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| Regenerative Organic Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Name | Regenerative Organic Alliance |
| Formation | 2017 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | Global |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Regenerative Organic Alliance The Regenerative Organic Alliance is a nonprofit organization that developed the Regenerative Organic Certified standard to promote soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. It operates at the intersection of agricultural certification, sustainable agriculture, and supply chain traceability, engaging producers, brands, academics, and policy institutions. The Alliance collaborates with stakeholders across continents to scale practices associated with carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods.
The Alliance promulgates the Regenerative Organic Certified standard through partnerships with Soil Association, USDA National Organic Program, Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, GlobalG.A.P., World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and United Nations Environment Programme actors. Its scope encompasses criteria adapted from Rodale Institute research, Agroecology movements, Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform guidelines, and precedents set by Demeter International biodynamic standards. The organization engages with brands such as Patagonia (company), Kering, Danone, General Mills, Unilever, Nestlé, Mars, Incorporated, Ben & Jerry's, Clif Bar, The Body Shop, H&M, Levi Strauss & Co., and Kellogg Company to pilot supply chain transitions aligned with the standard.
The Alliance was formed following collaborations among stakeholders including Patagonia (company), Rodale Institute, and Kiss the Ground advocates seeking alternatives to conventional certification regimes. Founders drew on research from institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Davis, Cornell University, University of Oxford, Wageningen University, ETH Zurich, Columbia University, and University of British Columbia to craft evidence-based criteria. Early dialogues involved civil society groups such as Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Union of Concerned Scientists, and engaged corporate partners from Nike, Inc., IKEA, Starbucks Corporation, and PepsiCo to explore market mechanisms. The Alliance’s launch occurred amid heightened public interest catalyzed by conferences like COP23, COP24, and forums including World Economic Forum summits and meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Regenerative Organic Certified framework specifies requirements for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness adapted into measurable indicators. Standards reference methodologies developed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, Soil Science Society of America, and Rodale Institute trials. Certification processes align with conformity assessment norms promoted by International Organization for Standardization, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, and Accreditation Services International practices. Audits involve third-party certifiers comparable to QAI (Quality Assurance International), Ecocert, Control Union Certifications, and SGS SA. Scoring and tiers mirror concepts used by B Corporation assessments and Fairtrade International standards for traceability and social compliance.
Initiatives include pilot projects, technical assistance, and research collaborations with universities and NGOs such as Kiss the Ground, Rodale Institute, Land Core, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Heifer International, World Resources Institute, and regional development banks like Inter-American Development Bank. It supports farmer training similar to programs by Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, Sustainable Food Lab, Regenerative Agriculture Alliance (Australia), and collaborates on carbon markets discussed at Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets dialogues. Outreach campaigns have engaged retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Target Corporation, and Costco Wholesale Corporation to increase consumer awareness and procurement.
Membership spans producer groups, brands, academic partners, and certification bodies. Partners include agricultural cooperatives like Organic Valley, Mountain Valley Producers, and multinational suppliers such as Olam International, Cargill, Incorporated, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, and Bunge Limited. Alliances extend to philanthropic organizations including The Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation as well as policy partners like USDA, European Commission, and California Department of Food and Agriculture for pilot alignment and incentive programs. The Alliance interacts with commodity-specific organizations including Coffee Board of India, National Cotton Council of America, International Cocoa Organization, and Global Coffee Platform.
Advocates cite outcomes linked to increased soil organic carbon, biodiversity gains, and improved worker conditions, referencing studies from Nature (journal), Science (journal), PNAS, Environmental Research Letters, and Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. Reported benefits draw comparisons with programs by Regenerative Organic Certified-aligned farms and projects documented by Rodale Institute trials. Critics question scalability, monitoring rigor, and potential greenwashing, invoking debates similar to controversies around carbon offset markets, sustainable palm oil certification disputes involving RSPO, and critiques of voluntary sustainability standards covered in analyses by OXFAM International and Corporate Accountability International. Academic critiques from scholars at University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, and Yale University raise concerns about verification, additionality, and market concentration.
Governance comprises a board with representatives from founding organizations, corporate partners, and independent experts drawn from institutions including Harvard University, Stanford University, UC Davis, and NGOs such as The Nature Conservancy. Funding sources include membership fees, philanthropic grants from foundations like Rockefeller Foundation and Gates Foundation, corporate sponsorships from brands mentioned above, and revenue from certification licensing and technical services. The Alliance engages with standards bodies like International Organization for Standardization and funding mechanisms analogous to those managed by Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund to develop scalable programs.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States