Sustainability groups Rainforest Alliance UTZ are to merge to create a new organisation which aims to establish a single agriculture sustainability standard.
UTZ reports that the merger will ‘simplify the certification process and continue to improve livelihoods for farmers and forest communities’.
The new organisation will act under the banner of Rainforest Alliance and will address environmental and social issues around the world, including climate change, deforestation, poverty and unsustainable farming.
Responsible Supply Chain
The new sustainability standard for farmers will empower companies to build more responsible supply chains more efficiently. It will utilise the respective strengths of the current Sustainable Agriculture Network and UTZ standards while creating a single auditing process for certificate holders.
Han de Groot, executive director of UTZ, will become CEO of the new Rainforest Alliance. Nigel Sizer, current president of the Rainforest Alliance, will take on the role of chief programme officer for advocacy, landscapes and livelihoods.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
