The Frog Blog UK: The blog of the Rainforest Alliance in the UK

Have you seen our green frog seal?  Ever wondered just who is the Rainforest Alliance?  Or what we do?  Here are 10 little factiods about the Rainforest Alliance.

94 percent of our income goes straight to our work on the ground.
The Rainforest Alliance has an annual budget of almost £18million, with 94 per cent of the budget being spent on its programmes and six per cent on administration and fundraising.  It is a recognised four-star charity (highest ranking) in the United States. So for every pound we are given 94p of it goes straight to our programme work on the ground.  We don’t waste a bean!

The Rainforest Alliance is more than just a certification system.
As well as the green frog seal you see on many products on the high street, Rainforest Alliance also works in the areas of forestry, tourism and climate change.

The Rainforest Alliance comes of age and encircles the globe
From small beginning over 23 years ago the Rainforest Alliance has now grown into a truly global force.  We currently run projects and have a presence in 70 countries around the world.

Nearly half of the Rainforest Alliance certification programme is focused on people
We don’t just look out for rainforests we also look out for the people who live in and around them. The Sustainable Agriculture Network standards used by the Rainforest Alliance cover ten broad principles, three of which are solely focused on people; fair treatment and good working conditions for workers; occupational health and safety; community relations.

With over 55,000 Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, the Rainforest Alliance certification programme benefits some two million farmers, farm workers and their families in 23 countries.

We directly help small scale farmers
Rainforest Alliance certification engages with all the types of farms — from small cooperatives and family farms to large estates owned by multinational corporations – as a means of promoting change at many levels and of ensuring that all agricultural workers are well-treated.

Our experience with many crops including coffee, cocoa and tea demonstrates that the certification process generally increases efficiency on farms, reduces costly inputs and improves management.  Workers benefit from a cleaner, safer, more dignified workplace where their rights are respected.  Farmers have better access to specialty buyers, contract stability, favourable credit options, publicity, technical assistance and premium markets

We’re independent from those who support us
Independence – Maintaining financial independence from Rainforest Alliance Certifiedä farms and forestlands is a critical element of our ability to provide technical assistance, certification and verification services.

We have adopted a policy to accept contributions (monetary or in-kind) from entities that use, or are eligible to use, our certification or verification services, only in the following permitted ways:
·    Fees for certification, verification and related services
·    Sponsorship or other support of public events
·    Funding for educational, training or outreach activities

An individual involved in decisions regarding the acceptance or use of contributions from a specific entity cannot be involved in certification or verification decisions regarding that entity.

Rainforest Alliance doesn’t just focus on area of improvement
The Rainforest Alliance certification programme is an independent, robust certification system that addresses three aspects or pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) together.  We call it our profit, people and planet approach.  It does not bias one of these three pillars over the others.  Obtaining decent living and working conditions for farming communities, protecting the environment and ensuring proper access to education and health care are all key aspects of the Rainforest Alliance difference.

The Rainforest Alliance Certifiedä seal on products means at least seven aspects of environmental protection have taken place.
When a farm reaches the demanding standards necessary to be awarded the Rainforest Alliance Certifiedä seal it means action has been taken to ensure: Less water pollution, less soil erosion, reduced threats to the environment and human health, wildlife and wildlife habitat is protected, less waste, less water used, more efficient farm management.

Britain is a nation of sustainable tea drinkers
165 million cups of tea are drunk each day in the UK (source: UK Tea Council).  A few calculations using IRI data as a basis (August 2009 report) showed us that approximately 37% of the volume of tea packs offered by UK retailers contains tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.  This means 61 million cups of tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms are drunk in Britain each day! This is why we think Britain is a nation of “sustainable tea drinkers”.

We’re one of the biggest auditors of timber and paper products in the world
Rainforest Alliance helped to set up the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC).  The FSC certifies sustainably produced timber and paper products from around the world.  We are one of the largest certifiers auditing forest, timber and paper production to FSC standards.  If you buy a product bearing the FSC seal the chances are it was the Rainforest Alliance who certified it.