Rainforest Alliance

• Posted on 5 March 2026
• By De Koffiebaron
• 0

The Rainforest Alliance is committed to more sustainable coffee farming worldwide. They train farmers in environmentally friendly techniques such as shade trees and soil conservation, and help restore ecosystems through reforestation and nature management. They also make a difference socially: they protect labor rights, promote gender equality, and collaborate with companies to achieve living wages. By joining the Rainforest Alliance, coffee brands demonstrate their commitment to people, the environment, and transparency.

What is the Rainforest Alliance?

The Rainforest Alliance is an international NGO founded in 1987, with a mission to promote sustainable agriculture, protect ecosystems, and improve the livelihoods of farmers and workers. Since merging with UTZ in 2018, their certification program has been implemented on a global scale, covering over 5.7 million hectares of certified farmland and more than 7.5 million producers and workers worldwide.

Certification Program: Farmers, Biodiversity, and Climate

1. Environmental Management
   • Farmers receive training in climate-smart and regenerative agriculture: shade trees, mulching, integrated soil and water management.
   • Projects such as the “CO₂ Coffee” program in Mexico encourage reforestation and provide farmers opportunities to earn income through carbon credits.
   • In Indonesia, farmers collaborate to create wildlife corridors for endangered species like the Sumatran elephant, using digital biodiversity monitoring.
2. Biodiversity and Landscape Restoration
   • In Guatemala and Mexico, areas have been restored by planting forests led by local farmers, resulting in “virtually no fires” in restored zones.

For Workers: Human Rights and Living Wage

1. Labor Rights
   • Farms must inform workers of their rights to collective organization and participation in improvement plans.
   • A pilot project with anonymous mobile reporting for labor violations has been implemented in countries such as Brazil and Ivory Coast.
   • Gender Equality
     • Women are encouraged to take leadership roles, for example as cooperative leaders or farm managers.
     • Training ensures equal pay, so men and women receive fair wages for the same work.
     • The certification requires women to participate in decisions on how premiums and investments are spent within the farm or cooperative.
     • In some regions, women receive additional training, such as financial education or access to credit.
     • The goal is to reduce inequality and empower women economically, ultimately benefiting entire communities.
   • Certification encourages gender equality and strengthens women’s role in decision-making.
2. Living Wage
   • Programs like “Better Pay in Practice” focus on living wages for workers on Kenyan coffee farms. Farmers received wage increases through efficiency improvements and a “living wage premium.”
   • Shared Responsibility: buyers pay a “Sustainability Differential” on top of market prices and invest in social and environmental projects—funds go directly back to farmers and workers.

Impact on Farmers’ Knowledge & Yields

• Nespresso AAA Program: Farmers involved in this program saw their net income increase by 87%.
• Nescafé Collaboration: After interventions in Mexico and Vietnam, yields and financial health improved thanks to training, plant replacement, and financial literacy.

Strategic Partnerships

• Partnerships with companies include monitoring & evaluation, risk analysis, supplier training, and targeted improvement projects.
• With investor Mirova, a €350 million fund was established to scale up regenerative agriculture projects, including coffee regions.

Future Goals

The Rainforest Alliance aims to support 100 million farmers worldwide by 2030 in adopting regenerative agricultural practices, as part of their renewed certification.

Summary

Relevance for Certified Coffee Brands

Brands carrying the Rainforest Alliance certification demonstrate commitment to:

• Ecological Responsibility – protecting biodiversity and climate
• Social Justice – fair wages and labor protection
• Transparency & Impact – measurable results via certification and monitoring

For us, this means every certified brand supports sustainable practices on farms, benefiting both nature and people, while contributing to long-term coffee availability.

See which coffee types are certified here.