The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) is pleased to announce its decision to recognize the standard of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), which is implemented by the Rainforest Alliance, to certify compliant farm operations.

This recognition builds upon a benchmarking process conducted by RSB and SAN, with technical support from The Proforest Initiative to compare the respective requirements of the RSB Principles & Criteria (RSB-STD-01-001; Version 2) and SAN Sustainable Agriculture Standard (July 2010; Version 2).

The comparison of the respective sustainability requirements, which started in 2011, revealed that Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms could be de facto considered compliant with all 12 RSB Principles & Criteria, with the exception of RSB Principle 3 (Greenhouse Gas) and RSB Principle 6 (Food Security).

“From the beginning, the RSB has been committed to collaborating with other credible standards, looking for equivalences between systems and making the life of certified operators easier. Today, we have turned this pledge into reality through this exciting and novel collaboration with SAN,” said Sébastien Haye, Executive Secretary (Acting) of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels.

“By aligning these two leading standards, we emphasize the best of both. Together, we will be able to bring the benefits of certification to more farmers, farm-workers, companies, consumers and ecosystems,” said Oliver Bach, Director of Standards and Policy for the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and the Sustainable Agriculture Network will keep working together over the next few months to develop the interface between the two systems with regards to assurance and chain of custody aspects.

Upon completion of this process, Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms will be able to access biofuel supply chains by receiving RSB certification through a simplified audit process restricted to compliance with RSB Principle 3 and RSB Principle 6, therefore saving costs.

In the future, the RSB is planning to recognize other credible standards and certification systems through similar benchmarking processes.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels has developed a global sustainability standard and certification system for biofuel production. The RSB sustainability standard represents a global consensus of over 100 organizations including farmers, refiners, regulators and NGOs, and was designed to ensure the sustainability of biofuels production while streamlining compliance for industry. More information: www.rsb.org

The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) promotes efficient and productive agriculture, biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development by creating social and environmental standards. The SAN is a coalition of leading conservation groups that links responsible farmers with conscientious consumers by means of the Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM seal of approval. Www.sanstandards.org

RSB and SAN are both members of the ISEAL Alliance, which defines codes of good practices for standard-setting organisations.

RSB – Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels