Since the emergence of voluntary sustainability standards in the 1990s, certification has gone mainstream, boosting traceability, providing a platform for diverse stakeholders to collaborate, accelerating corporate due diligence policies and driving many on-farm improvements such as higher crop yields. Yet, we know that the logic of the market has not, on its own, consistently transferred value from consumers to certified farmers, and that some sustainability issues have been difficult to address through ‘traditional’ (high-stakes, pass/fail) certification audits. In response, the Rainforest Alliance has made changes that aim to: distribute the costs and benefits of sustainable production more equitably throughout certified supply chains; take a more proactive approach to remediating human rights violations and preventing deforestation; and better address entrenched, systemic sustainability issues through landscape-level initiatives. Ultimately, however, including the cost of all externalities in market prices may be the clearest way to reward farmers, companies and consumers for sustainable choices.