Lidl is campaigning for living wages in banana-producing countries as part of its commitment to ensure more sustainable standards and fair trade in global supply chains.
Back in 2006, the company introduced 'Fairglobe', a private-label brand for fair trade products such as coffee and organic bananas.
Since the summer of 2019, conventional bananas with Fairtrade certification have also been available in all German Lidl branches.
The food retailer is pursuing an approach that supports fair wages and incomes, and includes transparency on the wage and income situation of people in global supply chains, responsible purchasing practices, and the implementation of scalable pilot projects.
Banana-Producing Countries
As part of the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA), Lidl is working on a new industry-wide pilot project on living wages and incomes in the banana sector in Ecuador and other countries, which was presented at an INA kick-off event.
The project aims to ensure that at least 50% of the entire range of bananas sold in Germany is linked to a living wage and income by 2025.
"In order to achieve long-term improvements and more transparency, national and international players must work together with consistent measures," says Christoph Graf, head of purchasing at Lidl in Germany.
Fairtrade
Lidl also focuses on other raw materials and products on living incomes and wages for smallholders in producer countries.
The grocer has entered into a 15-year strategic partnership with Fairtrade and pays the largest number of Fairtrade premiums worldwide for producers in the global south, it added.
"By offering Fairtrade-certified products in all branches, Lidl is an important partner in reaching broad consumers and expanding the market share of fair trade goods," explained Dieter Overath, managing director of Fairtrade Germany.
Through its 'Way to go' project, the retailer enables additional income for cocoa farmers in Ghana
Lidl is also involved in the non-food sector and and has joined the 'ACT On Living Wages' initiative, to address the issue of fair wages in textile supply chains more effectively.
ACT is an industry-wide, globally unique agreement with the aim of jointly promoting living wages and collective bargaining in companies in the textile and shoe industry.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Fresh Produce news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
