Q&A with an Expert: How Can We Improve Financing for Forward-Thinking Farmers?

Smallholder farmers in developing countries can see that adopting sustainable best practices and earning Rainforest Alliance certification will lead to benefits like higher prices, increased efficiency and access to stronger markets. However, the financial investment that certification entails can pose a significant obstacle for farmers with limited access to financing. The Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable finance program aims to address this challenge by helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access funding from financial institutions. The program is currently focused on sustainable agriculture and forestry, but will eventually expand to address the needs of tourism businesses. We spoke with Michelle Buckles, the Rainforest Alliance’s director of sustainable finance about her vision for a global financing strategy that will greatly increase the number of SMEs that are able to conserve biodiversity, improve their livelihoods and achieve sustainability.

What problems faced by small and medium-sized enterprises is this project aiming to solve?

SMEs that hope to obtain certification may need to make a number of investments, such as increasing pay for workers, building waste management systems, improving worker safety and installing new technology to conserve water on their farms. Small cooperatives rarely have that kind of money sitting in the bank and need to borrow the capital to make these investments. It’s not easy for smallholder farmers to obtain loans by themselves, so by helping them access the financing they need, we hope to attract and retain producers in the Rainforest Alliance certification system and distinguish ourselves from other certification bodies.

The cornerstone to our approach is creating linkages between SMEs and potential finance providers. These include various types of financial institutions including social finance organizations like Root Capital and Oiko Credit, multinational financial institutions like the International Finance Corporation and the Inter-American Development Bank, commercial and local banks, and insurance providers. We are encouraging the financial community to consider sustainability in more of their activities and talking to them about which crops, countries and types of loans they’re interested in for their portfolios. We identify what types of financing groups need and what opportunities they’d be a good match for, depending on the lenders’ criteria, and then support groups during the application process.

Read the rest of the interview on the Rainforest Alliance’s Eco-Index blog.

Report from India (Part 1): Reducing Waste and Pollution on Coffee Farms

In November 2010, Rainforest Alliance president Tensie Whelan traveled to India, where in partnership with the Nature Conservation Foundation, we are working to conserve farmland, protect wildlife and ensure the well-being of workers and their families.

In Part I, she visits Tata-owned coffee farms in the Coorg region of southern India.

My daughter turns 22 during this trip, which is why I’ve brought her to India with me to visit Rainforest Alliance Certified tea and coffee plantations.

We arrive at 7PM in the modern airport of Bangalore and are whisked away to an ashram at the outskirts of the city for two nights.  On the way, we see tiny shacks next to sparkling glass skyscrapers, temples across from sneaker emporiums, rows and rows of motorcycle helmet stores wedding palaces with garish rows of lights and signs announcing the names of the happy couples, and many, many cell phone stores and IT billboards.  Bangalore is the IT capital of India.

The ashram founder, Siddartha, is a native of Bangalore who has become an international specialist in sustainable development.   He has established the ashram in a small forest remnant and built charming lodges with pillars from old temples and bricks made from the local red clay.

While we are there, about 50 people dressed in colorful saris and tunics from the poorer sections of the city are there with their children to discuss how women can have greater decision-making power. Our host — a feminist, environmentalist and advocate — is active in an initiative to return millet to the native diet.  Millet, unlike rice and wheat, digests slowly, so it can keep you energized for a long period of time.  As in the U.S., where the corn lobby rules and has repressed healthier alternatives, India’s rice and wheat industry is actively opposing reintroduction of millet, says Siddartha.

After chatting with Siddartha, taking a yoga class, visiting a cow ashram (they collect different species of cows from around the country and not incidentally, collect their urine and sell it for cancer cures) and throwing petals at a god in a Hindu ceremony, we head off to Mysore, the headquarters of our partner organization, the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF).  Two of the organization’ senior staff, T.R. Shankar Raman and Divya Mudappa, are active members of the Sustainable Agriculture Network, which sets the standards for Rainforest Alliance certification. Shankar meets us in Mysore and together we spend five days with  touring Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee and tea plantations as well as wildlife study areas in the Western Ghats.

Tuesday we explore Coorg, the region where much of the country’s coffee is grown.  We are to visit two estates owned by Tata Coffee, Rainforest Alliance Certified since 2008.  To reach the plantations, we drive through Bandipur forest reserve where peacocks, wild boor, spotted deer, monkeys, and mongoose thrive in the deciduous forests.  The reserve abuts the coffee plantations, which makes wildlife management and the preservation of native trees on the estates of paramount importance.

Elephants are the most visible of the animals that visit the plantations, and a worker was killed recently when he surprised an elephant.  Working together with NCF, the Tata farms have posted elephant zone signs, employed a biologist to track the elephants and are planting Arabica rather than Robusta (which is a taller bush) in elephant areas so they can better see the animals.

Altogether, Tata Coffee owns 17,000 hectares of coffee, harvested by approximately 9,000 workers (5,000 come solely for the harvest).  The harvest season has not yet started in earnest; it runs December to March, with a little activity in November.

The managing director and estate managers introduce us to the changes they have made with the Rainforest Alliance certification.  For example, they have stopped using endosulphin, an internationally banned chemical (but one that the Indian government continues to recommend) and reduced overall chemical use substantially.

In place of the agrochemicals, the farms are using an innovative low-impact trap to eliminate with the beetles, which are the scourge of coffee worldwide because of the holes they bore in the beans. The farmers cut a hole in a used water bottle, fill the bottom half with water and put an alcohol lure in the top.  The beetle climbs in and falls into the water.  After the bottle is completely chockablock with beetles, they clean it and replace it.  Using 13,000 traps, they’re collected millions of beetles annually.

To decrease water use and contamination, the farms are collecting rainwater in reservoirs and using it to irrigate the coffee plants. Potable water is piped to the workers and tested regularly.  And the farms are experimenting with various techniques to reduce impacts of the coffee pulping process, which often uses a great deal of water and produces enormous waste. The techniques involve lining the waste pits with an expensive liner to stop leaching.  And based on new technology that is used successfully in Colombia, they have purchased a close-to-zero-water de-pulping plant for one of their estates.

Shankar explains that working with farms towards sustainability is an ongoing  process.  “It takes time to make changes, and each year workers and managers learn more and implement improvements,” he says.  The Tata farms have come a long way in the past two years and have a genuine commitment to the values and goals of Rainforest Alliance certification.

A Number of Ways to Measure Progress

Every day, we’re bombarded with new numbers that claim to measure the country’s economic health and financial stability. While this data is useful, no single figure tells the full story. Similarly, the Rainforest Alliance understands that when we assess a farm’s social, environmental and economic performance, we must look beyond the numbers and delve into many different facets of how a business is managed.

Product Prices

Take the prices of products, for example. The certification standard established by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) — a coalition of nonprofit organizations coordinated by the Rainforest Alliance — has never set minimum prices for bananas, coffee beans or other products cultivated on certified farms.

Prices are certainly important — in fact, Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms often generate significantly higher prices for their crops. But a system that focuses primarily on pricing misses out on a number of other critical elements that influence whether or not a farmer can lift himself out of poverty. For example, price-based systems depend on the willingness of customers to pay premiums for certified products. But this approach is of little use to farmers who are not lucky enough to have such customers.

Rather than emphasizing price, Rainforest Alliance certification works to improve the entire spectrum of farming practices. A farmer’s success depends on crop quality, productivity and efficiency as well as sales price, which is why we address all four areas. We teach farmers to grow smart, increase their bottom line and conserve their soils and natural resources, all of which empowers them to become better business people and gives them more control over their futures.

Worker Wages

A “living wage” is another figure that can be difficult to pin down, as it depends on average regional wages, working conditions and other variables — nonetheless, it’s often used as a means of assessing worker well-being. The SAN standard requires that workers be paid at least the legal minimum wage and receive full rights and benefits. As part of the Rainforest Alliance certification process, SAN auditors collect information about salaries (including non-monetary benefits such as housing and medical care) and ensure that work hours are regulated, overtime is voluntary and compensated, and workers receive health and safety training, among other criteria. The SAN also collaborates with unions and other associations to ensure that workers have a voice in determining their salaries through a fair negotiation process.

Wage figures and prices can help measure progress, but they’re only part of the equation — that’s why Rainforest Alliance certification seeks to address the full spectrum of social, environmental and economic issues tied to poverty.

Doing Right by Workers

Though the Rainforest Alliance is often categorized as a conservation organization, the well-being of workers and the protection of their basic rights have always been a critical part of our mission — and that’s evident throughout our work in agriculture, forestry and tourism.

To qualify for the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal, farms must meet a comprehensive set of criteria that is determined by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). The SAN is a coalition of nonprofit organizations coordinated by the Rainforest Alliance. They consult with farmers, businesspeople, other NGOs and local governments to develop standards that are socially, environmentally and economically balanced.

So for example, in order for a farm to earn the seal, it must ensure that workers are granted freedom of association and the right to organize and freely negotiate their working conditions in a collective manner.

What’s more, Rainforest Alliance Certified farms must have — and publicly divulge — a policy guaranteeing this right and must permit workers to form and/or join unions, bargain collectively or organize for ideological, religious, political, economical, social or cultural reasons. (Notably, the SAN standard was the first agricultural certification standard to include freedom of association and many other conventions established by the International Labor Organization [ILO].)

One Colombian farm owner, Carlos Martinez, speaks about the impact of certification on worker rights, “The process has made us break with many paradigms, for example, not employing minors when people usually work with their children.”

We also prioritize employee rights and freedoms in our work with forestry enterprises. When auditors from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program evaluate companies against Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) criteria, they must assess a forest business’s relationship with its workers and ensure that workers are free to organize and negotiate with their employers.

In addition, we helped to develop the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC), a set of voluntary standards for tourism businesses that requires that hiring be equitable, legal protections be respected and workers be paid a living wage. Tourism companies must also implement policies against the commercial exploitation of their workers, particularly children.

Freedom of association and other rights are vitally important — and not just for the obvious ethical reasons. In the long term, a business is only as effective as its employees, and a happy workforce equals a loyal and productive one. Though we evaluate businesses against environmental and social standards, we also want them to thrive economically. A responsible company that goes out of business after a year is of little use to its employees, community or the environment.

When people are paid decent wages, have access to good healthcare, are provided with proper training and afforded the freedom to organize — in short, when they are treated with respect and encouraged to take pride in their work — the result is a positive environment, in every sense of the phrase.

Want to hear more about how we’re improving conditions for workers around the globe? Read a few of our success stories.

Part 2: In Guatemala, Environmental Awareness Starts on the Farm

Returning to the office to share some of his own coffee, Augusto Morales — manager of the Las Brisas coffee cooperative — is keen to show off his new administrative improvements. “It was difficult for us to get used to documenting the details, but now we benefit from it,” he comments. “By looking at these records, I can see which areas produce more coffee and which ones produce better quality coffee.” It’s incredibly unique for a rural farmer to keep organized records of production levels and possess the skills to monitor data on fertilizer applications.

Back near the mill, safety signs are placed around machinery for the welfare of workers. All waste is segregated and disposed of efficiently, including any plastic bottles that once contained pesticides. Before joining the program, Morales informs me, waste was often discarded on site and contaminated water would pollute soils and nearby streams. There is now an understanding between farmers and workers within the co-op that keeping their farms and the mill clean will benefit the environment, the local community and also their coffee beans.

A new filter purifies dirty water, meaning the co-op has reduced its water use dramatically. Organic soil is produced within the co-op using the pulp from the coffee bean; it is then sold back to the farmers at discounted rates to further discourage them from using chemicals. The soil is rich in organic matter and provides the best nutrients for the coffee plants.

My visit has made one thing clear: the Rainforest Alliance and Nestlé Nespresso’s joint initiative is a huge success. It’s producing sustainable, high-quality coffee — and transforming the way that a collection of farmers view their trade and their obligation to the environment.

All of this work has been made possible thanks to the Federation of Coffee Cooperatives of Guatemala, whose technical team has spent years providing assistance to small coffee producers in the country, and Efico, a coffee trading group that has provided important support in the development of the Guatemalan coffee sector.

*In 2003, the Rainforest Alliance and Nestlé Nespresso joined forces to promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility on farms that produce coffee for the gourmet espresso company. This collaboration deepened in June 2009, with Nespresso’s commitment to source 80 percent of its beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified or AAA verified farms by 2013.

In Guatemala, Environmental Awareness Starts on the Farm

In February, Rainforest Alliance communications associate Charlie Watson visited several coffee farms in Guatemala that are part of a special initiative developed by Nestlé Nespresso* and the Rainforest Alliance. Here, Charlie describes the changes he saw taking place while visiting those farms…

While the journey from my home near Guatemala City to Las Brisas Cooperative in Guatemala’s Jalapa region can be beautiful — rolling hills, steep rocky climbs and diverse natural vegetation — it also shows a more unpleasant side of Guatemala. Polluted rivers, bare and dusty open land, and roadside litter — these are the realities of a country still fighting to instil widespread respect for the environment.

Yet after a sharp descent into the green valley where Las Brisas Cooperative lies, I notice a significant difference — no litter, more tree cover, clean rivers and birds flying in the canopy overhead. Las Brisas Cooperative, comprised of 58 individual farms, has been working with the Rainforest Alliance and Nespresso since 2007 in a joint initiative to guide farmers toward high-quality coffee production that is environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable.

As Mario Lopez, agriculture project coordinator for the Rainforest Alliance, and I arrive at the cooperative in our 4×4 vehicle, the three years of work are quickly apparent. We are greeted by Augusto Morales, the cooperative’s cheerful manager and the proud owner of a five-acre (two-hectare) farm. Morales is supervising the transition to high-quality sustainable coffee production — an endeavor that is centered on combining the latest science with decades-old farming techniques.

During a tour of two of the 58 individual farms, there is a real sense that this is a special cooperative with special workers. Of all the changes that are taking place within the co-op, Morales points out that among the most obvious is the increased pride that farmers take in their work. He stresses that farmers’ attitudes toward soil quality, water conservation, biodiversity protection and working conditions have shifted since joining the program.

Farm owners in the co-op now look to count bird species on their farms, increase vegetative cover above the soil and dig small holes amongst the coffee plants to help collect and conserve water on steep slopes. “We now see the benefits of looking after our coffee plants in an environmentally friendly way,” Morales says. From their focus on planting more trees to their efforts at minimizing chemical use and conserving water resources, I get a clear sense that all the farmers truly care for their coffee beans.

Standing amongst the coffee bushes on one farm, I notice the soil around the coffee plants is well-guarded with high grass cover, while a shade canopy keeps the coffee plants protected from the hot tropical sun. Since forest cover also catches rain, provides firewood and fruits for farm workers, protects the soil and shelters countless species of wildlife, keeping that cover intact is something that Morales and the other farmers take very seriously.

Be sure to check back in a few days to read about the final leg of Watson’s visit to Las Brisas Cooperative…

*In 2003, the Rainforest Alliance and Nestlé Nespresso joined forces to promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility on farms that produce coffee for the gourmet espresso company. This collaboration deepened in June 2009, with Nespresso’s commitment to source 80 percent of its beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified or AAA verified farms by 2013.

What’s below the Green Frog Seal?

If you buy products like coffee or tea that have our favorite little green frog on the package, you may also see a note under the seal that says something like: “at least 30 percent certified content.” So what does that mean? Well, it means a lot to farmers and their families. Here’s why:

• We believe that we can increase the on-the-ground impacts of our work with farmers — bring more land under sustainable management, expand healthcare and other benefits to more workers, improve livelihoods in more communities and conserve more ecosystems — by engaging with companies of all sizes, including multi-nationals. It’s not easy for farmers to earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, so the demand for certified crops like coffee and cocoa exceeds supply. Therefore, many companies that would like to sell 100 percent certified products just can’t yet. We are working as hard as we can with farmers to meet the growing demand, but when it comes to sustainable farming, we don’t want to take any shortcuts.
• The good news is that a large company that begins sourcing 30 percent of its supply from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms can have a huge positive impact on farmers’ lives and on the environment. (Do the math: 30 percent of 1,000 tons is substantially more than 100 percent of 100 tons.)
• We are committed to ensuring that companies scale up their commitments — regardless of how small or large they are at the outset. If a mainstream brand begins working with the Rainforest Alliance and our Sustainable Agriculture Network partners by sourcing, say, 40 percent of its coffee from certified farms, that brand must agree to source increasing quantities from certified farms as they become available.
• We believe in transparency. If a product includes less than 90 percent Rainforest Alliance Certified content, this must be clearly disclosed directly on-pack underneath the seal. Truth is, not all certification programs are as forthright. But we know how important it is for consumers to trust our little green frog. Allowing a business to market their commitment to using at least 30 percent of Rainforest Alliance Certified ingredients can increase demand for these sustainably grown goods — and that demand reverberates down the supply chain, from consumers right to farmers.

So don’t hesitate to reach for the frog seal. Your purchase of any product bearing the seal can have very real benefits for workers and wildlife around the globe.

Q&A with Wilson Sucaticona

A few days ago, we celebrated the the UN’s International Day of Cooperatives. To mark this Katy Puga from the Rainforest Alliance talked to Wilson Sucaticona an award winning Peruvian coffee farmer and cooperative member about how he manages his farm and the benefits of being Rainforest Alliance certified™.

Wilson Sucaticona, a young farmer of indigenous Aymara descent, inherited a tradition of coffee farming from his parents and is growing some of the best coffee in the world on his farm, Tunkimayo.

In the December 2009 Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality event, Tunki came in second place overall, beating farms from Brazil, Indonesia, and East Africa. Most recently, Tunki coffee won the Best of Origin for Peru at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 2010 Roasters Guild Coffees of the Year Competition. Tunki has also won first prize in the Peruvian National Coffee Contest — twice.

From his farm in Sandia, located in the Puno department near the border with Bolivia, Sucaticona discusses how he grows the best coffee in Peru.

Question: How many years have you been a coffee farmer?

Sucaticona: I’ve been doing this for 17 years — my parents and grandparents were coffee farmers and I was raised in this tradition. During school vacations I used to help with washing the beans and removing the pulp, which was how I began to learn how to grow coffee.

My father retired, leaving me in charge of our small, seven-acre (three hectares) farm. At 34 years old, I’m still a coffee farmer and I want my children to grow coffee as well.

Q: Are you a member of any coffee cooperatives?

Sucaticona: Yes, I belong to the San Jorge Cooperative and also the Central de Cooperativas Agrarias Cafetaleras de los Valles de Sandia (CECOVASA).

Q: What kind of support do these cooperatives offer?<a

Sucaticona: Support from the cooperative has been very important to me. The certification programs in Peru work closely with producers who have organized into cooperatives and associations. These organizations are key entities to support farmers in the certification process and are the best way to reach international markets.

The Peruvian National Coffee Board has also had an important role in strengthening coffee organizations and promoting the participation of small producers in the different certification programs.

Q: Your farm has been Rainforest Alliance Certified since 2006. How has this certification helped you?

Sucaticona: I obtained Organic and Fairtrade certifications in 2003 and Rainforest Alliance certification in 2006. These certifications taught me many things about managing my farm. For example, before we used to cut down trees and hunt animals, but now we have learned how to take care of the forests, to stop logging, and to care for the animals and the water. We protect the environment and now we have our house in order.

Certification from the Rainforest Alliance has given me very good benefits. For example, I learned how to improve the quality of the coffee plants and how to better dry the beans, which is crucial because drying affects the quality of the beans.

Q: What is the key to maintaining quality?

Sucaticona: It is difficult and care must be taken during the entire process because any slight changes can affect quality. Everything is important, from planting, to harvesting, to drying…if something isn’t right, it harms the coffee.

For example, to make sure that quality is not affected, I take my product to the stocking center by wheelbarrow. It’s a three hour walk from my farm but I do it because I know that the aroma of the coffee changes if I take it by mule or horse; these animals sweat and their odor affects the beans. Since I want my coffee to be perfect, I am always looking for better ways to do things.

Q: You won the national coffee prize for the second time. What does having the best coffee in Peru mean to you?

Sucaticona: The first time I won was very exciting because frankly, I wasn’t expecting it. The truth is that this year I did expect to win. I already had experience from the last time, I knew exactly how long to dry the coffee to make it perfect and when to submit the sample to participate in the contest. I worked very hard and spent a lot of time preparing.

Later I realized that my coffee competed against more than 300 coffees and I won first place in a very competitive event! This makes me very proud and happy. Now my coffee is being auctioned and I hope to get a good price.

These awards prepared me for the Specialty Coffee Association of America award that I just won. These recognitions motivate me to continue improving the quality and reputation of Peruvian coffee.

In Peru, coffee is an important source of income for thousands of small and medium-size farmers, who export around 95% of their beans to international markets thanks to their high quality, aroma, and flavor. Peruvian coffee is produced in 12 of the nation’s 24 regions; many are located near protected areas, making sustainable farm management essential. Currently, some 30% of Peru’s coffee production is certified as sustainable.

Thanks to support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon, a regional project that supports the creation of economic alternatives for local communities, Rainforest Alliance is helping coffee farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices, and creating important international market linkages. As a result, more than 70,000 hectares of land have been brought under sustainable management and Peru boasts the largest number of Rainforest Alliance CertifiedT coffee farms in the world. And, more than 50 coffee roasters across four continents source their beans from these sustainably managed farms.

This interview first appeared in Eco-Index: Connecting Conservationists Across the Americas in April 2010.

The benefits of cooperative cocoa farming in the Cote d’Or

Edward Millard, manager of the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable cocoa program, looks at the way cooperatives are benefiting cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire.

Cooperative organizations feature strongly in the list of small holder groups that achieve Rainforest Alliance certification. By coming together in an organization, small holder farmers can aggregate their production and achieve a better price for their product. The cooperative gives them a better alternative to the local trader because it is a service organization managed by the farmers. Whereas traders usually aim to keep the farmers ignorant of market prices so that they can pay them the minimum, the purpose of a cooperative is to keep its members informed and pay the most that the market allows. An effective cooperative offers a range of other services to its members- not just buying and selling their production, but also providing credit at reasonable interest rates, making advance payments, providing inputs such as fertilizers and facilitating training and technical assistance. An agency providing technical assistance cannot visit hundreds of farmers individually; the cooperative provides the organizing unit for helping farmers improve their skills and practices.

A vital service that cooperatives provide for certification is establishing a traceability system. Each farmer member whose farm is certified for compliance with the practices of the Sustainable Agriculture Standard receives a number and every time the farmer sells to the cooperative, the sale is recorded. The production from certified farms is stored separately from that of non-certified farms so that if it is sold on preferable terms, as it usually is, then the benefit may go back to the farmer. Companies buying the cocoa, for example, derive a great benefit from this traceability because they have the assurance that the farm practices in their supply chain are sustainable.

Rainforest Alliance has certified nearly 50 cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire. One of the first to achieve certification in 2007 is the Cooperative Agricole La Paix d’Issia (COPAPAIX), situated in one of the major production zones in the west-central region of the country. Formed in 2003, it brings together 700 farmers from the surrounding villages. Mr Désire Kouassi is President of the management Committee of COPAPAIX. He says:

“In my village certain people were not on speaking terms for a long time because of arguments. But since we started working together and learning together and realizing that we can benefit from the experience of others, people have started talking together again and fraternity and solidarity have been re-established, in a situation where the traditional elders had not been able to bring us together.”

The frog leaps to make another mark

For nearly 20 years our little green frog has been leaping around appearing on our logo and certification seal, popping up on tea boxes, coffee jars and wood products all over the world. Well, our little green friend has just taken a leap in a new direction, onto a Rainforest Alliance verification mark. This new mark recognises businesses and projects that have achieved significant and measurable sustainability milestones. The new mark is awarded to forest carbon projects and tourism and certain forestry enterprises that meet standards developed by the Rainforest Alliance itself or by other organisations with which we are aligned.

When consumers or businesses see the new Rainforest Alliance verification mark, they can be sure that a particular enterprise or project — whether it be a hotel, carbon-offset project or company selling wood products — has complied with strong standards for sound management that benefits the environment and communities.

An example of how the mark will be used in forestry is the verification of the legality of wood sources, which is particularly important since illegal logging throughout the world continues to undermine efforts to promote social equity, environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth in many nations.  We have developed standards for verification of legality to respond to a growing need for companies to provide assurances — to customers, owners, investors and the general public — that answer questions about the legal status of timber sources.

Hotels and tour operators that meet Rainforest Alliance sustainable tourism requirements, which follow the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, can also earn the right to display the verification mark on brochures or advertisements.  Carbon credit projects verified by the Rainforest Alliance to standards such as the Voluntary Carbon Standard can also use the mark on their Web sites, for example, so that consumers know that greenhouse gas sequestration promoted by the project has been credibly demonstrated.

For nearly 20 years the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal has been used to designate farms and forestlands that meet the rigorous, third-party standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network or the Forest Stewardship Council. These standards for environmental, social and economic sustainability are developed through an independent, participatory process. The standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network and the Forest Stewardship Council are rigorous and transparent, and we continue to believe that achieving independent, third-party certification of sustainability efforts should be the goal of every responsible enterprise.

Along the road to sustainability there are, however, other significant and measurable milestones not yet recognised by third-party certifications. We believe consumers deserve to know which businesses are making long-lasting differences to this planet’s well being.

The new verification mark can be used only on off-product marketing and public-information materials, such as Web sites, brochures and advertisements, never on products.  As with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, all usages of the verification mark must be approved by the Rainforest Alliance prior to publication.