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Two of the world's leading sustainability certification bodies, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ, plan to merge later this year in an effort to simplify the certification process for sustainable agriculture. Under the name Rainforest Alliance, the organization create a single global certification standard by 2019 that will streamline certification for farmers and empower companies to build more responsible supply chains, more efficiently.

Serious labour rights violations have taken place at Brazilian farms linked to some of the largest international coffee certification systems, including Rainforest Alliance and UTZ, according to an investigation by Repórter Brasil. Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, with about one-third of all coffee consumed planted in the country. These violations include workers' pay packets being falsely docked resulting in some receiving less than half Brazil's minimum wage, and workers being hired informally and without mandatory medical tests. One farm even promoted its output with a Fairtrade certificate it was not entitled to use.

The Rainforest Alliance will evaluate the progress of Asia Pulp and Paper's forest conservation policy and commitments, including its pledge last year to stop clearing natural forests across it supply chains in Indonesia, the company announced in its one-year report.

In a bid to appeal to eco-conscious consumers, McDonald's will start selling Rainforest Alliance-certified espresso and Marine Stewardship Council-certified fish sandwiches. "We feel there's a tipping point coming. We see the consumer starting to care. Consumer expectations are rising," explains Bob Langert, vice president of sustainability for McDonald's

In its new position paper, Halting Deforestation and Achieving Sustainability, the Rainforest Alliance addresses the recent surge in deforestation-free pledges. The paper argues the deforestation-free trend is an exciting development, but it needs definition, focus, and accountability to deliver lasting benefits for forests, people and the planet.

Up to 14 percent of the world's cocoa and tea supply is grown sustainably. We are no longer "niche" but we are nowhere near there yet, says Tensie Whelan.

Rainforest Alliance today released its first independent evaluation of Asia Pulp and Paper's progress on implementing its Forest Conservation Policy, launched in 2013. RA's SVP of Forestry, Richard Donovan, and APP's managing director of sustainability, Aida Greenbury, discussed the company's progress - which RA described as 'moderate' - in a webinar on Wednesday.

By 2015, Unilever aims to have the tea in all Lipton tea bags sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ estates. By 2020, 100 percent of Unilever's tea will be sustainably sourced. This video shows some of the work done in partnership with regional plantation companies and smallholder farmer-based private factories in Turkey in an effort to attain sustainable agriculture practices.

Ice cream brand Breyers committed to sourcing 100% of its vanilla from sustainable sources in Madagascar, in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. The company built on this commitment by creating a policy that restricts the use of milk and cream from cows treated with artificial growth hormones in its products.

Convenience retailer 7-Eleven, citing a 2016 study which found that sustainably sourced coffee is recognized by almost half of Millennials as an important attribute when making their selection, is swapping the Colombian coffee now served at its stories for a new Rainforest Alliance Certified, single-origin Colombian coffee.