Rainforest Alliance

• Basic data (location, year of establishment, founding members, legal form, organs including major occupations, concrete activities ( audits, projects), finance, financial, funds, membership in associations, etc.)
• Statistics seal of approval award
• Publications

The Rainforest Alliance is an international conservation organization. It belongs as an International non-governmental organization at the Sustainable Agriculture Network. The headquarters of the organization is located in New York City, the European Representation is in London. She became famous in Germany especially by the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal of approval to the company can apply, follow the specific standards for sustainable agriculture.

Certification

The Rainforest Alliance certification, there are basically only for products that are grown in the tropics, including, inter alia, include Coffee, cocoa, bananas, citrus fruits, flowers and green plants and increasingly tea. In addition, the Rainforest Alliance offers the SmartWood program for forestry. The term " Rainforest Alliance Certified" ( German for " Rainforest Alliance Certified " ) can be found on a number of products in the food trade and gastronomy. The label shows a green frog, which is modeled after the red-eyed. Large companies with certified by the Rainforest Alliance products are Tchibo, Chiquita, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Unilever and coffee products at McDonald's.

Basically, over 90 percent of the content components of a product must be certified in order to perform the seal of approval without the addition may. Unlike other organizations, products that carry the " Rainforest Alliance Certified" label must derive at least 30 % of the contents of certified farms. If only this percentage may be achieved, it must clearly appear on the packaging. In addition, the declining company is committed to expand its stake to 100 % as soon as possible, then the seal may be performed without the addition.

Criticism

The organization has been accused of not enough to own strict standards, are virtually the industry and to help corporations in maintaining its image. For financial contributions and small improvements this a seal of approval for advertising and public relations would get.

This seal of approval awaken only the semblance of ecological or fair trade products. In contrast to the actual fair trade there for the producer organizations neither an agreed minimum price or premium payments, which could be used to improve the living conditions of local communities or business efficiency. It would only expect it to participation in the certification program enables producers to obtain better prices on the open market. The standards of the Rainforest Alliance only demanded the payment of the national minimum wage, which are partly not a living wage. In order to participate, the farmer must make payments for auditing and administrative expenses.