Rainforest Rating

The Rainforest Rating assesses the impact of food production on forest ecosystems, particularly tropical rainforests. This indicator helps identify products linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Rating System

The Rainforest rating uses a simplified A/B/E system (no C or D ratings) based on ingredient sourcing:

Rating	Trees	Meaning
A	🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳	No critical products — only uncritical (from non-rainforest land) or certified
B	🌳🌳🌳🌳	Contains certified AND critical products, OR only certified that don't explicitly protect from deforestation
E	🌳	Contains critical products which destroy the rainforest

No C or D Ratings

Unlike climate and water ratings, rainforest uses only three levels (A, B, E) because products either contain critical ingredients or they don't.

Critical Ingredients

The following ingredients are defined as "critical" because their production is known to cause tropical rainforest deforestation:

Ingredient	Why Critical
Palm oil	Leading cause of Indonesian/Malaysian deforestation
Soy	Major driver of Amazon deforestation
Beef	Pasture expansion into forest, fed with soy
Pork	Fed with soy from deforestation-linked sources
Chicken	Fed with soy from deforestation-linked sources
Eggs	Chickens fed with soy
Milk products	Dairy cows fed with soy
Fish (farmed)	Fish farms use soy-based feed

Animal Products

Animal products (beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk) are critical because animals are fed with soy. The soy used for animal feed is often sourced from regions where rainforest deforestation occurs.

Label Classifications

Labels are evaluated for whether they have explicit requirements to protect high conservation value areas.

Labels WITH Clear Protection Requirements

These labels prohibit tropical rainforest deforestation:

Label	Notes
Bio Suisse	Prohibits clear-cutting of high conservation value areas unless deforested before 1994
Coop Naturaplan	Swiss organic with deforestation protection
Rainforest Alliance Certified	Explicit forest conservation requirements
Max Havelaar Small Producer Organizations	Fair trade with deforestation criteria
Max Havelaar Hired Labour	Fair trade with deforestation criteria
Max Havelaar Cocoa	Cocoa-specific fair trade
Migros Bio Ausland + Max Havelaar	Combined certification
UTZ Certified (multi-group/individual)	For cocoa, coffee, tea (NOT palm oil)
Claro	Fair trade with environmental standards
Spar Natur pur Ausland	With deforestation requirements
Aldi Natur Aktiv Ausland + EU Bio + Max Havelaar	Combined certification
Demeter	Biodynamic with forest protection
Naturland	Only rainforest and primary forests considered

Labels WITHOUT Protection Requirements

These labels do not have explicit requirements against rainforest deforestation:

Label	Notes
❌ Migros Bio Ausland	Only qualifies in combination with Max Havelaar
❌ EU Bio	No deforestation requirements
❌ AB Agriculture Biologique	French organic, no forest criteria
❌ Biotrend Ausland	No explicit requirements
❌ Aldi Natur Aktiv Ausland / EU Bio	Only OK if combined with Max Havelaar
❌ USDA Organic	No regulation (confirmed by USDA, 2018)

Source

The label list is based on work from Stiftung Pusch in collaboration with Helvetas, Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz, and WWF Schweiz. See labelinfo.ch for details.

Country-Specific Risk Assessment

For uncertified critical ingredients, the origin country determines risk status.

Soy

Soy is produced in most countries (FAOSTAT), but ~80% comes from USA, Brazil, and Argentina.

Status	Countries
Critical	Brazil, Argentina, China, all tropical rainforest countries
Non-Critical	Europe, USA, all non-tropical countries

European Soy

Soy production is increasing in Europe and is never problematic for tropical forests. European-grown soy is always non-critical.

Palm Oil

Palm oil is only grown in tropical countries. 85-90% of global production comes from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Top 10 Palm Oil Producing Countries:

1. Indonesia
2. Malaysia
3. Nigeria
4. Thailand
5. Colombia
6. Papua New Guinea
7. Côte d'Ivoire
8. Ecuador
9. China
10. Honduras

All palm oil origins are considered critical unless certified with explicit deforestation protection.

Animal Products (Beef, Pork, Chicken, Eggs, Milk)

Country	Status	Reason
Switzerland	✅ Non-Critical	Only imports responsible soy for animal feed
All other countries	❌ Critical	Feed sourced from world market (often deforestation-linked)

Upcoming Changes

Several European countries have similar initiatives to Switzerland for responsible soy imports. Once these countries also import only responsible soy, they will be added to the "non-critical" list.

Fish (Farmed)

No country dependency for farmed fish classification—the critical factor is the soy-based feed used in aquaculture.

Processing Rules

Cut-off for Small Amounts

Very small amounts of critical ingredients are ignored:

• Soy or palm oil in amounts less than 1% by weight are ignored by the indicator
• This threshold can be adjusted if needed

Origin Unknown

Important

If the origin of soy, palm oil, or animal products is unknown (not specified by the user), the ingredient is classified as problematic.

The Eaternity origin model is NOT used in this case—unknown origin defaults to critical.

Why It Matters

Deforestation is a major driver of:

Impact	Description
Climate change	Forest loss releases stored carbon
Biodiversity loss	Habitat destruction threatens species
Ecosystem degradation	Soil erosion, water cycle disruption
Indigenous rights	Land conflicts and displacement

Tropical Rainforest Facts

• Contain 50% of Earth's species
• Store 30% of global carbon
• Provide essential water cycle functions

Scientific References

• Bio Suisse Richtlinien 2017 — Prohibits clear-cutting of areas with high conservation value
• Nemecek et al. 2014 — Brazil soy deforestation study
• FAOSTAT 2004-2014 — Palm oil production statistics
• USDA Personal Communication (2018) — Confirmation of no deforestation regulation in USDA Organic

What You Can Do

Consumer Choices

1. Check labels — Look for certifications with explicit deforestation protection
2. Choose Swiss animal products — Switzerland imports only responsible soy
3. Ask about origin — Unknown origin is treated as critical
4. Support certified — Vote with your purchases

Business Actions

1. Map supply chains — Know your sourcing origins
2. Set policies — No-deforestation commitments
3. Verify compliance — Third-party audits
4. Report progress — Transparency builds trust

See Also

• Ratings Overview — All rating categories
• Climate Score — CO₂ impact
• Animal Welfare — Animal treatment standards
• Methodology — Calculation methods