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 the Let's Get Familiarized section, only visible to the Organization Administrators (MyRA Admin), as below. The status tags on the tiles are either shown as “To do” or “Completed”.

Note: Note: If the certification tile still appears locked, make sure you complete the pre-requisite steps and assign the certification role by following the Getting Started with MyRA for All Users”.

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.

Note: Please make sure that an Administrator of the account (MyRA Admin) indicates a Certification Administrator in the “Organization structure” tile before accepting the Certification Terms & Conditions. If you want more information on this process, please follow section 3, Getting Started with MyRA for All Users

1.1 Accepting Certification Terms & Conditions

After clicking on the arrow in the Certification tile and 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 Certification Overview, 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 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 as 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.

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/or 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 first before the Certification scope form.

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.

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

Step 2: Complete the Certification form

1. 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.

• 2. Review all fields. Make sure everything is accurate and aligned with the scope in MyRA.

• 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. To support the estimated calculation of volumes for some crops, you can use our Volume Calculator"

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. Kindly ensure that the answers align with the answers you provided in MYRA and to the site questions.

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 realized that the information submitted is inaccurate and you need to re-do your Certification Scope Form, please contact our Customer Success Team 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 assessed for compliance with the Regenerative Agriculture Standard during your audit. 

2.2.1 Risk Level For Sites

2.2.2. Overall Risk Level of your Organization

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 upon official approval via the Claims platform.

For detailed instructions, please go to the section 3, “Contracting and Certification with Audit”.

If you have questions about the pathways or risk levels you can reach out to our 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 affords the organization with with the same rights and responsibilities under certification as the Certificate obtained through Audit 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 our Customer Success at customersuccess@ra.org

2.3.3 How to Proceed with Certification

Once you receive email with information and checked the Certification platform to know your risk level

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

2. You will now land in the Certification Overview

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 risk 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 (CBs) 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. (Skip this step if there is already a correct one registered in the system)

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 Certification 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. You can answer with actual calendar year eg 2026

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

  • Is this a combined audit? State whether the audit will cover both the RA Standard and any other certification scheme at the same time. 

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

  • 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 location to each site included in your certification scope. If you registered only one site, please answer 0. 

  • 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. If you registered only one site, please answer 0.

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.

Note: If any information is incorrect or needs to be edited, please contact our Customer Success team at customersuccess@ra.org

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 form”, This document compiles all the information you have submitted and will be necessary for the Certification Body to prepare a quotation and plan the audit.

• 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

  

3.1.3 Selecting an authorized Certification Body (CB)

Once you have submitted your Certification Application Form (CAF), the next step is to select a Certification Body to engage with for quotes to perform the audit.

Your CAF contains a list of authorized Certification Bodies, but you can also find additional information and contacts in our report Find An Authorized Certification Body article.

You may request quotes from several Certification Bodies and contract with the one that best fits your needs.

Steps to engage with a Certification Body:

• Find the contact details of the Certification Bodies, you can search for them in this section of the Knowledge Hub.

• Share your CAF with them to request a quote based on your certification scope.

• You and the selected CB will handle all pricing discussions and contractual agreements directly, outside of the platform.

• Once the contract is in place, you will return to the platform to initiate a Handshake and formally connect with your Certification Body.

3.1.4 Complete the “Handshake” with Certification Body

Once you have signed a contract with your preferred Certification Body outside the platform, the next step is to register this agreement inside the platform. This process is known as "Handshake."

The handshake is a critical step that enables secure data sharing between your organization and the Certification Body. Without completing this step, your selected Certification Body cannot access your application or begin planning the audit.

Handshake Process

Note: If you already have a handshake and need a Certification Body transfer, please follow section 6.

1. Certificate Holder Initiates Handshake in RACP

   • You are responsible for initiating the handshake in the platform. This grants your selected Certification Body access to your organization’s profile and Certification information.

2. Contract Confirmation by Certification Body

   • Once the handshake is initiated, the Certification Body will get access to your data and can begin reviewing the information you have submitted so far.

3. Audit Preparation

   • With access to your profile, the Certification Body can prepare for your audit, using accurate data and documentation provided through the platform they will create and Audit Order – this confirms the contracting is in place in the system and blocks the ability to change certification bodies for the specified years, in accordance with the Certification and Auditing Rules for Supply Chain.

Step 1- Initiate the Handshake

Follow these steps to initiate the handshake from within RACP:

1. Log into MyRA and navigate to the “Certification” tile under the “Recommended Services” section. Click to open it, select the "Audit" certification path and then click on the “Certification Body Handshake” tile – this will take you to RACP. If you are already in the RACP, ignore this step .

2. Inside the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform, at the top of the screen in the task bar, click on “Contracts”.

3. In the Contracts tab, click the “page” icon in the line for “Sustainable Agriculture Standard” to open the contract form.

4. In the pop-up form:

   • Click the person icon in the pop-up window.

• Then in the next window search the name of the Certification Body you have chosen.

• Select the relevant service - Sustainable Agriculture Standard [Supply Chain] from the dropdown (if not already selected)

• Enter the year of contract and contract start date of the service period.

• Click “Save and Close” at the top of the page to complete the step

Step 2 – Confirming the "Handshake”

The handshake will now be sent to your Certification Body for confirmation. Once they create the Audit Order, your handshake is complete, and their access to your certification profile is activated.

Note: Once the Audit Order is created, the system will no longer let you change Certification Body within the specified contract period. For more information refer to the Certification and Auditing Rules for Supply Chain

Step 3 – Planning an audit

With access to your data stored in RACP the Certification Body can now begin planning your audit. This will involve them creating an Audit Plan for executing the Audit activities.

Note: In some countries (such as Ghana), Rainforest Alliance staff may pre-assign a Certification Body to your profile. In that case, the suggested Certification Bodies shown in your application are already eligible. You will still need to initiate the handshake yourself to activate the contract.

3.2 Audit and Certification Process

3.2.1 Accepting an Audit Plan

After you have completed the Handshake with a Certification Body and they have reviewed your information, they will prepare an audit plan.
This plan explains how they will carry out your audit and will be sent to you directly (not through the platform).

The plan contains the following information:

• Planned dates for the audit

• The planned audit duration

• Activities for the duration

• Sample of sites planned for audit

You will need to:

• Review the plan carefully.

• Either approve it or request changes if necessary.

Once you both agree on the plan, the Certification Body will conduct the audit.

Note: All Communication around audit planning happens outside the platform, directly between you and the Certification Body.

3.2.2 Audit Process and Submit Corrective Actions

Once contracted, the Certification Body (CB) will plan and carry out an independent audit of your operations in accordance with the agreed plan.

The audit may involve:

• An opening meeting

• Reviewing your submitted data in RACP and other documentation

• Visiting your sites (for physical checks) and conducting interviews

• Verifying implementation of sustainability practices and system controls

• Identifying any non-conformities and requesting corrective actions, if needed.

At this point in your audit process, the Certification Body has completed the audit to evaluate if your organization meets the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance standards you chose.

If they found non-conformities to the requirements, you will need to:

1. Analyze the root cause of the non-conformity (root cause analysis in our Certification and Auditing Rules)

2. Explain what corrections you will take to close the non-conformities

3. Share how you plan to implement the corrective action

The Certification Body will verify that the evidence submitted is sufficient to close the non-conformities. They may also ask you to provide evidence that the issues have been resolved.

You need to submit both your root cause analysis, correction and corrective action through the RACP platform.

To submit these, follow the steps below.

Step 1- Log into the RACP

Log into the RACP.

• On your dashboard, go to the “Findings” section. In this section, you will see the audit report/findings generated by the auditor after your audit. It details areas of conformities and non-conformities during the audit.

• Double-click the findings associated with your audit. This will open the detailed view of the report

Step 2- Review the Audit Findings

Read the report. For each requirement that your organization was deemed not to be in compliance with, you are expected to provide input for the following three sections:

• Root Cause Analysis: Here you provide the underlying reason why the non-conformity occurred. It goes beyond the immediate issue to identify the systemic or process-level failure that allowed the problem to happen.

• Correction: Here you provide the immediate action you will take to fix the non-conformity and bring the situation back into compliance

• Corrective Action: Here you provide a long-term solution that addresses the root cause to prevent recurrence of the non-conformity

See the sections in the image below:

Step 3- Submit Corrective Action and Upload Files

The platform allows for the attachment of files to be shared with Certification Bodies.

For example: to provide proof of correction for a non-conformity, you can attach various types of supporting documents or images that demonstrate the issue has been addressed. These attachments help Certification Bodies verify that the correction has been effectively implemented.

• Use the "Files tab” to upload the files you want to attach to the findings

Once you have provided all necessary information, you need to submit it to your Certification body.

• This is done by selecting the option of “submit corrective action” from the dropdown pane at the top right-hand corner of your screen as illustrated in the picture above and click on the “Execute” button to submit the files.

You will notice when you go back to your dashboard that the finding you reviewed has disappeared from your dashboard. It will now be available to your Certification body to review.

The Certification body will communicate directly with you for any further supporting documents, adjustments or positive decisions to the submission of your corrective actions. Should the review be successful and the non-conformity be closed you can move on to the next step of viewing the certificate.

3.2.3 View My Certificate

This section will show you how to quickly access and view your certification details through the platform. Whether you need to check your certificate’s status, confirm key dates, or download a copy for sharing, this guide will walk you through the steps to find everything you need in one place.

Follow these simple steps to view and download your certificate:

1. Log in to your MyRA platform using your usual credentials.

2. Once you are on your dashboard, look for the section “Recommend Services.”

3. Click on the “Certification” tile, this will take you to your certification details.

4. This will bring you to the Certification Overview. Select the "Audit" certification path, scroll down and click on "Review certificate" to access the certification platform, RACP.

5. Once you are on the RACP dashboard, simply scroll down until you see the “Certificates” section highlighted below.

6. In the “Certificates” section, find the certificate you want to download.

7. Click the Download button. It is the first icon in the row, marked with a medal symbol.

8. Your certificate will be downloaded directly to your device as a PDF.

Note: Your certificate includes a QR code. You can scan it with a mobile device to quickly view your certificate on another screen, perfect for sharing or quick reference!

4. Certification with Endorsement

4.1 Review & Verification of the Self Assessment

Endorsement replaces the Audit with a document-based review:

1. You complete and submit a Self-Assessment

2. Rainforest Alliance evaluates your submission

3. You may be asked for clarifications, integrations or corrections.

4. If not approved, your only option to be certified will be through the Audit path.

5. If approved, you receive your certificate via an Endorsement Letter

4.1.1 Completing the Self-Assessment

• Log in to MyRA

• Open your Certification Dashboard

• Scroll down to the Certification Path section

• Click the toggle button for the Endorsement option

• Click the green button in the tile labelled “Submit Self-Assessment”

You will be redirected to the New Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP) to begin the assessment.

In RACP:

• In the "Certification preparation" section you will see a Sustainable Agriculture Standard Self-Assessment 

• The form is structured by chapters, with specific requirements following compliance and implementation 

• As a first step, for each question, Select one of the following: 

  • Conformity

  • Non-Conformity

  • Not Applicable (N/A), if you select N/A you are required to clearly explain why it is not applicable.

Note: It is highly advised to always start by this step and only afterwards write a Description and Evidence. Following a different order may cause an unwanted loss of information in the Description section.  

Use the explanations provided in the form next to each requirement to help evaluate your current operations against each requirement.

Note: Please complete the Description and Evidence boxes for each requirement. The Description box must include the details of whether your company complies or not with the applicable requirements. The Evidence box must include evidence of the procedures in place to corroborate the Description. Please provide a few sentences explaining your processes. If necessary, you can upload any documents that support your description. If the information is not sufficient, you will need to complete a new form.

Be thorough and accurate as possible as this self-assessment forms the basis of your certification decision.

When you have successfully answered each section with sufficient information, you can click the “submit” button and confirm on the next page.

The data will now be sent to Rainforest Alliance for evaluation and verification.

4.1.2 Evaluation and Verification by Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance will carefully review your self-assessment alongside the data you have already submitted during your application.

As part of this review, you may be asked to provide clarifications or additional supporting evidence to validate your responses; this process will be emailed.

This process ensures that your operations meet the requirements of the standard and that the integrity of the certification system is upheld.

Based on the outcome of this evaluation, Rainforest Alliance may either:

• Issue an Endorsement Letter, granting certification without the need for an audit, or

• Redirect your organization to the Audit pathway if certain elements cannot be sufficiently verified through documentation alone.

If you are redirected to the audit route, please refer to the section “Apply for New Certification via Audit” for next steps.

4.2 Awarding & Viewing the Endorsement Letter

The Rainforest Alliance will send you an email notification once evaluation and verification of your data has been completed. If the outcome of the review is positive and a decision is made to issue an Endorsement Letter, you will be informed.

The Endorsement Letter will be made available on the RACP where you can view and download it. The timeline for Rainforest Alliance to issue the Endorsement Letter varies as there are a lot of dependencies.

A reminder that an Endorsement letter is seen as the equivalent to certificate in the context of Rainforest Alliance sustainability compliance. 

To view and download your endorsement letter, follow the following steps:

• Log into the MyRA platform with your credentials

• From your dashboard, navigate down to the “Recommended Services” section

• Click on the “Certification Tile” and a new window opens with details of the Certification tab

• Select the “Review endorsement letter” tile.

• You will be directed to the RACP dashboard.

• From your RACP dashboard, scroll to the “Certificates” section. Here you will find the endorsement letter listed.

• Click the Download button. It is the medal symbol in front of the row of the endorsement letter.

• Your Endorsement letter will be downloaded as a PDF onto your device, and you can view it from there.

4.3 What to Do After Certification

Once your organization is certified, you unlock access to two key tools that support transparency and responsible sourcing: Traceability and Claims.

4.3.1 Maintaining Certification

Note: Consider that you need to yearly perform some steps on the platform in order to remain certified.

To remain certified a Certificate Holder must:

1. Maintain Compliance with the Standard

   • Certificate Holders must consistently meet the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard or other applicable standards for Supply Chain Organizations throughout the cycle.

   • They must implement corrective actions when non-conformities arise.

Note: Any change to the certification scope after certification must be reported to Rainforest Alliance, you can contact our Customer Success team at customersuccess@ra.org.

2. Respect Use of Rainforest Alliance Trademarks

   • Use of the Rainforest Alliance seal must follow brand guidelines and license agreement terms.

   • Misuse can lead to suspension or withdrawal of certification.

3. Avoid Certificate Suspension or Withdrawal

   • Certification Bodies may suspend or withdraw a certificate if:

     • Audits are not conducted

     • Non-conformities are not resolved

     • Certification rules are violated

4.3.2 Traceability

As a supply chain organization, traceability enables you to track certified products as they move through the supply chain from producers to processors, exporters, and beyond. This ensures that certified goods are properly documented and can be verified at each stage. It helps you maintain credibility with buyers and partners and supports compliance with sustainability standards.

For more information on how to use our traceability system, MultiTrace, see this guide. For Certificate Holders with nuts in scope, kindly use this platform for traceability. Find guidance to the use of this platform here.

4.3.3 Claims

Claims allow you to communicate your certified status to customers and stakeholders. This includes using approved logos, labels, or statements on packaging, websites, and promotional materials. All claims must receive approval and follow specific guidelines to ensure they are clear, accurate, and aligned with certification rules.

For more information on how to use our Claims system, see this guide.

5. Certificate Scope Extensions

A scope extension is an official update to a valid Rainforest Alliance certificate when a Certificate Holder’s certified activities or operations change significantly. It helps ensure the certificate continues to reflect the current certification scope and remains aligned with Rainforest Alliance requirements.

5.1 Understanding Certification Scope Extensions

Below are a few certain aspects to Certificate Scope Extensions that you as a Supply chain organization need to understand.

5.1.1 What is a scope extension?

A scope extension is a formal update to your certification that reflects changes in your organization’s operations. It allows you to add new elements such as more volume, additional farms or sites, new crops, activities, or traceability levels to your existing certificate before it expires.

5.1.2 Why and When is an Extension required?

You must request a scope extension if you:

• Add a new crop, site, activities

• Change your traceability level (e.g., from Mass Balance to Identity Preserved)

These changes must be updated in MyRA may require an extension audit depending on the risk and scale of change. Please remember that if you make any change in MyRA you will need to inform our Customer Success team at customersuccess@ra.org for further guidance.

5.1.3 Who initiates the Extension?

You as a Supply Chain Certificate Holder are responsible for initiating a scope extension when your operations change. 

Steps to take in the platform  

This section explains what Certificate Holders should do in RACP when extending their certification scope. Some steps apply to all extension scenarios, while others depend on the type of change being made.  

Steps that apply to all extension scenarios (except traceability changes):  

For all scope extension requests, the Certificate Holder should:  

Step 1: Update MyRA with the relevant scope changes.   

Add or revise the information that applies to the extension scenario, such as new crops, sites, activities, traceability levels.  

Step 2: Verify that the updated data is available in the new RACP.  

• From the MyRA dashboard, open the Certification tile, go to the Application section,   

• Select "Complete Certification Scope".  

• In the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform, check the Subproducts and Sites menus to confirm that the updated sites, crops, and traceability levels are visible.  

Step 3: Note: Make sure to fill site questions if a new site was added or information change at any of the sites. 

Step 4: Request and complete a new scope form.

Contact our Customer Success team to request a new Certification Scope form, complete the form, and submit it. Refer to section 3.1 for detailed instructions.  

Step 5: Complete the new CAF form.

After submitting the new scope, complete and submit the CAF form generated by the platform. If needed, download the CAF form and share it with the Certification Body by email. Refer to section 3.3 for detailed instructions. 

Step 6: Notify the Certification Body.

Inform the Certification Body that the CAF has been completed and is ready for review.  

5.1.4 Traceability level changes  

Steps to take in the platform 

This scenario applies when the Certificate Holder needs to update traceability levels for crops already included in the scope.  

1. Log in to MyRA and open the relevant site tile.  

2. Open the site that contains the crop with the changed traceability level by selecting the edit icon.  

3. Update the traceability level for the relevant crop.  

4. Select Finish to push the update to RACP.  

5. Verify in Intact that the updated traceability level is visible in the subproduct tab.

6. Request for a new Certification scope form and complete it. 

7. Complete the CAF form and notify the Certification Body.  

5.1.5 Extension Process for Audited Supply Chain CHs 

The following steps apply to Supply Chain CHs requesting the addition of a new standard, such as Regenerative Agriculture (RAS), to their certification scope: 

1. Once the regular audit has already been conducted for SAS only, the Supply Chain CH may request a scope extension from its Certification Body (CB) to include RAS. 

2. To initiate the process, the CH must request a new Scope Form in Intact and select "Yes" for the RAS question in the Scope Form. 

3. We may want to include more detailed instructions for this step and highlight the specific RAS-related question in the form. 

4. After the Scope Form has been submitted, the audited Supply Chain CH must complete a Certification Application Form (CAF) and use it to formally request the scope extension from the CB. 

5. The CB will then proceed with the extension audit. 

6. Upon successful completion of the process, the CB will issue a new version of the existing certificate reflecting the updated certification scope (SAS + RAS). 

5.1.6 Process for Endorsed Supply Chain CHs 

If you are an endorsed Certificate Holder, kindly follow the following steps: 

1. Submit a new Scope Form and select "Yes" for the RAS question. 

2. Complete an updated Self-Assessment that reflects the implementation of the RAS requirements. 

5.1.7. Certification Body takes responsibility of the rest of the extension process 

1. The Certification Body will review your request. 

2. If the Certification body needs to perform the required steps in RACP to approve the extended certificate. Once a new certificate is created by the Certification Body, you will be notified via email. 

5.2 When is an extension Audit Required?

For in-depth knowledge on Extensions, kindly refer to the Certification and Auditing Rules for Supply Chain. 

6. Request Certification Body Transfer

Note: Take into account that Handshake is not needed for this process.

A Certification Body transfer means moving your certification oversight from one authorized Certification Body to another. This process ensures that your certification remains valid and recognized, while changing the organization responsible for your audits and compliance monitoring.

Transfers must follow the laid down rules in the Certification and Auditing Rules for Supply Chain to maintain the integrity of your certification. It is important to initiate the process correctly and communicate clearly with your new Certification Body.

Note: Transfers cannot be initiated for Non-Conformities closed with a plan that require follow-up verification within 12 months from previous audit start date.

7. Certificate Renewal Process

When it is time to undergo a yearly renewal (you can start working on this, 6 months before your certificate validity date ends), please follow the certificate renewal steps outlined below to ensure your organization remains compliant with Rainforest Alliance requirements: 

1. Review and update your organizational information in MyRA, especially any details that have changed since your last audit or endorsement, so that your profile accurately reflects your current operations. 

2. Review and update all relevant organizational data in new RACP (certification platform), including site details  

3. Confirm your certification scope. A new Certification scope form will automatically be generated in the system for the update and you must review and validate the information contained in it. 

4. Depending on your certification path (Audit or Endorsement), 

   1. Audit - Fill out the Certification Application Form (CAF) and submit it to your Certification Body for their review and next steps in the audit process. 

   2. Endorsement - Fill Self Assessment and submit it for review.