“Treat everybody with respect”: 3 questions to Christoph Kleine

You've been an auditor for FLOCERT for more than 20 years. What were your first experiences, and what has changed the most over the years?

CK: I first heard about FLOCERT when a friend – who was already working as an auditor for FLOCERT – told me that they needed someone to check Hired Labour organisations in South Africa against the Fairtrade Producer Standards. While local auditors were preferred already back then, there were not enough auditors based in the region yet, so, in February 2004, I started with a one-week training and an observed audit in South Africa. For a while, I travelled between Germany and South Africa, auditing Hired Labour organisations which grew fresh fruit, wine, and nuts. That was before the term "auditor" was used – we were called "inspectors" – and before the introduction of the Trader Standard. Since then, I've been doing producer and trader audits in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe for all products, so you could say my journey reflects the evolution of Fairtrade Certification.

For me, the most tangible changes over time are the number of requirements and the format of the checklists we use as auditors. For example, when the Trader Standard was first launched, it had around 30 pages and was much shorter than today. The Compliance Criteria checklists we use in our audits today did not exist either when I started. We worked with a ‘checklist' in a more narrative format to capture our findings. This left more room for interpretation of findings in the social context for us auditors. The more formal Compliance Criteria checklists we have today leave less room for interpretation and allow for better transparency and comparability.

What do you like about being a FLOCERT auditor?

CK: I really like the broad spectrum of what you see at an audit, and what you have to learn and understand. When you go on an audit, you touch upon so many different aspects – you interact with people, learn about their problems and needs, you look into the products, and the local context of the customer. And every audit is different from the ones you did before or will do after.

I count myself very lucky to have done both producer and trader audits. This way, I know the situations for the whole supply chain, which helps me a lot in my work.

I also really like my fellow Fairtrade auditors and the group spirit among us. We are such a diverse group of people, but we are all passionate about the idea behind Fairtrade. This camaraderie also makes the rare occasions when I conduct a large-scale audit together with colleagues so special. Since as an auditor you normally work by yourself during an audit, I enjoy the company of my colleagues then all the more.

What advice would you give a young auditor who's just getting started?

CK: In a nutshell: have a long breath and treat everybody with respect. I've trained many new auditors and observed that, for a new beginner, there is a lot of content you have to learn, and it's very complex. So you have to be very focused and make the best use of the time you spend with the customer. At the same time, you have to establish a trusting relationship when you arrive at a customer's site, in order to be successful in your audit. Being respectful is essential to build this trust.