certification manual rainforest alliance certified

11 Certification Manual Certification Manual Rainforest Alliance Certified Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ ™ Code: SAAS-Q-M-2-2 July 2009 22 To our readers: This manual explains the processes and requirements of Rainforest Alliance Certified™. It is meant for those of you interested in becoming certified for the first time, as well as those who are already enjoying the benefits of our certification program. 33 Table of Contents 1. Who are we? 2. Auditing services 3. The audit process 4. Certification cycle 5. Evaluation system 6. Maintaining certification 7. Responsibilities of the client 8. Certified client rights 9. Responsibilities of SAAS 10. Cancelation of certification 11. Conditions for use of the seal 12. Benchmarking with 4C 13. Philosophy of continuous improvement 44 1. Who are we? Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is a coalition of independent non-profit conservation organizations that promote the social and environmental sustainability of agricultural activities by developing standards. SAN fosters best practices for the agricultural value chain, provides incentives to producers to comply with the standards and encourages traders and consumers to protect sustainability. SAN is the owner of the “Sustainable Agriculture Standard” 55 Rainforest Alliance (Alianza para Bosques) The Rainforest Alliance is an international NGO that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods via the transformation of land use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. Rainforest Alliance is the owner of the “Rainforest Alliance Certified™” seal Who are we? www.rainforest-alliance.org 66 Sustainable Agriculture Audit Services (SAAS) SAAS is the unit in Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture program that organizes audits in countries that do not have SAN partners yet. SAAS is an inspection body. SAAS works according to the missions of the SAN and the Rainforest Alliance Who are we? 77 Who are we? Sustainable Farm Certification Intl, Ltda (SFC) SFC is the certification body: it decides whether or not a producer obtains certification. It is also in charge of issuing the corresponding documentation. www.sustainablefarmcert.com 88 2. Audit services The audits we conduct are based on: • Farm Certification Policy (April 2009 version) • SAN Standards for Sustainable Agriculture (April 2009 version) • SAN list of Prohibited Pesticides (April 2009 version) • For audits of farm groups: the Rainforest Alliance Certification Standards for Groups (Nov. 2004 version) • Local indicator Guidelines, if applicable 99 Audit services The certification covers the farm or the farms of the group. It includes the installations and all activities (even those that are not targeted in the certification). For example: if a coffee farm has cattle rearing operations, the auditor will inspect the management of this activity as well. For groups, there must be an appointed group administrator in order to be certified. We invite you to review the requirements in the Group Standard 1010 3. The auditing process 1) Application 2) Quotation – Billing 3) Payment 4) Preparation of the audit 5) Execution of the audit 6) Preparation of the report [...]... the certification status of the farm or its products) When the farm or group of farms do not comply with the requirements established in the Farm Certification Policy *Cancellation of Rainforest Alliance Certified certification is the exclusive responsibility of the certification body: Sustainable Farm Certification (SFC) 35 11 Conditions for Use of the Seal The Rainforest Alliance Certified certification. .. certification seal is a registered trademark of the Rainforest Alliance The user cannot use, adopt, register or intend to register the certification seal The producer can request the requirements for use of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal at certification@ ra.org * * Approval for the use of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal is the responsibility of the certification body SFC 36 ... certification in case there is a change of owner 29 7 Responsibilities of the Producer In the audit and certification process, the producer has the following responsibilities: Become familiar with this manual, the SAN standards that apply to the farm or group of farms and the policies in effect Comply with the financial obligations of the agreement for the Rainforest Alliance Certified audit and certification. .. Place to communicate about the certified products 33 9 Responsibilities of SAAS To support producers of certified farms, the SAAS team has the following responsibilities: Provide the certified client with up-to-date information and material about changes made to the SAN standards and policies and the audit and certification process Expand recognition of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal in global... to a formal complaint by a third party regarding apparent non-compliance of a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm or group 24 Other types of audits Quality audit: SAAS plans and conducts this process in coordination with SFC to monitor compliance with the Certification Agreement and the proper use of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal Non-programmed or follow-up audit: SAAS plans and conducts this... in advance of the process and its costs are covered by SAAS 25 5 Evaluation System To obtain Rainforest Alliance Certified certification a farm must: Be evaluated through a certification audit Comply with the SAN scoring system and compliance requirements Sign the Certification Agreement Pay for the cost of certification and annual fee The Scoring System at the farm level includes: Compliance with... it is sent to the SFC Certification Committee 20 Step 7: Certification Decision The SFC Certification Committee analyzes the audit report and makes a decision SFC sends a letter with the decision via SAAS In the event of certification, a Certification Agreement (valid for 3 years) will be sent for the producer to sign and send back to SAAS The client may request a copy of the Certification Agreement... the farm Rainforest Alliance s objective is to gather specific data to measure the environmental, social and economic impacts of the certification processes and sustainable management practices The purpose of this is to aid continuous improvement, attract key stakeholders and create a competitive advantage for certified producers 16 Environmental, Social and Economic Impact The Rainforest Alliance. .. Rights of the Certified Client Once a farm has satisfactorily concluded the audit and certification process, it merits the following privileges: Its products will be recognized by the market as differentiated due to its good socio-environmental performance and responsibility Use of the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal in all its promotion and commercialization activities for products from the certified. .. the Certification Agreement before applying for an audit Certification is effective as of the date the Committee makes the decision However, products cannot be sold as certified until the Certification Agreement has been signed and the producer has met the financial and administrative obligations of the agreement 21 Certification Decision If certification is not awarded, the producer can make the necessary . 11 Certification Manual Certification Manual Rainforest Alliance Certified Rainforest Alliance Certified ™ ™ Code: SAAS-Q-M-2-2 July 2009 22 To our readers: This manual explains. behaviour. Rainforest Alliance is the owner of the Rainforest Alliance Certified ” seal Who are we? www .rainforest- alliance. org 66 Sustainable Agriculture Audit Services (SAAS) SAAS is the unit in Rainforest. requirements of Rainforest Alliance Certified . It is meant for those of you interested in becoming certified for the first time, as well as those who are already enjoying the benefits of our certification