Standards – a vehicle on the road to sustainability

A wide variety of initiatives aimed at developing and promoting voluntary social and ecological standards in sectors ranging from agriculture and forestry to textiles and toys have emerged over the last two decades. Voluntary social and ecological standards are one possible answer to the call for a socially and ecologically compatible form of globalisation.

Standards are concrete criteria which provide important guidelines for sustainable production systems. The implementation of practices respecting the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard leads to more efficient, environmentally safer and more socially equitable production conditions around the globe. This calls for comprehensive support to farmers in order to establish the know-how and capacity to comply with the criteria. Compliance can be certified, and farmers are rewarded by a premium for their sustainably grown product.

The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard

The Rainforest Alliance and other members of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) – a coalition of non-profit conservation organisations that work together to promote socially responsible and environmentally sustainable agriculture - have developed a practical standard for certifying farms based on the ten principles of sustainable agriculture. Download The Rainforest Alliances Sustainable Agriculture Standard (PDF, 0.4 MB).

More information at the Rainforest Alliance.