Aldi has been sourcing Fairtrade flowers from Herburg Roses farm in Ethiopia since 2014. Herburg Roses has been producing flowers since 1974 and Fairtrade certified flowers since 2014. Herburg Roses currently has 1,200 workers, 64% of whom are women, and exports more than 50 million stems per year.
The Fairtrade Standards require farms to meet economic, social and environmental requirements, which include provisions on working conditions and wages, as well as reducing environmental impacts. Fairtrade Standards also support Herburg Roses to prioritise gender equality on the farm by incorporating the rights of women workers.
Roses in Ethiopia
Fairtrade in Ethiopia - Working together
In addition to the Fairtrade Standards, Aldi Fairtrade flowers from Herburg generate a Fairtrade Premium, which is a communal fund to support social, economic and environmental projects. Herburg Roses workers democratically decide how to use this Fairtrade Premium fund. In the past, workers at Herburg have invested in training, education, housing and healthcare for themselves and their families.
How Fairtrade is improving lives of workers in our supply chain
Fairtrade Premium use at Herburg Roses
In 2016, Herburg Roses began a medical scheme to support health care benefits for workers. Every year, Fairtrade Premium is used to support workers who are suffering from non-work related illnesses, which impacts their ability to work and earn income. The medical scheme means Herburg workers can access affordable medical attention, including wellbeing assessments.
In 2022, the Premium committee identified that the high cost of living in Ethiopia had an impact on the education of the children of workers. In order to support additional costs of school fees, uniforms, writing materials and other provisions, part of the Fairtrade Premium is allocated to support workers’ children to access education.
Plans for the future - Creating fair conditions for our flower growers
In the UK, Aldi is the largest retailer of Ethiopian Fairtrade flowers, we believe it is essential to support enhanced working conditions for the people who produce our products there, in order to address gender equality challenges and create fairer and supportive working environments.
Deepening our Commitment to Ethiopian flower workers
We are partnering with Fairtrade on the next stage of the Improved Workers Rights in Ethiopian Flowers programme, with a total of £400,000 to support flower farm workers in Ethiopia. This phase of collaborative work, which is a continuation of the Gender Empowerment Programme, builds on previous efforts to improve working conditions and raise awareness of workers’ rights, gender and disability inclusion.
