What is the Rainforest Alliance Certified Program?

The Rainforest Alliance Certified program is a certification and labelling program whose standards include requirements for ecosystem and wildlife conservation, waste management, water conservation, soil conservation, community relations as well as fair treatment and good conditions for workers, including compliance to key ILO conventions and national law.  Standards are set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a group of environmental organizations in Latin America.

Unlike Fairtrade, there is no economic component to Rainforest Alliance standards so while compliance to minimum wages is required, the standards don't go beyond this to look at a fair price or living wages. 

Unlike organic standards where synthetic agrochemicals are prohibited, in SAN standards there is a requirement for integrated crop management that includes a prohibition on certain types of agrochemicals, strict control of those allowed and a commitment to their reduction in use over time. 

Read this article from Ethical Corporation on the competition between Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance Certification for coffee, and also see this for an overview of environmental and social certification systems in coffee. Here is a UK Guardian article comparing RA and Fairtrade.

Consumers International has also put out an article, From Bean To Cup, exploring various coffee certifications.