The Rainforest Alliance invites cocoa farmers, cooperatives, companies, traders, certification bodies, civil society organizations, governments, and other stakeholders in the cocoa sector to participate in the public consultation on the proposed Sustainable Agriculture Standard-Cocoa (SAS-Cocoa).
This consultation is a key step in the standard development process and aims to ensure the proposed standard is practical, globally applicable, and responsive to the evolving challenges facing the cocoa sector.
Why are we developing a cocoa-specific version of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard?
In 2025, the Rainforest Alliance streamlined the requirements of our Sustainable Agriculture Standard (SAS) to make them more accessible and easier for farmers to implement. Now, we are taking the next step by developing the Sustainable Agriculture Standard-Cocoa (SAS-Cocoa), a certification solution tailored to the evolving needs of cocoa farmers and supply chain actors.
Our commitment to robust requirements remains unchanged. The goal is to create a more focused and nuanced standard that supports cocoa farmers, their communities, and supply chain actors in building more resilient, productive, and transparent cocoa supply chains.
Key elements of the proposed standard:
A streamlined, cocoa-specific certification solution that brings together existing cocoa requirements into a single, crop-specific standard, making implementation and verification clearer and more efficient.
A stronger focus on cocoa-sector challenges, including farm and group management, farmer support systems, traceability, geodata, deforestation, human rights risks (notably child labor and forced labor), livelihoods, and sustainable agricultural practices, such as soil health and integrated pest management.
Alignment with evolving regulatory and market expectations, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and European Union Forced Labor Regulation (EUFLR), the Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo), and the African Regional Standard 1000 (ARS 1000).
Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) assurance module
In addition to the proposed cocoa standard, the consultation covers a Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) assurance module. This is an optional add-on to the standard designed to help organizations strengthen the effectiveness, credibility, and transparency of their efforts to tackle the urgent and complex issue of child labor in cocoa supply chains.
Consultation Documents
Please download the following documents before submitting your comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How to Submit Feedback
Complete the online questionnaire below
General Survey
Survey Producers
Survey Supply Chain Actors
Survey Certification Bodies
Consultation timeline
Augus 11 – October 13, 2026: First consultation window
August 11, 2026: Global stakeholder webinar. Register for the webinar here.
August—September: In-person consultation sessions across key cocoa-producing countries
December 2026—January 2027: Second consultation window
First half of 2027: Publication of standard and summary of stakeholder feedback
If you have questions about the consultation process, please contact: