We recognise that the most effective way to improve human rights in global supply chains is through collaboration. As a result, we continue to establish partnerships and collaborate with others to find solutions for workers. Our key collaborations and partnerships on ethical trade are as follows:
Slave-Free Alliance (SFA) is a not-for-profit social enterprise, part of the international anti-trafficking charity, Hope for Justice. Founded in 2018, SFA collaboratively supports organisations to build their resilience to the threat of modern slavery and labour exploitation. Aldi will directly benefit from the expert advice and support given by SFA to strengthen and evolve our modern slavery strategy, in recognition that we cannot combat modern slavery alone.
Sedex is one of the world’s leading ethical trade service providers, working to improve working conditions in global supply chains. Sedex provides practical tools, services and a community network to help companies improve their responsible and sustainable business practices and source responsibly. Using Sedex enables companies to work together to better manage their social and environmental performance and protect people working in the supply chain. Sedex has over 55,000 members in 180 countries, across 35 industry sectors, including food, agriculture, financial services, clothing and apparel, packaging and chemicals.
The Wilberforce Institute brings together experts in humanities, law and social sciences to help tackle the global problem of modern slavery head on. Through research and practice, they give leaders and communities the tools they need to help shape a better future. Aldi have launched a 3 year partnership with the Wilberforce Institute to develop a risk assessment for its produce supply chains and to identify key sectors and suppliers where there is the highest risk of modern slavery.
Member of amfori, the leading global business association for open and sustainable trade. Amfori BSCI helps improves the social performance of supply chains. Aldi has been a member of amfori BSCI for more than ten years. Through this membership, we can monitor and improve working conditions in our supply chain.
This partnership enables us to improve the responsible sourcing of fish and seafood and to avoid illegal, unregulated and undocumented fishing, contributing to a more transparent seafood supply chain.
Participating in this group allows us to collaborate with other retailers, food service organisations and suppliers to improve our understanding of the ethical issues impacting the seafood supply chain and contribute to collaborative efforts to improve ethical standards in the sector.
FNET is a collaboration between food suppliers and retailers that share a goal of establishing a common approach to managing ethical trade in the global food, beverage, and horticulture supply chains. At the heart of this initiative is the sharing of resources and developing best practice ways of working.
In July 2019 the ALDI SOUTH Group became a Foundation Member of the Ethical trading Initiative (ETI), dedicated to working conditions in global supply chains by tackling issues such as slave labour, poor working conditions, child labour and low wages. We participate in the ETI Working Groups dedicated to addressing such causes.
The ALDI SOUTH Group are members of the ETI Italian Produce Working Group, which promotes an ethical approach in Italy’s agricultural supply chains and addresses unacceptable working conditions, particularly for migrant workers in the tomato sector in the south of Italy. The Working Group, consisting of ETI members, non-members, trade unions and NGOs, aims to:
•Understand and address labour issues within Italian produce and agriculture processing.
•Foster greater collaboration between the retail sector and local stakeholders.
•Highlight the importance of the Italian produce market to European countries and the support available to the sector.
•Understand how working group members can support activities in-country to influence change.
As a member of this Working Group, we actively contribute to finding solutions to issues of illegal hiring and poor working conditions in Italian agriculture.
The Spain Supplier Ethical Trade Forums were founded in Spain in 2015. Aldi UK joined the Forums in April 2018. These Forums enable producers to address labour and human rights issues in the Spanish Produce sector. The Forums are supported by a number of UK retailers, including Aldi UK. Many key Spanish growers and packers are actively engaged in the Forums. The Forums are run by a consultancy called Conexión Social in Spain.
These Forums enable suppliers to;
•Share experiences and openly discuss issues concerning the day to day organisation of labour in the agricultural sector.
•Jointly seek new ideas and practical solutions to modern slavery risks and labour exploitation.
•Improve the living and working conditions of workers in the agricultural sector.
Please visit our International Corporate Responsibility Report for more information on the initiatives and associations the ALDI SOUTH Group are involved in.
The Aldi South Group work alongside The Centre for Child Rights and Business to support the UN’s International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. This organisation works with companies to promote and respect children’s rights in their business operations, particularly in global supply chains. Since working with The Centre, The Aldi South Group has set up a rapid response system to react immediately if child labour is found in our supply chains. We will always identify a solution in the best interests of the child and their family, working with local expert organisations and our business partners to achieve the right outcome. If a child is found working in a production facility, the child is transferred to a remediation programme.
For more information around the pledge please follow this link.
