Foro Emaus consists of 25 organizations that was formed to coordinate the struggle against the uncontrolled expansion of banana industries and to improve the social and environmental conditions prevailing in Costa Rica’s agro-industrial banana production. They are against the destruction of forests, rivers, towns, and small farms. Foro Emaus represents a broad variety of groups including civil society churches, environmental groups, unions, grassroots organizations, and educational institutions.

Chiquita joined Rainforest Alliance in 1992 to produce a banana certification program. This program would address the improvement of environmental and worker safety, infrastructure, and waste management improvements. Rainforest Alliance also began a "Smart Banana" program to help with environmental conditions. This program brought together representatives from banana companies, environmentalists, the government, and others to meet and to collectively agree and measures that could be taken to provide a safer, cleaner environment. The representatives set forth guidelines for banana producers to follow. They included:

• avoiding the clearing of tropical forest for production
• clean up and recycle plastic and other waste
• reforest along water sources
• compromise with wildlife agencies
• teach workers and better equip them with how to not be infected by pesticides.

The Rainforest Alliance modeled its "Smart Banana" program after its "Smart Wood" program it administered years earlier.

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