FLOCERT

FLOCERT GmbH, styled FLOCERT, is a Germany-based certification and assurance organization headquartered in Bonn. It operates within the Fairtrade system and is responsible for independently assessing whether organizations participating in Fairtrade supply chains comply with the applicable Fairtrade Standards. Its work can cover the chain from producers and raw-material suppliers through processing, trading, manufacturing, and final packaging. The organization emerged from the institutional development of the international Fairtrade movement. Fairtrade International, originally known as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International, brought together national Fairtrade initiatives and began developing a common global framework during the 1990s. In 1997, the organization started establishing a global standard for fairly traded products and certifying producers participating in Fairtrade supply chains. As the system expanded, the standard-setting and verification functions were separated in order to strengthen the independence and credibility of certification. FLOCERT was established in 2003 as a subsidiary of Fairtrade International to perform the verification role separately from the organization responsible for developing the standards. FLOCERT's core activity is conformity assessment. Its auditors evaluate organizations against Fairtrade requirements, including requirements relevant to producer organizations, labor conditions, trading relationships, supply-chain traceability, and the use of Fairtrade claims. The organization's assessments are intended to provide assurance that certified operators meet and continue to meet the relevant requirements rather than merely making a one-time claim about their products. The wider Fairtrade model seeks to support better trading conditions for farmers and workers, including fairer prices, decent working conditions, environmental and local sustainability, and more balanced commercial relationships. FLOCERT does not set the Fairtrade Standards; instead, it verifies their application across participating supply-chain organizations. This distinction is central to its role in the Fairtrade governance structure. In addition to Fairtrade certification, FLOCERT provides combined audits carried out with other schemes and programs, as well as customized assurance and impact-measurement services. Since 2007, it has held accreditation against ISO/IEC 17065, the international standard for bodies certifying products, processes, and services. Its accreditation is subject to regular assessment by the German national accreditation body, DAkkS. FLOCERT therefore operates both as a specialist Fairtrade auditor and as a broader provider of independent assurance services.

FLOCERT developed from the international Fairtrade movement's effort to create a consistent and credible certification system. Fairtrade International, then known as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International, was formed to bring together Fairtrade initiatives across countries. During the 1990s, the movement worked toward common global requirements for fairly traded products and producer organizations. In 1997, Fairtrade International began setting out a global standard and certifying producers participating in Fairtrade supply chains. As Fairtrade expanded, the organization recognized the importance of separating the creation of standards from the independent assessment of compliance. Standard setting establishes the requirements that participants must meet, while auditing and certification evaluate whether those requirements are being followed in practice. FLOCERT was founded in 2003 as a subsidiary of Fairtrade International to provide this verification function independently from the standard-setting side of the system. Since its creation, FLOCERT has assessed organizations involved in Fairtrade supply chains, including actors connected with the production of raw materials, processing, trading, manufacturing, and final packaging. Its auditors visit organizations and review their operations against the relevant Fairtrade Standards. The objective is to verify ongoing compliance across the supply chain, supporting the credibility of Fairtrade claims and the broader goals of better prices, decent working conditions, sustainability, and fairer trading relationships for farmers and workers. FLOCERT has also extended its work beyond standalone Fairtrade audits. It offers combined audits conducted in cooperation with other schemes and programs, together with customized assurance solutions and impact-measurement services. These activities position the organization as a specialist conformity-assessment provider within responsible sourcing and sustainability systems. A significant institutional milestone was FLOCERT's accreditation under ISO/IEC 17065 in 2007. This standard concerns the competence and impartiality of organizations certifying products, processes, and services. FLOCERT's accreditation is regularly reviewed by DAkkS, Germany's national accreditation body. The accreditation framework reinforces the distinction between Fairtrade's standard-setting function and FLOCERT's independent assessment role.

• 2007

  ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation

  [1]FLOCERTen.wikipedia.org

  FLOCERT obtained accreditation against ISO/IEC 17065, the international standard for bodies certifying products, processes, and services.

• 2003

  FLOCERT is founded

  [1]FLOCERTen.wikipedia.org

  FLOCERT was established as a subsidiary of Fairtrade International to separate independent conformity assessment from Fairtrade standard setting.

• 1997

  Global Fairtrade standard development begins

  [1]FLOCERTen.wikipedia.org

  Fairtrade International began establishing a global standard for fairly traded products and certifying producers in international Fairtrade supply chains.

Independent, standards-based certification and assurance for Fairtrade and related supply-chain programs.

• Certification service · 2003

  Fairtrade certification and auditing

  FLOCERT audits organizations involved in Fairtrade supply chains to determine whether they meet the applicable Fairtrade Standards. Assessments may extend from producers and raw-material suppliers through processors, traders, manufacturers, and organizations responsible for final packaging. The service supports continued verification rather than a one-time product review.

• Assurance service

  Combined audits

  FLOCERT provides audit arrangements that combine Fairtrade-related assessments with the requirements of other schemes or programs. The approach is intended to reduce duplication for organizations participating in multiple assurance systems while preserving the relevant assessment requirements.

• Professional service

  Customized assurance and impact measurement

  Beyond its core certification role, FLOCERT offers customized assurance solutions and impact-measurement services. These offerings apply its experience in auditing, verification, and responsible-sourcing systems to projects that may require assessment designs tailored to a particular program or supply chain.

• 2021.07.02

  Reported2021.07.02

  Indcoserve obtains Fairtrade certification[3]Indcoserve 获得公平贸易认证timesofindia.indiatimes.com

  Indcoserve became the first cooperative in India to obtain Fairtrade certification from FLOCERT in Germany.

Read more

1. 1FLOCERTen.wikipedia.org
2. 2FLOCERT official websiteflocert.net
3. 3Indcoserve 获得公平贸易认证timesofindia.indiatimes.com