Memorandum submitted by Rainforest Alliance
INTRODUCTION TO
THE RAINFOREST
ALLIANCE
Founded in 1987, Rainforest Alliance is an independent,
non-profit charity organization that has developed a certification
system for a variety of product groups. The main objective of
all the Rainforest Alliance programs is sustainable development
within the agricultural, forestry and tourism industries. Rainforest
Alliance certifies agricultural products like bananas, citrus,
cocoa, coffee, tea and flowers and ferns. Products from certified
farms are eligible to use the Rainforest Alliance logo, or seal
of approval. The Rainforest Alliance has been approved by DEFRA's
Green Labels Guide. In forestry, the Rainforest Alliance is the
largest certifier to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard.
The forestry certification programme of the Rainforest Alliance
is called SmartWood.
The mission of the Rainforest Alliance is to
protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on
them by transforming land-use practices, business practices and
consumer behaviour. Companies, cooperatives and landowners that
participate in our programmes meet rigorous standards that conserve
biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods. The Rainforest
Alliance's standards are based on the three core pillars of sustainability:
environment, ethics, and economics. It is a holistic approach
to sustainability that places equal emphasis on the conditions
of the natural environment and the people that depend on it. Issues
covered by Rainforest Alliance agricultural standards include
ecosystem conservation, water stewardship, wildlife protection,
fair treatment of workers, health and safety, community relations,
integrated crop and waste management, soil management and social
and environmental management systems.
The Rainforest Alliance is an active member
of the ISEAL Alliance, which numbers the world's leading social
and environmental standard setters, including the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), International
Federation of Organic Accreditation Movements (IFOAM) and Fair-trade
Labelling Organisations (FLO).
The Alliance operates in over 50 countries.
In the United Kingdom, the Rainforest Alliance logo is appearing
on a rapidly growing number of products. Some recent examples
include Kraft Foods' Kenco coffee (Sustainable Development brand
and the Kenco Pure ranges from Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica),
Innocent Drinks (whose bananas all come from Rainforest Alliance
certified farms), McDonalds coffee, Gala Coffee, Madison's Cafe«'s
and Eden Project Coffee.
Some £1.5 billion worth of Rainforest Alliance
certified agricultural and timber products now exist in the global
marketplace. Partnerships with companies such as Chiquita have
transformed entire sectors in favour of environmental and social
sustainability (20% of the world's traded bananas now meet Rainforest
Alliance standards). As of July 2007, the Rainforest Alliance
had certified 40,739,228 hectares (100,664,161 acres) of well-managed
forest lands and 299,280 hectares (739,222 acres) of farmland
in 13,903 small family farms, plantations and cooperatives. An
estimated 1,500,000 farmers, farm workers and family members directly
benefit from the programme.
Recently, Unilever announced that it will be
seeking Rainforest Alliance certification for its Lipton and PG
Tips tea brands—a major new programme which will result
in the world's first Rainforest Alliance certified teas. Forthcoming
initiatives include the conversion to Rainforest Alliance certified
by a major retailer for its own brand roast and ground coffees.
REPONSES TO
SELECTED QUESTIONS
RAISED BY
THE INQUIRY
1. The Rainforest Alliance, like most conservation
groups, believes that properly managed certification schemes are
valuable tools for instilling sustainable practices in the three
human activities that most affect natural resources, the environment
and many of the world's poor people.
2. The Rainforest Alliance supports voluntary
labelling on food, wood, paper, non timber forest products (NTFPs)
such as rubber, chicle and rattans, wild-caught and farmed fish
and seafood, and tourism services. We do not think that labelling
should be compulsory, because then it is seen as the same as government
regulation. Without the NGO identity and support, labels lose
their consumer appeal. Consumers expect governments to ensure
that companies are following the law, that food is safe to eat
and wood and fish have been legally harvested. Labels from independent
third parties are understood to show that the manufacturer or
harvester of the product has gone beyond what is required by law.
3. Sustainable agriculture, albeit a complex
concept, is increasingly well understood by business and consumers.
Like our sister programmes—organic and fair-trade—Rainforest
Alliance encourages companies that are trading certified products
to put consumer-friendly explanations on packaging.
4. While small but growing portions of the
public understand the differences between organic, fair-trade
and sustainable agriculture, there is wide acceptance of labels
supported by recognised, credible NGOs. Consumers may not know
exactly what the NGO labels stand for in detail, but they trust
that a product with a label is somehow easier on the environment
than a product with no label.
5. Consumer research by companies using
the Rainforest Alliance Certified logo shows that there is low
but rapidly growing recognition of the logo and that consumers
appreciate that it stands for sustainability, a modern, holistic
and comprehensive way to address the big environmental issues
that we all face. We do not aspire ourselves to become a famous,
instantly recognisable "brand", but rather to continue
to work on the ground with producers in developing countries,
connecting certified produce to the growing number of companies
embracing corporate responsibility. We do of course welcome efforts
by those companies to support awareness of our mission and logo
through their own marketing efforts.
6. As noted above, the Rainforest Alliance
is a member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation
and Labelling Alliance (ISEAL www.isealalliance.org), which works
to ensure credibility and transparency for international, mission-driven,
NGO-led labelling programs. Within ISEAL, there is only one program
for forestry certification (FSC), one for fishery certification
(MSC) and three for farm-goods (Rainforest Alliance Certified,
organic and fair-trade).
ISEAL has considered the "proliferation"
question and divides it into two:
(a) Are there so many labels that consumers feel
overwhelmed and reject them all?
(b) Are the labels that are not-for-profit
and mission-driven threatened by the proliferation of self-interested
seals from business interests?
Consumer research, sales of certified products
and marketing tests suggest that the answer to the first question
is "no". Credible new seals supported by NGOs arouse
more interest in environmental issues and in ethical shopping.
The ISEAL member programmes are all growing rapidly, indicating
that consumers are turned on, not off. The second question is
more difficult. ISEAL members want to differentiate their voluntary
and objective labels from the self-interested company or sector
programmes. The increase in private-sector labels may threaten
meaningful labels by diluting the distinctive power of NGO labels.
7. We would be wary of government attempts
to control, give preference to, or "rationalise" labels.
In our experience, it is better to let the market determine which
labels will succeed and grow, by letting consumers decide. After
all, the very core rationale for labels is to give consumers more
choice and a way to exercise their buying power to benefit the
environment.
8. The success of ISEAL label programs suggests
that we can change forestry, farming, fishing and manufacturing.
We can demonstrate that Rainforest Alliance Certified changes
behaviour of producers, of forest managers and farmers—not
just practices, but behaviour and even attitudes.
9. ISEAL has studied the question of whether
environmental labelling reduces trade opportunities to developing
countries and found no indications that voluntary labels restrict
exports. Quite the opposite: credible label programs can open
new, premium markets.
10. On the question of an international
environmental labelling system, there are already several international
labelling systems that are members of ISEAL, including Rainforest
Alliance Certified, which is active in more than 50 countries.
ISEAL has found no conflict with WTO rules.
CONCLUSION
As a growing human population threatens ecosystems
around the world, the Rainforest Alliance sees certification as
an increasingly important tool for driving continual positive
change. Certification is a means, not a goal. It provides an effective
method for ensuring that natural resources are managed for the
long term. Certification offers land users and businesses guidance
on producing goods and providing services according to responsible
and efficient practices that will not deplete resources or negatively
affect the environment or local communities. And through the purchase
of certified products, consumers have the opportunity to "vote
with their wallets"—to influence corporate commitment
to sustainability.
With today's growing emphasis on corporate responsibility
and in view of consumer demands for environmental and social accountability,
certification provides a market-based solution for producers,
businesses, and consumers. Certification offers consumers clear
choices and the chance to purchase products that are guaranteed
to come from environmentally, socially and economically responsible
sources. The Rainforest Alliance and SmartWood certification logos
ensure that the product was produced in a sustainable manner,
that impacts on the environment and local communities were minimised
and that the workers involved were paid good wages and provided
with safe working and living conditions. For landowners and producers,
certification is a way to make their operations more efficient
and sustainable and to gain public recognition for doing the right
thing. As consumer support for certification grows, the Rainforest
Alliance is working to ensure that certified manufacturers and
producers will be rewarded in the marketplace wherever possible,
providing them with an increasing incentive to adopt more sustainable
practices.
We are extremely grateful to the Environmental
Audit Committee for initiating this important inquiry and hope
this brief submission is helpful.
26 September 2007
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