The Rainforest Alliance continues to develop sustainable practices for companies seeking ever-popular certification.

By Danielle Lee

Background
Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Rainforest Alliance was originally founded by Wall Street lawyer Daniel Katz and a group of concerned citizens he organized to raise awareness about rainforest destruction. His organization of the world’s first rainforest conference six months later brought global attention to the Rainforest Alliance philosophy of using the market to encourage sustainability.

The organization has since widened the scope of its mission to include the sustainable use of land and products, and the education of business practitioners and consumers in the agriculture, forestry and tourism industries on these environmentally sound techniques.

The Rainforest Alliance also certifies farms and forests that meet specific environmental, economic and social criteria and from which companies then buy products.

Recent Successes
Probably best known for their coffee certification that has involved corporations like kraft and Caribou coffee, some of Rainforest Alliance’s longest-running partnerships have inspired new sustainability converts. Chiquita, a “trailblazer in sustainable agriculture” that has worked with Rain­forest Alliance for 15 years to get all of its banana farms certified, and Gibson Guitar, with its sustainable wood purchasing standards, have been two companies “showing the way,” according to Executive Director Tensie Whelan.

The tourism industry is a rapidly growing field for the Rainforest Alliance as well. The organization has joined the United Nations and Expedia in supporting economic development and conservation around UNESCO-designated historically and ecologically significant sites. Whereas five years ago tourism leaders “didn’t want to talk to you about [sustainability],” says Whelan, “it now involves more than just ‘do I not wash my hotel towels?’”

Current Initiatives
As companies in every industry have begun to “at least take some action” in the growing market of sustainability, according to Whelan, the Rainforest Alliance is appropriately moving into new fields.
Presently, the organization is creating a new certification for the production of soy, palm oil, sugar and other biofuel crops. It is also helping guitar manufacturers Gibson and C.F. Martin make the music industry more sustainable through their selection of wood for instruments.

Current partners are also feeding off the green inertia, with companies like Time Inc., one of the biggest buyers of paper, pushing for the sustainability of its suppliers, and unilever making the first commodity-level commitment to bring all their tea farms to Rainforest certified levels by 2015, which is one initiative Whelan calls “very exciting.”

At the same time, “there is still major resistance to sustainability,” says Whelan. “Financial analysts don’t care about this stuff at all, they care about the bottom line… Every industry has its leaders, and every industry has its laggers. Some more laggers than others.”

Rainforest Alliance is taking on those challenges, offering responsible forest management training in China with the help of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and Ikea, and working in India to certify Unilever’s tea farms.

Upcoming Trends
Whelan sees the future of sustainability as an extension of the programs in action today, with certification being particularly long-term. She says she entertains the curiosity of new companies about Rainforest Alliance standards on a weekly basis. She also believes corporations will continue looking more at the business case for ecologically, socially and economically viable systems and products, while keeping an eye on supply chains and the effect the manufacturers at each level have on climate change.

While greenwashing—or the practice of devoting more resources to advertising enivornmental initiatives than actually implementing them—remains an unfortunate side effect of sustainability’s popularity, companies are increasingly showing greater ecological sophistication, says Whelan. The Rainforest Alliance encourages companies not to overclaim their environmental successes, but does help companies market their sustainability, a communications area that is developing and welcoming a new breed of specialists.

Consumers are also factored into education efforts through these marketing campaigns, though understanding the complexity of of some supply chains is a constant challenge for both sides.
“To see where wood and coffee comes from can be tough, but it can be done,” says Whelan. “But it takes effort.”