Glossary

If you feel that the world of Fair Trade has its very own language – don’t fret! We’ll keep you in the know!

With this glossary we’ll guide you through the common technical terms used by FLOCERT, Fairtrade International and the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).

Learn about the wor(l)ds of Fair Trade below!

Navigate the glossary by letter

Certification Sanctions
Sanctions used in the certification process that affect the certification status and ability to trade under Fairtrade terms.
Certifier
At FLOCERT, the Certifier refers to the staff member who, in contrast to an Evaluator, has the authority to take Certification Decisions.
Chain of custody
In an economic context, a chain of custody describes the stages a raw material passes through. It starts with primary production, moves through …
Child labour
Work that is harmful to a child’s health and well-being, and/or interferes with their education, leisure and development. As the International …
Climate Standard End-Buyer
(Only applies to Fairtrade Climate Standard) The end-buyer of Fairtrade Carbon Credits is an organisation or individual that purchases Fairtrade …
Climate Standard Producer Organisation
(Only applies to Fairtrade Climate Standard) Organisation producing Fairtrade Carbon Credits. This producer organisation may be a Small-scale …
Climate Standard Trader
The first buyer taking legal title of the issued Fairtrade Carbon Credits after the producer organisation must be certified against the trader …
Closing Meeting
Meeting held at the end of the audit, during which the Auditor explains all Non-Conformities to the customer as well as the score achieved on …
Closing Report
Signed by the customer, the Closing Report outlines Non-Conformities identified during the audit and presented during the Closing Meeting.
Code of Conduct
In the context of ethical trading, a Code of Conduct (or code of practice) is a set of rules concerning labour practices adopted by a company. The …
Complaint
A formal expression of dissatisfaction with the quality of services delivered by FLOCERT. A complaint can be registered by any third party or …
Compliance Criteria
A translation of the requirements of the Fairtrade Standards, binding guidance documents and FLOCERT certification rules into verifiable control …
Compliance Criteria Checklist
The list FLOCERT uses during audits to check compliance with a certain Standard.
Compliance timeline
The compliance timeline defines the point within the Certification Cycle at which a specific Compliance Criterion becomes valid and must be …
Confirmation Audit
A FLOCERT Digital, Focused or Unannounced Audit, that may take place between an Initial and a Renewal Audit or in between two Renewal Audits to …