As the two certification bodies merge this month, new CEO Han de Groot talks about how Rainforest Alliance will accelerate its work to tackle the world’s biggest challenges in the spirit of radical optimism

January 2018 marks an auspicious beginning for the Rainforest Alliance and UTZ, which have just formally merged into a new organisation that carries forth the Rainforest Alliance name. The new Rainforest Alliance has a bold and ambitious goal: to accelerate and scale up our work to tackle today’s most urgent challenges: climate change, social inequity, rural poverty, and biodiversity loss.

Our vision – to create a world in which people and nature thrive in harmony – is animated by radical hope. It is also grounded in decades of experience and research. Each organisation came to this merger with a long record of proven success in catalysing sustainability transformation across industries that have a major impact on rural people and the environment. The deep well of talent in both organisations – including agronomists, sustainable forestry veterans, scientists, development experts, and far too many multilingual colleagues to count – gives me confidence that together, we will be an even more powerful force for the change we want to see.

Both organisations have driven enormous progress across important commodity sectors through their certification programmes, which scientific research has shown to deliver clear benefits for people and the planet – benefits that companies of every size are beginning to recognise as good business. Together, the two certification programmes already include some of the business world’s key players, including multinationals like Mars, Nestlé, Cargill, and Lipton, as well as trend-setting companies like Patagonia, Seventh Generation, and Martin Guitars.

Han de Groot is CEO of the merged Rainforest Alliance. Credit: Rainforest Alliance
 
 

And each organisation brings unique strengths and strategies to the table. UTZ has established a strong sector-based model of sustainability transformation, bringing farmers together with civil society groups, companies, and other actors across the supply chain to drive change. The Rainforest Alliance has decades of experience in integrated landscape conservation initiatives that focus on building sustainable forest economies in partnership with indigenous and forest communities.

 Like any marriage between two strong partners, we will inevitably encounter disagreements over just how to build our new organisation. As the new CEO, my goal is to keep the focus on our shared vision – the very thing that brought us together – and the considerable combined assets we bring to four key overlapping areas of work: 

Climate change: Both UTZ and the old Rainforest Alliance have developed effective climate-smart agriculture training programmes to help farmers both mitigate climate change and strengthen their resilience to its destructive impacts. These include proven methods for soil and water conservation, increased productivity, and record-keeping. These practices are also enshrined in both certification standards. Additionally, the Rainforest Alliance has developed a multifaceted landscape strategy to halt deforestation—one of the primary drivers of climate change.

Human rights: Both organisations are founding members of the Global Living Wage Coalition, a collaboration between seven standards organisations working to establish region-specific living wage benchmarks to inform supply chain partners, workers, and trade unions. Additionally, concrete measures to protect key human rights, such as the right to free association and the right to decent housing, are critical components of both the Rainforest Alliance and the UTZ certification systems. These commonalities in our certification standards will guide us as we work to create a new, single standard in 2019. Additionally, UTZ has dedicated sector partnership programmes devoted to gender equity and the prevention and remediation of  child labour, and both organisations require training on gender equity, child exploitation, and living wage. The pre-merger Rainforest Alliance has established itself as a leader in sustainable landscape development programmes that strengthen the land rights and the economic self-determination of indigenous peoples.

Juan Pinchi harvests cocoa on his farm in Juanjui, Peru. Credit: Rainforest Alliance
 
 

Farmer livelihoods: Boosting the productivity of farmers is another major area of overlap. Independent studies demonstrate that the sustainable agriculture methods prescribed in both the UTZ and the Rainforest Alliance sustainable farming programmes improve crop yields and boost farmer income – thereby reducing some of the pressures that commonly drive deforestation. Central to our shared approach is the recognition that thriving farming communities and healthy ecosystems are mutually dependent.

Biodiversity: Both organisations have advanced critical interventions, through trainingand certification, to protect forests and prevent biodiversity loss. Sustainable farming methods that have been proven to protect biodiversity are a part of both certification standards, including integrated pest and weed management, buffer zones, shade trees on coffee farms, and protection of local streams and rivers. The pre-merger Rainforest Alliance also includes prohibitions on hunting (exceptions are made to respect cultural traditions of indigenous communities) and an emphasis on planting native trees.

The greatest asset of all, of course, is the extremely dedicated staff of pragmatic, intelligent optimists from both organisations who have years of experience in collaborating with all kinds of partners to achieve our shared sustainability goals. We are by nature problem-solvers and alliance-builders, and this mindset will be our greatest asset as we build a new organisation from two similar yet distinct organisations doing their utmost to make this world a better place. We have just taken a big step forward by joining forces. Together, we will build a stronger and bigger global alliance for a better future.

See also: The Rainforest Alliance's little frog takes a great leap forward in merger with UTZ

Main photo: Harvesting coffee cherries on a sustainable farm in Guatemala. Credit Rainforest Alliance
biodiversity  climate change  SDGs  poverty  climate-smart agriculture  Human rights  Indigenous People  Global Living Wage Coalition  Mars  Nestlé  Cargill  Lipton  Patagonia 

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