Tier 3 — SpecialtyGlobal

Rainforest Alliance

Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.

What it guarantees

●Reduced (not eliminated) synthetic pesticide use, with bans on the most hazardous classes.
●Forest conservation requirements (no deforestation after the cut-off date).
●Worker welfare and community development requirements.
●Annual third-party audit.

○Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.

Inspection

Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)

Residue testing

Risk-based

Established

1987

Body type

Non-governmental organisation

Scope

Food

Trust tier

Single-issue certification — strong inside its scope (textile, cosmetics, social) but not a general organic stamp.