respect for nature and sustainable...

Wednesday, January 21, 2009© Copyright 2006. Rainforest Alliance

Respect for Nature and Sustainable Development

Tensie Whelan, November 29, 2006

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

© Copyright 2006. Rainforest Alliance

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What is the Rainforest Alliance?

The Rainforest Alliance is an international, nonprofit environmental and sustainable development organization.

Our mission is to protect ecosystems and the people and wildlife that depend on them by transforming …

Consumer behavior

Business practices

Land use practices



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Transforming the Global Marketplace

Develop field-based criteria that protect nature and environment, provide sustainable livelihoods and improve quality and productivity.

Use the market to encourage the implementation of sustainable development and nature conservation at scale.

2% of the world’s working forests, 1.5% coffee and 15% world’s market in bananas certified as sustainable by RA.

Companies include: Kraft, Chiquita, IKEA



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Deforestation is prohibitedReforestation requiredMaintain bio-diversity No farms in protected nature parks

Protecting Ecosystems



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Water Conservation

No pollutionCreation of bufferzones along streamsConserve – recycle whenever possible

Protect rivers



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Wildlife inventories required, animal collection for sale prohibited, key habitat set-asides, etc

Protecting Wildlife



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Colombia Case Study on Coffee

Producers receiving .25/lb premium; $750,000 in 2005, $1.6 million in 2006 (60% of 90K bags). Selling 50-60% of RA coffeeIncreases of productivity of up to 20% (e.g. farms in Huila go from 20-26 bags/hectareIncreased number of butterfly and migratory bird species on RA certified farmsWater treatment tech. installed on RA farms



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Colombia Case Study on Coffee cntd

Social security and good housing for workersProducers see themselves as creating a sustainable future for their children and their countryFederation of Coffee Growers committed to tripling production in three years



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Colombian Coffee Producers on RA-CertificationAlvaro Bautista, Finca Los Amayanes, Pinchote, Santander, Colombia.

“Every cafetero is an entrepreneur, aprotector of biodiversity, a provider of jobs.”

“We have inventoried every tree species, its size and age, and are working on diversification. We have stopped the contamination by coffee pulp of the water. We have eliminated fire management, which helps us to protect the micro fauna that are important for the fertility of our land. We have created buffer zones around water sources. On other farms people throw their garbage on the ground or into the streams. Our farms are clean and we are recycling paper, aluminum and glass. Our workers’ housing used to have dirt floors. We have fixed that and built kitchens and bathrooms. Our permanent workers have health benefits and we are making sure that everyone’s kids go to school. We have put in place financial management; 70% of our farms have computers and we are tracking cost, prices, etc.”



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As a result:

Reforestation of 2000 acres in key buffer zones, using native species

Recycle or reuse 80% of the plastic bags and twine used

Integrated Pest Management used on all farms; fewer herbicides now used, resulting in: $4.8 million annual savings in agrochemical costs since 1997

$3.8 million annual savings from recycling of pallets, packaging

Farm wages twice as high as local standard; child care and environmental education provided on most farms

ChiquitaCertified their farms as sustainable



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Partners: UNDP, Global Environment Facility, Kraft, Caribou, Lavazza, Nespresso, ECOM, Volcafe, local NGOs

7-yr grant to certify 10% of the world’s coffee Work in biologically rich coffee areas in Colombia,

Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru and Brazil Provide farmers with information and tools to

make them more responsible to the environment, workers and communities

- Focus on small and low-income farmers, helping to increase earnings and reduce loss of shade coffee farms to other uses.

Concerted marketing effort in collaboration with coffee companies all along the supply chain

Media outreach

Biodiversity Conservation in CoffeeTransforming productive practices in the coffee sector by increasing market demand for certified sustainable coffee



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World Heritage Alliance

Objectives of the World Heritage Alliance:Recruit support for the protection of World Heritage sites and the World Heritage Convention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (“UNESCO”).Provide funding for World Heritage sites’ conservation & protection.Provide jobs and economic opportunity to workers and entrepreneurs around the world’s great cultural and environmental heritage sites.Increase community support for World Heritage protection by vesting local workers and entrepreneurs in site preservation. Promote sustainable tourism through engagement of Expedia supplier.



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RA & WHA Partnership

Promotion of sustainable tourism principles. Participation in staff training programs. RA’s Sustainable Tourism Program staff will be trained in key issues related to World Heritage and sustainable tourism.Engagement of stakeholders in support of World Heritage. In the countries where RA is currently active, Rainforest Alliance will work to inform and educate various stakeholder audiences on the value of World Heritage and the importance of responsible tourism. Support of community development in and around World Heritage sites, train tourism operations in sustainable management…including choosing businesses as pilot operations for Best Management Practices implementation; preparation of pilot operations for certification through a member program of the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas; educational tools and the time of experts for in-depth seminars and workshops; marketing and communications work.Engagement of organization employees. RA will make its best effort to encourage staff of the Sustainable Tourism Program to support the WHA in the countries where RA has offices or representatives.Influence of policy to support sustainable tourism and local economic development. Outreach to key stakeholders through awareness-raising activities, seminars and meetings in the countries in which Rainforest Alliance is already working.



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Measuring Business Success from Sustainability Certification

A joint project by the UN Global Compact, the Rainforest Alliance and leading companies

Systematic analysis of how the adoption of sustainability certification affects companies’ financial performanceLeading companies develop and test a methodology that companies can use:– Internally to analyze their investments in

sustainability– Externally, for reporting purposes



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Measuring Business Success from Sustainability Certification: Indicators

Sales & Marketing– * % turnover impacted by sustainability efforts (e.g. increased market access)– * Impact on price relative to non-certified comparables– Examples of specific sales in which sustainability played a roll in either completing the

deal or in pricingOperations – * Operating costs of achieving certification and the savings that result (e.g. reduced and avoided costs) People– * Include sustainability question in recruitment, employee satisfaction, and/or

retention surveys– Employee turnover and worker safety noting any change with certification– Views of communities and stakeholders drawn from surveys in certification auditing

processReputation & Brand– * Media coverage of company and role of sustainability positive & negative – Include sustainability in consumer brand analysis (where applicable)– Government – time to obtain permits (where applicable)– Anecdotal: Being partner of choice, avoiding being a campaign target– Inclusion in Dow Jones Sustainability Index and/or favorable treatment in other

independent investment ratings on sustainability (for publicly -traded companies)Suppliers/Value Chain - Anecdotal impact of certification on key relationships and quality

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