What is the Rainforest Alliance?.

The Rainforest Alliance is a growing network of people who are inspired and committed to working together. Their mission is to ensure biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods for future generations. This is achieved through creative, pragmatic and collaboration. A further aim is to rebalance the planet by building strong forests and healthy communities around the world. The Rainforest Alliance’s believes that the health of the Earth is linked to the well-being of those whose livelihoods depend on the land. The Rainforest Alliance has a vital role to play in strengthening this relationship. The Alliance offers training to farmers and foresters, work with businesses committed to sustainability, and motivate citizens to adopt sustainable lifestyles. Those who meet the criteria set by the sustainable agriculture network will get the special certification seal.

So what does it take to be certified? Well, the special green seal symbolizing a frog that you may have seen in various places is awarded to farms, forests, and businesses that meet rigorous environmental and social standards.

The frogs are indicator species, meaning they are a symbol of environmental health, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica. The green frog certification seal indicates that a farm, forest, or tourism enterprise has been audited to meet standards that require environmental, social and economic sustainability. Thousands of products bearing the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal are found on shelves, in advertisements and websites around the world.

Our Café Bonitas fresh roast coffee beans from South America has met these standards, assuring consumers that the product they are purchasing has been grown and harvested using environmentally and socially responsible practices.

Of course Raising Awareness is the main purpose of being certified, once you bear the logo it becomes a Lantern for spreading the word, A study by RAC showed 80 per cent of consumers trust third-party certification labels, more than any other type of environmental message.

This neatly leads us on to some of the amazing results of a Global corporate social responsibility study carried out recently.

• Did you know 87 per cent of global consumers are “very likely” to consider a company’s social and environmental commitment before deciding what to buy and where to shop. (Source: Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study)
• An incredible 92 per cent of global consumers would buy a product with social and/or environmental benefit if given the opportunity, and 67 per cent have actually done so within the previous 12 months. (Source: Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study)
• In the United States, 47.6 per cent of those surveyed recognize the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ green frog seal, 33.5 percent understand what the certification means and 25.2 percent indicated they are more likely to buy a product that carries the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.

Sustainability does sell! As we are all constantly moving towards an environmentally conscious business practices, the value of the Rainforest Alliance is becoming more applicable than ever before. Why not Join the likes of Macdonalds, Nespresso, Lipton’s and Connect to name a few in this enduring environmental journey.