
Nuts
Our Approach
Each nut type and its value chain is unique and comes with its own social and environmental challenges. Nut origins and production systems vary significantly and range from the wild collection from pristine rainforests in the Amazon (Brazil nuts), over smallholder farming in Turkey (hazelnuts) and West Africa (cashews), to industrial plantations in California (almonds).
The ALDI SOUTH Group has identified nut supply chains as a high priority focus area with Brazil nuts, cashews and hazelnuts being of particular importance amongst the eleven nut types sold in the ALDI SOUTH Group’s countries. We are committed to fostering fair working conditions and environmentally friendly production in the cultivation and processing of nuts. We continue to increase our efforts in ensuring transparency and traceability throughout our nut supply chains. In addition, we collaborate with key stakeholders on projects on the ground and work with our business partners and multi-stakeholder initiatives to increase awareness and transparency of sustainable nut production and raise industry standards.
Our Actions
Traceability and transparency
We want to provide our customers the highest quality at the best possible price. Transparent supply chains and traceability of raw materials are the crucial foundation to determine whether sustainability standards are adhered to in the cultivation and processing of nuts for our products. Together with our business partners and other industry actors, we are working towards increased transparency. Activities include supplier interviews, participation in relevant multi-stakeholder initiatives, projects on the ground or crop-specific human rights impact assessments.
Human Rights Risk Assessment
In 2018, we comprehensively examined the human rights risks within our food and agriculture supply chains. The aim of these assessments was to identify any adverse impacts our company may have on human rights, gain insights into our actual impacts, and understand where our greatest level of influence is throughout the global supply chains of the entire ALDI SOUTH Group.
We identified nuts as a raw material with a high risk of human rights violations and consider it to be important to us in terms of leverage.
Human Rights Impact Assessment
We are developing specific measures to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts identified during our risk assessment in 2018. In 2020, we started to carry out detailed human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) for three high priority raw materials, including Brazil nuts, to identify, understand and assess the potential and actual adverse effects of our business activities on workers and other affected rights-holders such as community members.
Our Project & Memberships
Library
Sustainable Development Goals







UNGC
Human Rights
Principle 1
Support and respect the protection of human rights
Principle 2
Not complicit in human rights abuses
Labour
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