Standards Development

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is the standards-setting organization for the Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM system. The SAN develops the sustainable agriculture standard along with other policies and relevant standards which are applicable to agricultural farms and over 100 crops. The SAN is the oldest and largest coalition of NGOs striving to improve commodity production in the tropics and builds its standards through the development of comprehensive criteria for responsible farm management. Those farms that can meet the criteria are awarded the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.

To bolster the credibility of the standards, the SAN standards development processes comply with the Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling (ISEAL) Alliance. The ISEAL Alliance is an association of leading voluntary international standard-setting and conformity assessment organizations that focus on social and environmental issues. ISEAL Alliance members collaborate to build international recognition and legitimacy for their programs. This collaboration represents a significant global movement to promote the interests of workers, communities and the environment in world trade. Through the collaboration of ISEAL members, certification processes are continually improved.

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) Secretariat coordinates the development and review of standards and related policies for the SAN. Learn more about the 2011 work plan.

The International Standards Committee (ISC)

The Sustainable Agriculture Network's transparency and robustness with respect to standard setting is reflected in the international standards committee (ISC). This independent body decides on the contents of new and revised SAN standards, as well as the geographical scope and length of the international public consultation processes on standard drafts. It assures even more diverse and updated technical input to SAN's standard setting efforts.

The 12 existing members listed below were elected by consensus by SAN's board of directors and govern for a term of two years.

Learn more about the standards development process with this workflow diagram. 

Please send complaints about noncompliance with procedures covered by the
SAN's Standards & Policy Development Handbook (PDF) to standards@sanstandards.org.