The Rainforest Alliance Certification Program is designed to ensure that farms and supply chain actors meet the certification, promoting environmental protection, social responsibility, and traceability. Certification Bodies (CBs) play a central role in this process, acting as independent, authorized organizations that evaluate Certificate Holders through audits, reviews, and certification decisions. Their journey is structured across defined roles, responsibilities, and interactions within the Rainforest Alliance online systems: MyRA and the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP).
Certification begins with the Certification Body Administrator, who establishes the formal relationship with the Certificate Holder. This involves reviewing the Certification Application Form (CAF), signing agreements, and completing the “handshake” process in RACP, which connects the Certificate Holder to the CB and unlocks access to certification data. Administrators then prepare audits by reviewing submitted data, clarifying inconsistencies, and creating audit projects with defined roles and timelines.
Once prepared, the Auditor takes responsibility for conducting the audit. This includes reviewing data, planning audit activities, selecting farms or sites for sampling, documenting non‑conformities, and compiling findings into a comprehensive audit report. The auditor provides a recommendation and submits the audit to the Reviewer, ensuring the process moves forward.
The Reviewer acts as a quality control checkpoint, independently verifying the completeness and accuracy of audit findings. They may request corrective actions from the Certificate Holder, review evidence, and confirm compliance before moving the audit to the approval pool. This ensures that only robust, compliant audits reach the final stage.
At the conclusion of the journey, the Certifier makes the final certification decision. They review the audit and review outcomes, issue certificates when compliance is confirmed, or mark the status as “Not Certified” if standards are not met. Certifiers also manage extensions, cancellations, or suspensions of certificates when necessary.
Beyond initial certification, Certification Bodies remain responsible for ongoing certificate management. This includes monitoring compliance, conducting surveillance audits, and handling changes in scope or operations. Certificates may be extended, suspended, or cancelled depending on compliance with Rainforest Alliance standards, ensuring integrity throughout the three‑year certification cycle.
In essence, the certification body journey is a structured pathway of collaboration, oversight, and decision‑making. From contracting and audits to reviews and certification, each role contributes to safeguarding the credibility of the Rainforest Alliance seal and supporting continuous improvement for farms and supply chain actors worldwide.