Discounters Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have announced the publication of a joint water protection policy, which will focus on the supply chain for fruit and vegetables as well as textiles.
The discounters have also joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), the world's largest network promoting sustainable use of water.
"Together with our suppliers and partners, we want to treat water responsibly," commented Julia Adou, head of corporate responsibility at Aldi Süd. "It is important for us to minimise the risk along our supply chains, optimise our water management and at the same time improve water quality. That's why we've set clear action in our water conservation policy."
Pesticide Reduction
Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have also announced plans to reduce the use of pesticides in their fruit and vegetable cultivation, and have introduced comprehensive residue monitoring in order to meet these goals.
In textiles, the discounters have been able to reduce their water footprint by more than 12% since 2016 through the use of more environmentally-friendly fibres.
In addition, the group is renouncing the use of microplastic in cosmetics and personal care products.
"We are one of the largest food and textile retailers and therefore bear a great responsibility," commented Erik Hollmann, head of corporate responsibility at Aldi Nord. "A binding water conservation policy is therefore only logical, and is our incentive to consistently work on reducing our water risk."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
