Beginning on Sep. 1, Rainforest Alliance (RA) will offer a new certification seal that can be used on packaging and branding collateral. The new seal will replace the current Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal and the UTZ label, designed to reflect the merger of the two organizations in 2018.
An RA spokesperson says, “The new certification seal is a simple visual that shows consumers how to make a better choice. It demonstrates that farmers and companies are taking steps to make their products more sustainable, creating a better future.”
To use the seal, companies must meet specific certification criteria as defined in the RA labeling and trademarks policy, have a signed license agreement with RA, and comply with the RA seal graphic guidelines. From June 1, all current partners must sign a new trademark license agreement with the RA in order to use the new seal, even if their current license agreement is still valid. This will begin on June 1.
According to Rainforest Alliance, “The new seal represents a vision of a sustainability pathway based on continuous improvement, transparency, and shared responsibility between farmers and companies to achieve our mission; creating a better future for people and nature by making responsible business the new normal. Because, only together we can restore the harmony between people and nature and create a world where we thrive together.
Our alliance is all about changing the way the world produces, sources, and consumes agricultural and forestry products. Together with farmers, communities, companies, and consumers we can create the positive change we all want to see. Our new 2020 certification program is a step forward on that.”
Product packaging and other promotional materials using the seal must be submitted for review and approval through RA’s Marketplace 2.0 portal.