International certifications not only enable us to align our sustainability approach but also demonstrate (and validate) our ongoing efforts. That’s why we were so keen to get NEI and our partner farms in Tanzania certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

With the mission of “creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities,” the Rainforest Alliance offers an internationally recognised certification programme for sustainability in agriculture – including vanilla and cocoa production. 

The certification covers 140 different aspects, from fair wages to sustainable procurement, with a detailed report to prepare and 5% of farms audited. Everyone (especially the farmers) was eager to be part of the process and make improvements – for example, optimising waste sorting at the farms. 

The audit is now complete, and the application is being reviewed by the teams at Rainforest Alliance. 

“This was a big deal for us and our network of farmers. It demonstrates all the hard work we’ve been doing since setting out. It was tough at times, but we learnt a lot along the way. Although we already had many of the systems in place, we needed to make sure everything was digitally recorded and could be proven – bringing together data from different sources,” explains Sustainability Advisor Jackson Omondi.

NEI has implemented systems to measure and report scope 1 and 2 emissions, which is essential for certifications like Rainforest Alliance and EcoVadis – and reducing our impact on the environment. We’re proud to have made this important step (only about 40% of companies do this at the moment) and we’re poised to start focusing on Scope 3 emissions this year – which will be key to making further reductions.

In the meantime, over in Uganda, our teams are preparing the ground and finalising farmer data to commence their own Rainforest Alliance audit, in time to certify the January 2025 green vanilla harvest.