected through the Supply Chain Risk Assessment (SCRA) which is embedded in the registration and profile completion process. The SCRA evaluates the potential risks of an organization’s operations on individual site level in order to determine the type and frequency of verification required.
Verification level	The verification level is the result of the Supply Chain Risk Assessment (SCRA) and defines the type, intensity and frequency of verification that is required.
Endorsement	An alternative pathway to certification available to eligible Supply Chain Organizations whose role presents lower risk within the supply chain. Instead of undergoing an audit, these organizations can be endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance based on their declared activities and scope. Endorsement grants certified status and access to certification services (e.g., traceability), but without the need for a formal audit by a Certification Body.