The Rainforest Alliance certification process follows clearly defined steps

Certification Cycle

The Rainforest Alliance Certified cycle covers a three-year period as detailed below. The following activities are carried out during this period:

Certification Audit: Determines conformity to the social and environmental standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network. A certification decision is made as a result of the audit.

Annual Audits: Conducted in Years 1 and 2. These audits verify and monitor the ongoing fulfillment of the standards and serve to identify any corrective actions necessary to maintain compliance.

In order for a farm or group to maintain its certification for another three-year cycle, the farm or group manager must complete a new service application in the third year. A certification audit must also be conducted in the third year.

In addition to scheduled audits, other types of audits can be conducted in order to verify fulfillment of the standards throughout the certification cycle. Verification Audits are conducted to verify documentation and plans created in previous audits. Research Audits are unannounced visits, often to research complaints or specific issues brought to the attention of the inspection bodies.

In this process, four committees are involved. The Certification Committee is responsible for making all decisions pertinent to granting, maintaining, extending, suspending and cancelling certification of a farm or group, as well as follow up complaints, claims and appeals, define an order of investigation to a particular process and authorize verification audits. The Advisory Committee supervises that certification decisions are taken impartially, objectively, transparently and independently; and attached to Sustainable Agriculture Network’s policies, principles and guidelines. The Appeals Committee is in charge of receiving, analyzing and making a decision on second degree appeals, assuring that the decision is made considering technical elements and current criteria of the Standards and Policies of the Sustainable Agriculture Network. The Technical Committee makes recommendations to the Certification Committee regarding technical aspects of farm and group compliance with the standards and policies of the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

Audits and Certificates

Certification audits are carried out by a team of authorized auditors who visit the farm operation to verify its social- environmental performance and management according to the Sustainable Agriculture Standards. Audits include an opening meeting, document revision, evidence-gathering, interviews and a closing meeting.

Once the field audit is conducted, the auditor team generates a report with details about the farm's conformity with the standards. When appropriate, the auditors can request additional information before submitting the audit report.

Certificates are only granted to applicants who fulfill all of the requirements established by Sustainable Farm Certification, Intl. and the Sustainable Agriculture Network Standards.

Applying for certification

Please fill out one of the following forms in order to apply for certification, sign it, and send to cert@sustainablefarmcert.com. To sign the form, you may sign, scan and save as .pdf or .jpg file or indicate in your email that you approve the application. We shall forward your application form to the Inspection Body that covers your region which shall provide you with a quotation and further information about the process.

Farm service application form.

Group application form.

Using the Rainforest Alliance Certified Seal

Once producers become Rainforest Alliance Certified, they receive a certificate which can be submitted with an application for the use of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.

The seal shows that a farm operation is in compliance with the Sustainable Agriculture Standards. The certified producer cannot alter the seal or try to register it or any similar mark.

For more information, please refer to Rainforest Alliance seal use guidelines.

Complaints, claims and appeals

Sustainable Farm Certification International, Ltda. in its commitment to continual improvement, provides attention to complaints, claims and appeals and follow-up through established procedures. Complaints, claims and appeals are handled as confidential between the person or organization who requests such measures and the scope of action involved.

Complaints and claims

To communicate a problem presented regarding farm or group management, you may present a complaint.

You may also present a claim with reference to a service provided to you.

Please fill the Form for handling complaints, claims and appeals and submit it to cert@sustainablefarmcert.com in order to process. In the Procedure to handle complaints and claims you will find further information about these processes.

Appeals

If you wish to present an appeal to the certification decision, please fill the Form for handling complaints, claims and appeals and submit it to cert@sustainablefarmcert.com. In the Procedure to handle appeals will find further information about this process.

Client information access policy

Sustainable Farm Certification Intl, in its Client information access policy, is committed to respect the privacy of client information, as well as to guarantee client’s access to information they provide and that generated from related activities, among which are:

• Audit reports.
• Personal data.
• Complaints, claims and appeals.
• Certification Committee information.

The client may gain access to this information by writing expressly to the Certification Committee through the client’s authorized certification contact.