The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) and the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS) have today launched a pilot program that is expected to deliver greater confidence and trust in Rainforest Alliance certification - a seal that appears widely on agricultural products from around the world.
The seal is used on goods from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that adhere to the SAN’s standards for protecting wildlife, wild lands, workers rights and local communities. The seal connects conscientious consumers and responsible producers supporting environmental conservation and fair working practices.
To date the certification of farms has been conducted by a certification body with the support of inspection bodies approved directly by SAN. To make the system more inclusive and transparent, the IOAS will develop an accreditation system that includes internationally recognised procedures for the approval of the certification bodies working primarily in Latin America and Africa. This will be a unique system to empower independent certification bodies to implement the SAN standard. The SAN standard is unusually comprehensive in that it integrates the economic viability of farms with environmental conservation and robust social and labour requirements.
“As a founding member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network,” says SAN board president, Romeo Dominguez “I am eager to see its continued evolution and strengthening through the development of an innovative accreditation system. We welcome collaboration with organisations that share the SAN’s vision for sustainability to support farmers, farm workers, ecosystems and wildlife.”
IOAS Executive Director Ken Commins was equally upbeat: “The IOAS is about cultivating integrity and trust in products that are responsibly produced, and this initiative with SAN fits very neatly into that approach. We hope that our expertise from our respected work in the organic sector and, of course, our independence will bring even greater benefits to producers, their customers and the world at large.”
Certification and inspection bodies already working with the SAN will be invited to apply for IOAS accreditation during 2010, and they will be subject to the normal assessment procedures of the IOAS. Once the program is fully tested, a decision will be taken as to whether the accreditation will be opened to other certification bodies around the world.