Follow the Frog with The Rainforest Alliance
Jess | September 21, 2020
This week is the annual Follow the Frog campaign led by the Rainforest Alliance to raise awareness of sustainability and global climate change. In this latest blog, we take a look at what it means and how we can all do our bit by making better buying decisions and leading a more sustainable life.
What’s the Rainforest Alliance?
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation that focuses on business, agriculture, and forests. It helps to make ethical and responsible business practices the new normal.
By providing a clear set of standards and certification schemes, it supports transparent supply chains and helps ensure a more secure and fair financial future for producers and farmers. The Rainforest Alliance also provides access to vital knowledge and training so farmers can implement sustainable farming practices.
Certification is represented on products by the little green frog seal you’ll no doubt be familiar with and can be found now on a wide range of everyday groceries such as cocoa, coffee, tea, and bananas. Currently, over 44,000 of these products feature the certified seal according to the Rainforest Alliance’s 2019 annual report and we’re proud that the FreshGround premium coffee range is part of that.
Rainforest Alliance vs. Fairtrade
Ever wondered what the difference is between Rainforest Alliance certified products or those products which are labelled Fairtrade? There are subtle differences that may influence your purchasing decisions. Buying products with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal means you’re supporting the conservation of biodiversity and helping create more sustainable livelihoods by transforming farming and business practices. The green frog seal means that at least 30% of the product meets the Rainforest Alliance standards designed to protect ecosystems and the environment. And fun fact! They chose the green frog to feature on the seal because frogs are one of nature’s bioindicators, which means a healthy population of frogs is a positive sign to show that local ecosystems are flourishing.
Fairtrade was developed in direct response to the struggles of coffee farmers following the collapse of world coffee prices back in 1988. It had become clear that some farmers in developing countries were being exploited and not being paid a fair price for their produce. Buying Fairtrade products means that you’re supporting farmers and producers to improve their lives and their communities. To get the Fairtrade registered certification label on products, all ingredients must be produced by small-scale farmers or producers that meet specific social, economic, and environmental benchmarks. Whereas the Rainforest Alliance has a stronger focus on the environment and sustainability, Fairtrade has a stronger focus on protecting worker’s rights and wages.
How can I get involved?
This week, the Rainforest Alliance is leading the Follow the Frog campaign. The frog seal you’ll find on thousands of products helps to guide consumers to make more climate-conscious purchasing choices that are better for them, for nature, and for the wider farming and forest communities. Many of our team here at FreshGround have signed up to the 30 Day Sustainability Challenge where every day, we do something good for the environment. This may be something small like conserving water in the office, or it might be working as a group to plant trees – there’s something that every one of us can do to help support the campaign and the world we live in.
Check out our range of coffees from Rainforest Alliance certified farms in our web shop, and for any queries about your office coffee machine requirements, please give us a call on 020 7553 7900. And don’t forget to get involved on social media as well by following the hashtag, #FollowTheFrog 2020.