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

Fairtrade Standards
Fairtrade Standards, comprising Fairtrade Generic Standards and Fairtrade Product Standards, are requirements that producers and traders must meet in …
Fairtrade Trader Standard (GTS)
Requirements that traders must meet, irrespective of the product traded, in order to obtain a Fairtrade certificate. …
Fairtrade traders
An organisation that buys, sells, and/or manufactures/processes, and that has obtained product certification as per the relevant Fairtrade Standards.
Finance Committee (Fairtrade International/FLOCERT)
The Finance Committees of Fairtrade International and FLOCERT assist and advise the respective Boards on all financial matters within Fairtrade …
Financial Sanctions
Monetary penalty that may be applied by FLOCERT as a sanction in certain situations.
Finished Product
A Finished Product is a consumer-ready product, which is Fairtrade labeled and in its final packaging (not further repacked/transformed).
First-party audit
Organisations use first-party audits (internal) to audit themselves for internal purposes. They can also be carried out by an external organisation …
FLO ID
A unique identification number assigned by FLOCERT to all Fairtrade organisations. A FLO ID’s existence does not necessarily imply that an …
FLOCERT
The independent Fairtrade Certification body, offering Fairtrade Certification services to customers in more than 120 countries. FLOCERT GmbH, a …
FLOCERT Supervisory Board
The FLOCERT Supervisory Board oversees and appoints the members of the company’s Management Board. It also approves major business decisions …
Focused Audit
A FLOCERT Focused Audit may take place in between two Renewal Audits – or an Initial and a Renewal Audit – in order to follow up on …
Follow-Up Audit
A FLOCERT Follow-Up Audit is the result of an Evaluation or Certification Decision. The goal of a Follow-Up Audit is to follow up on all …
Food Composite Ingredient
An ingredient (e.g. chocolate chips) made of several components (e.g. cocoa, cane sugar) not intended for consumer purchase but to be used as an …
Food Composite Product
A consumer-ready product (e.g. chocolate) composed of more than one ingredient (e.g. cocoa, cane sugar).
Force majeure
An overpowering force and/or event characterised as external, unpredictable and unavoidable. The term is frequently used in contracts; in general it …