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Quality and Appeals

Our external auditors verify that:

• The certificates we issue can be trusted by everyone in the fair trade market.
• Our audit findings and certification decisions are made independently, based on rigorous evaluation.
• Our staff and auditors are able to meet your needs expertly and efficiently.
• All of our services are of the same high quality.
• We treat all our customers equally.
• We have a quality management system in place to constantly monitor and improve our services.
• Our processes are transparent.
• We are always open to feedback on our services and decisions.

We’re ISO 17065 accredited for:

• Social, economic and environmental aspects of production in Small Producer Organisations, Hired Labour and Contract Production (Fairtrade Standards for Producers)
• Social, economic and environmental aspects of buying and selling of products (Fairtrade Standards for Traders)

It is our policy to become ISO 17065 accredited for all Fairtrade standards, existing and new (for example: Precious Metals, Climate and Textile). Please watch this space for updates about scope extensions of our accreditation.

What this means for our daily processes:

Our accreditation is vital to our reputation. That's why we have systems in place to make sure that we always comply with ISO 17065. Here are some of the ways we integrate ISO 17065 into our every day processes

• Impartiality: Our independence is one of our key assets. We have a unique governance system and an independent financial structure, to make sure our certification is always impartial. When things don't turn out as planned, our fair appeals and grievance redress processes ensure that all customers are treated equally.
• Technique: In pursuit of excellence at all times, we continuously train our auditors to an exceptionally high standard. Those that are ready to audit are given ample time to conduct professional evaluations, using best practice methods and world class social audit techniques.
• Information management: Our state-of-the-art IT application systems are in place to guarantee that our transparent interactions with customers are always confidential. The information records we gather during audits and certification processes are handled carefully, and we have specific dedicated documents to help our staff gather and access information easily and meet expectations. All these documents are strictly monitored under a document control system.
• Quality Improvement: We're continually reviewing and improving our processes and performance using innovative evaluation methods and internal audits. Our highly qualified auditors and staff actively participate in improving our systems.

Appeals, Allegations and Complaints:

We welcome all feedback! We carefully investigate any information we receive.  Please contact us, if:

• you would like to send an allegation, means you’re concerned that a FLOCERT-certified customer is not conforming to Fairtrade Standards.
• you would like to submit a complaint because you’re unhappy with the service you’ve received from FLOCERT.
• you want to appeal a decision about a Fairtrade certification or ask for a review of an evaluation decision related to detected non-conformities, suggested corrective measures or objective evidence.

How to contact us: you can use the forms on this website, send an email to credibility@flocert.net or give us a call.

We can guarantee that your submission is strictly confidential, and we’ll take care to avoid any conflicts of interest in our decision-making. In the name of credibility and transparency, we always deal fairly with queries regarding our decisions and the conduct of our staff or any of our customers. We strive to give our customers the best experience possible.

If you don't feel satisfied with the way your complaint, allegation or appeal was handled, please contact one of FLOCERT's supervising bodies: the German National Accreditation Body (DAkkS) or the standard setting organization, Fairtrade International.