Businesses across all industries are now expected to lessen their environmental impact as the effects of climate change become more widely perceived.
Numerous actions have been made in the coffee sector, including the ban on single-use plastics, the establishing of carbon emission targets, and the adoption of compostable packaging.
Buying green coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms is an additional well-liked strategy. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-profit organization that was established in 1986 with the mission of reducing ecological harm, enhancing farmer livelihoods, and advancing agricultural standards.
It has benefited numerous communities all over the world since its inception and has been known as a symbol of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Businesses that sell coffee can reduce their environmental impact and give back to the communities where the coffee is grown by purchasing from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Continue reading to learn more about the Rainforest Alliance and how purchasing coffee that has been certified can help the supply chain.
The Rainforest Alliance: What is it?
An multinational non-profit, non-governmental organization is called The Rainforest Alliance. Its goal is to collaborate with businesses and farmers to safeguard the environment and enhance communities that depend on forestry farming.
Daniel Katz, an American environmental activist, co-founded it in the middle of the 1980s with the goal of developing a global program to monitor, assess, certify, and audit forests.
Since then, it has developed into a well-known organization with operations in more than 60 nations.
The primary method of work for the Rainforest Alliance is its certification program, which serves as a seal of approval for farms that adhere to its stringent environmental, social, and economic standards.
Products from accredited farms are permitted to display the coveted “green frog” mark. This lets customers know that the product or component was made in accordance with the organization’s stringent sustainability guidelines.
Since 2020, in order for a product to display the emblem, it must contain at least 90% of certified ingredients (with the exception of herbal teas and palm oil).
The Rainforest Alliance recently combined with UTZ, its main competitor in the sustainability certification market, and now runs a new Sustainable Agriculture Standard that permits complying partner companies to use the green frog logo.
How does the Rainforest Alliance support growers of coffee?
There are many difficulties faced by coffee farmers. The incidence of everything from fungal illnesses to pest outbreaks has grown due to rising global temperatures and worsening climate conditions, while variable pricing have fostered a climate of ongoing anxiety.
The Rainforest Alliance collaborates with farmers as part of its program to put various methods into place that can help reduce potential losses brought on by these kinds of problems.
The advice on crop diversity is crucial in this. Large-scale monoculture farming techniques, which have been the norm in the sector for years, can deplete soil nutrients and necessitate chemical treatment, which worsens environmental damage. They also frequently consume fossil fuels substantially, which is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Rainforest Alliance promotes polyculture farms in the agroforestry model because they help restore forest ecosystems and provide a host of advantages to farmers, their crops, and the environment, including a 50% increase in carbon sequestration when compared to monocultures that are not shaded.
By planting several, disease-resistant coffee kinds and substitute crops like cacao, citrus, and bananas, farmers like Juan Jiménez in Per have been assisted in restoring the biodiversity of their estates.
This intercession replaces a deteriorated environment with a more balanced ecosystem, increasing farms’ productivity and profitability for farmers.
However, the Rainforest Alliance also seeks to address moral and human rights concerns, not just the agricultural life of coffee producers.
It employs a “assess and address” strategy to deal with human rights issues inside certified partner organizations through its certification program.
These guidelines are a condition of their certification scheme, and accredited businesses are required to put internal monitoring in place to look for and eliminate any violations of human rights. They give special attention to regions and nations where abuses are likely to occur and provide remedial training as necessary.
For these very reasons, a number of market titans from Canada to the UK have already committed to using Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee.
For instance, Costa Coffee, which became the first coffee shop in the UK to source all of its coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in 2008, recently celebrated a 13-year partnership.
What advantages come with buying coffee that is Rainforest Alliance Certified?
The Rainforest Alliance certification shows your clients that you are concerned about the environment and the people who share it.
It demonstrates that your company is committed to ending violations of human rights as well as environmental sustainability.
Today’s consumers are more concerned with ethical behavior than ever before; nearly 90% of them say they want the companies they patronize to have a good impact on society and the environment. As a result, it is more crucial than ever to demonstrate to your clients that you care about them beyond your year-end financials.
However, it goes beyond just perception. The sustainability of every aspect is necessary for the overall sustainability of the coffee industry.
Businesses that use labor from other people or their natural ecosystems for profit are fundamentally unsustainable. Businesses must all cooperate to find answers to the problems we all currently confront if the coffee industry is to thrive.
Look for the small green frog mark of the Rainforest Alliance or ask your suppliers about their certifications and credentials to ensure that the coffee you are purchasing for your company has been cultivated ethically and ecologically.
In order to advance sustainability in the market, your business should support Rainforest Alliance Certified producers.
Staying informed about your environmental effect could be crucial to the long-term success of your company as it becomes an issue that affects us all more and more.
It could be time to start thinking about implementing other eco-friendly policies, including recyclable and biodegradable coffee packaging, as the broad banning of single-use plastic becomes more likely.
We at Cyan Pak are dedicated to minimizing the environmental impact of your coffee business. We provide a selection of biodegradable, recyclable, and compostable coffee bags that may be fully customized with features like resealable zippers and degassing valves.
To further reduce the carbon footprint of each bag, we also print with water-based inks that are recyclable and employ low-emission techniques.
