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Farming field in sunlight

Resource Efficiency

Our Vision 2030:  

Using resources wisely and protecting ecosystems.

Our Approach

Sustainable buying practices are essential for the long-term success of our business. Together with our business partners, we work towards increasing transparency and continuous improvement within supply chains.

We want to increase the share of sustainable products available to our customers. Our aspiration is that our products are made in a sustainable way and that we consider environmental and social criteria in our global supply chains - from raw materials to final production.

We will reduce food waste across our business, make other operational waste reusable or recyclable, reduce our own-brand product packaging weight and make the packaging we use 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable.

Our Action

Standards

The ALDI SOUTH Group’s commitment to corporate responsibility is not restricted to meeting minimum legal requirements. Our aim is to go above and beyond by defining and strengthening sustainability as a quality factor for our products. We focus on both the resources used in our products as well as the working conditions and environmental standards in production.

Transparency of supply chains

We attach great importance to sustainable production conditions in the manufacturing of food and non-food products. Supply chain transparency is the foundation for all our sustainability measures. Without the knowledge where our products come from, we cannot ensure compliance with our requirements, analyse risks, monitor or implement projects. We work with our business partners to increase the transparency of our supply chains so that we have a better understanding of the origins of the products we sell and the raw materials we use in our products.

Business partners

The relationships we have with our business partners are based on mutual respect and trust, it forms the foundation for all our supply chain activities.

We expect our business partners to comply with all our social and environmental standards, e.g. ALDI Business Partner Sustainability Standards, and we pay particular attention to production conditions in countries where adherence to these standards cannot yet be taken for granted. In these countries, we want to contribute to the improvement of working conditions and the protection of the environment. We do this by maintaining an ongoing dialogue with our business partners, working together on projects and monitoring activities to ensure our requirements are implemented and adhered to in all production facilities used for ALDI production.

Visits and assessments

High-priority supply chains

More sustainable agricultural practices and the responsible use of resources help protect the environment and ensure the long-term availability of resources in the future. As a global retailer, we will create lasting change by focusing on our activities on high-priority raw materials and commodity groups.

Environment

Our business activities have a significant impact on climate and the environment. This is a result not only of the products we sell, but also of our entire operations. From the construction and operational running of buildings to the transport of goods. Our goal is to minimise the ecological footprint of our corporate activities.

Working with key partners

We believe that a collaborative approach is the best way to ensure human rights are respected. Therefore, we seek dialogue with rights holders and duty bearers, through our key partnerships and memberships.

Our Objectives & Performance

Focus area: Resource Efficiency

By measuring our Corporate Responsibility objectives and performance on a regular basis, we are continuously validating the effectiveness of our actions, highlighting the areas where we are already making progress and identifying areas where further action is still required. As a global retailer, we want to use our global buying power and market influence to create lasting change for a better future. We focus our activities on high-priority raw materials and commodity groups.

Our Projects

Anke Ehlers cutting cake on the opening of the Bangladesh CR office

International organisation

ALDI CR offices in Asia

Each of the ALDI SOUTH Group’s national organisations sources products from Asia. To minimise the risks related to working conditions and to ensure compliance with our high standards, the ALDI SOUTH Group, together with ALDI Nord, has been operating its own CR office in Hong Kong since 2012 and established a second CR office in Bangladesh in 2017.

The focus of these CR offices is to monitor our business partner’ production facilities and the performance of our business partners with regard to social compliance. For this purpose, the CR offices conduct our own ALDI Social Assessments in the production facilities used for ALDI production and provide support to business partners on how to implement our CR requirements.

More: Company Profile
People holding cocoa fruits on the ground
© Forum Nachhaltiger Kakao

Project in Côte d'Ivoire

PRO-PLANTEURS project

Since 2015, as a member of the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) we have worked in partnership with the German government and the government of Côte d'Ivoire in a joint project. PRO-PLANTEURS works together with 25,000 cocoa farmers, including female farmers, their families, and their cooperatives. Successes of the first project phase were

  • Professionalisation of cooperatives
  • Increase in farmers’ cocoa yields
  • Farmer training in Good Agricultural Practices and professional business management
  • Diversification of agricultural production and nutrition.

In the PRO-PLANTEURS project, women are specifically trained on good nutrition and the cultivation of food crops for their own use. This allows women to be  more financially independent by selling and consuming the harvest of food crops.

In June 2020, PRO-PLANTEURS started its second project phase with a focus on contributing to better living and working conditions of about 30,000 cocoa farmers.

More: German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO)
Two people cutting open cocoa beans
© Fairtrade Deutschland

Engagement in Côte d'Ivoire

Fairtrade Impact Report

Last year, the ALDI SOUTH Group, Fairtrade and the Fairtrade cocoa cooperative ECAMOM started a monitoring report to improve the working conditions and livelihoods of local cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire. Now the first impact report “Building Trust. Creating Impact.” has been published.

The first impact report serves as a baseline to provide insights into the work of the cooperative and the farmers, and identifies the challenges they are facing. We aim to provide a picture of what cocoa farming looks like today, and highlight potential areas of opportunities that can enable a long-term partnership between the stakeholders involved in the supply chain. 

Read the report: Building trust. Creating impact. First Year Impact Report

More
Hands holding cocoa fruit in close up
© Barry Callebaut

Project in Ghana

Income Diversification project

In 2020, the ALDI SOUTH Group has joined forces with the chocolate producer Barry Callebaut and the Cocoa Horizons Foundation to support Ghanaian cocoa farmers to generate alternative income sources to cocoa. The two-year project is co-funded by the Belgian initiative ‘Beyond Chocolate, which is funded by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and coordinated by IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative.

More: Cocoa Horizons
Choco Changer Flavours

Mission Ally of Tony’s Open Chain

Chocolate bar: Choceur CHOCO CHANGER

A sweet taste, a delicious smell and a little bit(e) of happiness: We are excited to launch our new, responsibly sourced chocolate bar: Choceur CHOCO CHANGER. Our customers’ choice is empowering cocoa farmers in West Africa. Together, we can amplify our positive impact on cocoa farmers and change the norm in the cocoa industry by working on ending poverty, illegal child labour, and deforestation.

As the first international discount retailer to join Tony’s Open Chain in December 2020, ALDI is committed to support Tony’s Open Chain’s ambitious mission to change the norm in the cocoa industry by improving the working conditions along the supply chains and by collaborating in the transparent sourcing of cocoa beans. The cocoa beans for the Choceur CHOCO CHANGER are sourced via Tony’s Open Chain and its 5 Sourcing Principles.

More: Choceur Choco Changer
Women standing infront of coffee plantation
© Fairtrade Germany

Project in Honduras

Fairtrade coffee project

The ALDI SOUTH Group has been sourcing Fairtrade-certified coffee from Honduras since 2014. Coffee is the most important agricultural export product from Honduras with over 100,000 families growing coffee and over one million people employed by the sector during harvest. Coffee farmers in Honduras face strong challenges resulting from a volatile political situation, high poverty rates, and fluctuation in price on the world market, and the growing effects of climate change.

More: Fairtrade Germany
Fisher hands holding sardines

Project in Morocco

Fishery improvement project

The project aims to sustainably improve fishery management in order to ensure fishing practices, which comply with the MSC criteria in the long term. In 2014, the ALDI SOUTH Group initiated this project concerning the active improvement of the sustainability of sardine fishing in Morocco.

More: Fishery progress
Crops

ALDI UK

Farm Africa Project in Western Kenya

In 2016, ALDI UK became the first UK supermarket to team up with international development charity Farm Africa in a three-year partnership to support young farmers in Kenya. ALDI funds the Growing Futures project to educate and improve the lives of more than 450 young people in Kitale, Western Kenya.

The project trains young people how to grow high-quality crops, like green beans, tomatoes and kale, as well as how to run their farms as businesses. As well as assisting young farmers to improve the quality and amount of food they produce, the project will help ensure they are growing the most valuable crops, support them in finding the best contracts, and enable them to sell crops at higher value markets so they can find a lasting way out of poverty.

More: Farm Africa
Cashew nuts hanging in the bush

Project in Vietnam

Social Dialogue in cashew supply chains

ALDI seeks to respect human rights and prevent violations in our Vietnamese cashew nut supply chain by supporting the Ethical Trade Norway’s Cashew project. The project strengthens labour standards while having a focus on women and vulnerable groups as well as improves environmental management.

Together with our cashew suppliers, ALDI encouraged processors in the Vietnamese cashew supply chain to participate in social dialogue training during September and November 2019. This training was designed to improve worker and management dialogue, grievance handling and knowledge of trade union rights. The project also trained farmers on labour standards, good agricultural and environmental practices. Additional sessions and supplementary trainings for further Vietnamese supply chain actors followed in July 2020. The project will continue to support farmers, workers and processors over the course of this year with further guidance and knowledge-sharing.

More: Ethical Trade Norway
Man watering plant
© Solidaridad

Project in Côte d'Ivoire

Palm oil smallholder project (2017-2021)

Between 2017-2021, the ALDI SOUTH Group, together with ALDI Nord, supported a smallholder project in Côte d'Ivoire in order to pave the way for sustainable cultivation of palm in the area. In close cooperation with our partner Solidaridad, we developed a project that focused on improving smallholder farmers’ knowledge on Best Environmental Practices and on agriculture that respects High Conservation Values (HCV) and natural forests.

Solidaridad offereds training through Farmer Field Schools (FFS) for 2,611 palm oil smallholder farmers and helped restore approximately 250 hectares of forest land in the project area. The team cultivated 17,532 tree seedlings in nurseries that were then distributed to individual farmers, planted in schools and borders of sacred forests, and used to help restore natural reserve areas.

Various partners and stakeholders were involved in the project, including the Inter-professional Association of Oil-Palm Industry (AIPH). This institution has fully endorsed the project’s outcomes and is now installing tree nurseries in other palm oil-growing regions. Additionally the cooperatives engaged are were COOPALEN, UCCOPES, COOPTOSA from the Sud Comoe region, UCOOPALM from the Grand Ponts region, USCOPAHLD from Loh Djiboua and U3SC from San Pedro.

Despite the many challenges facing the project, including COVID-19 restrictions, and political tensions, 90% of the community participants, including community leaders and the youth, reported positive outcomes of the project in the area and increased knowledge from the trainings. 

More: Solidaridad
Male and female people sitting around in circle

Project in Bangladesh

ALDI Factory Advancement (AFA) Project (2013-2020)

ALDI is committed to promoting human rights in the garment industry. With the ALDI Factory Advancement (AFA) Project, the ALDI SOUTH Group, together with ALDI Nord, has introduced a programme which delivers change in factories that produce our garments in Bangladesh.

Running from 2013 to 2020, the AFA Project placed factory workers and managers at the centre of its activities to find sustainable solutions for improved workplaces. Its core principle was the promotion of dialogue and cooperation between workers and managers. To date, approximately 85,000 workers and their managers of 40 participating factories have benefitted from the project and experienced positive changes in their day-to-day working environment.

More: AFA Project
Picture drawn from a child showing the scene from a child care service

Project in Bangladesh

AFA Project Plus for child care services (2016-2019)

From 2016 until 2019, the AFA Project PLUS addressed the critical need for quality childcare for the children of working parents in factories that produce our textile goods in Bangladesh. ALDI supported selected factories participating in the AFA Project in improving their internal day-care services.

Many workers are reliant on these services due to financial constraints and a lack of alternative care options. Together with local non-governmental organisations, we trained caregivers, childcare centre supervisors, nurses and parents working at the factory. 

More: AFA Project
Two women holding ALDI donation sign

COVID-19 emergency relief in Bangladesh & Myanmar

ALDI & CARE support female garment workers

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on garment workers has been devastating. Women make up the majority of the garment sector workforce and  they have been affected the most. In 2020, CARE International and the ALDI SOUTH Group teamed up to protect the rights and needs of women in the garment sector in Bangladesh and Myanmar during the pandemic.

These efforts resulted in nearly 5,000 female workers receiving hygiene kits while 1,600 workers received household handwashing facilities in Bangladesh. In Myanmar, we were able to reach more than 76,000 factory workers with sanitising and disinfecting materials and provided face masks for more than 28,000 workers.

More: CARE
Four women around sheet full of cotton
© Fairtrade / Didier Gentilhomme

Project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (2018-2021)

Fairtrade project on cottonseed

From 2018-2021, ALDI SOUTH Germany supported the Fairtrade cottonseed project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The project aimed to empower smallholder farmers and to improve the quality and supply of non-GMO cotton from Central Asia.

To reach the project goal the following measures were implemented:

  • Training of farmers on seed production and multiplication
  • Actions to combat GMO-contamination
  • Enlargement of cultivable acreage for organic cotton and yield
  • Knowledge management and sharing
More: Fairtrade Germany
Women holding empty pesticide containers
© Cotton made in Africa

Project in Mozambique

Cotton made in Africa recycling project

In 2019, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and the local cotton company SAN-JFS developed a recycling project in Mozambique. This project supports women from local farming communities who operate eco-collection points. Over 72,000 empty pesticide containers were collected and sent for recycling in the first year and benefitted up to 20,000 farmers. With the exclusive support of ALDI, the project is able to continue into a second phase and benefit even more farmers.

More: Cotton made in Africa
ALDI SOUTH Sustainable Namibian Charcoal

ALDI SOUTH Germany & HOFER S/E

Sustainable charcoal from Namibia (2019-2020)

From 2019-2020, ALDI SOUTH Germany and HOFER S/E worked with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in Namibia. The aim of the project was to increase the amount of sustainable and directly traded charcoal on the market, which benefits local farmers directly. After the successfully conclusion of trainings and audits, the farmers are certified according to the FSC Forest Management Standard.  

More: Sustainable Namibian Charcoal (German only)
Amazon

Project in Brazil

Forest protection

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

Cook stoves
fietzfotos | Pixabay

Project in Ghana

Clean cook stoves

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

People carrying water
SZappi | Pixabay

Project in Uganda

Clean drinking water

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

People standing in front of Plastic Bank
Copyright: Climate Partner

Project in Haiti

Fight against plastic

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

More: Plastic Bank
People standing in front of Plastic Bank
Copyright: Climate Partner

Project in the Philippines

Fight against plastic

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

More: Plastic Bank
People standing in front of Plastic Bank
Copyright: Climate Partner

Project in Indonesia

Fight against plastic

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

More: Plastic Bank
People standing in front of Plastic Bank
Copyright: Climate Partner

Project in Brazil

Fight against plastic

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

More: Plastic Bank
Solar panels

Project in India

Solar energy

According to our CR Principles, the ALDI SOUTH Group is striving to be a carbon-neutral company. Following a significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of renewable energy across the Group, several ALDI SOUTH countries are climate neutral. Carbon offsets make up for the rest by funding environmental projects.

To continue to deliver against our broader climate target, we are supporting an environmentally-focused project.

Man standing infront of coffee
© Olam

Project in Honduras

Living income gap project

The ALDI SOUTH Group is partnering with Olam Food Ingredients’ (“OFI”) coffee business on a four-year project in Honduras, which aims to narrow the living income gap by improving market access and coffee quality.

The new joint project aims to create a transparent and traceable coffee supply chain all the way to farm level, and narrow the living income gap of 1,000 coffee producers in Honduras by helping them to increase yields, improve coffee quality and achieve Rainforest Alliance certification. Local representatives and farmers will be trained with an innovative smartphone app that enables them to make informed decisions and directly trade their coffee with Olam. Over four years, each farmer will receive tailored trainings, agricultural inputs and tools to help narrow the living income gap.

Tracking the project’s progress will ensure we are not only meeting our shared goals but learning how to make our impact scalable in a way that lifts farmers out of poverty, and that offers a more promising future for generations to come.

More: Olam
Fisher standing around phone and looking at app
© Issara Institute

Project in Thailand

Worker voice process

ALDI is partnering with the non-profit organization Issara Institute to provide support to both workers and businesses in our supply chain. We will be working together to provide access to grievance mechanisms and remediation actions in ALDI’s Thai food supply chains. The partnership will strengthen current processes and empower workers to speak up if they have concerns about their working environment.

It also helps ALDI to generate learnings on addressing potential barriers in accessing grievance mechanisms and remedy that different categories of workers are facing. For example, Issara supports gender-specific mechanisms by having trained male and female helpline operators and ensuring worker confidentiality and safety in reporting all issues such as harassment. Potential barriers are being addressed through remediating worker raised issues in collaboration with their employer and support of ALDI and its suppliers, for instance through building capacity to look into grievances, talking safely with workers or through other specific training by Issara Institute.

More: Issara Institute
Farmer in coffee field

Project in Brazil

Ethical recruitment on coffee farms

Following the development of the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) action plan, ALDI is partnering with the non-profit civil society organisation Verité on a pilot project on “Promoting Ethical Recruitment in the Coffee Sector of Minas Gerais, Brazil” within Verité’s U.S. Department of Labor-funded Cooperation On Fair, Free, Equitable Employment (COFFEE) Project.

After conducting an HRIA on coffee in Brazil in 2021, ALDI is excited to be able to take immediate action through participating in Verité’s project in Brazil. The aim of this pilot is to better understand and respond to recruitment and labour risks in the Brazilian coffee sector.

The effort is part of Verité’s “COFFEE” Project, which includes pilot projects in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, along with the development of an open-source Socially Sustainable Sourcing Toolkit (S3T) and online training modules focused on promoting decent labour conditions and fair recruitment in the coffee sector. The tools will be piloted by ALDI and its supply chain actors, such as coffee roasters, traders, and farms.

More: Verité

Our Memberships & Partnerships

We believe the best way to protect the people and the planet is through joint initiatives and partnerships. For this reason, we engage in various multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Sustainable Development Goals

1 No poverty 2 Zero hunger 3 Good health and well-being 4 Quality education 5 Gender equality 6 Clean water and sanitation 8 Decent work and economic growth 10 Reduced inequalities 12 Responsible consumption and production 13 Climate action 14 Life below water 15 Life on land 17 Partnerships for the goals

UNGC

Human Rights

Principle 1

Support and respect the protection of human rights

Principle 2

Not complicit in human rights abuses

Labour

Principle 3

Uphold freedom of association and recognition of right to collective bargaining

Principle 4

Elimination of forced and compulsory labour

Principle 5

Abolition of child labour

Principle 6

Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation

Environment

Principle 7

Precautionary approach to environmental challenges

Principle 8

Promote environmental responsibility

Principle 9

Development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies

Anti-Corruption

Principle 10

Work against corruption in all its forms

GRI references

GRI 102: General disclosures 2016

Global Reporting Initiative 102-9 Global Reporting Initiative 102-12 Global Reporting Initiative 102-13 Global Reporting Initiative 102-47

GRI 103: Management approach 2016

Global Reporting Initiative 103-1 Global Reporting Initiative 103-2 Global Reporting Initiative 103-3

GRI 308: Supplier environmental assessment 2016

Global Reporting Initiative 308-2

GRI 412: Human rights assessment 2016

Global Reporting Initiative 412-1

GRI 414: Supplier social assessment 2016

Global Reporting Initiative 414-1 Global Reporting Initiative 414-2