The ALDI SOUTH Group is advancing sustainability efforts across 11 markets on four continents, with supply chains spanning more than 120 countries.
In this special report, ESM’s Stephen Wynne-Jones meets Anke Ehlers, MD, International Sustainability, ALDI SOUTH Group, to find out more.
ESM: How has ALDI SOUTH Group’s approach to sustainability evolved over the past few years?
Anke Ehlers: When I began my journey in sustainability, nearly two decades ago, the primary focus for businesses was reputation management and compliance in very specific areas. Since then, it has evolved into a strategic initiative. Today, sustainability is crucial not only for mitigating long-term risks, but also for driving lasting business success and resilience.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing and contributing to ALDI SOUTH Group’s progress and its dedicated efforts to embed sustainability in all our 11 markets across four continents and within our supply chains, which span more than 120 countries.
As a leading international retailer, we face significant challenges, driven by a range of overlapping factors. These include disruptions in global supply chains, rising energy and food costs, geopolitical conflicts, climate change, biodiversity loss, and the lingering effects of pandemics. As a result, we recognise the role we must play, and our aim is to place sustainability at the heart of all our decision-making, to maximise our societal impact.
It is an exciting and fascinating journey, but now we can proudly say that sustainability is a pillar of our customer value proposition, next to price and quality. Our goal is to provide high-quality, low-cost products to our customers while maintaining strict control over our operating costs and prioritising sustainability in our practices.
For current and future generations of customers, sustainability is, and will be, a crucial factor in their purchasing decisions. This drives the Group’s mission to make sustainability affordable for our customers, ensuring they have access to high-quality, value-for-money food without compromising their values. This mission is even more important during cost-of-living crises, when economic pressures are acute.
ESM: What have been some ‘quick wins’, and what has taken longer to implement?
Anke Ehlers: I wouldn’t describe any of our achievements as ‘quick wins’. Every target we’ve reached has been the result of exceptional teamwork and collective dedication. The most impactful milestone is the development of our Global Sustainability Strategy as one cornerstone of ALDI SOUTH Group’s Global Business Strategy, which positions sustainability as a core focus of our company.
Our efforts centre on six critical areas: Human Rights, Climate and Agriculture, Animal Welfare, Healthy Nutrition, Circularity and Sustainable Packaging, and Food Waste. For each of these domains, we have identified not only significant challenges, but also strategic business opportunities.
One of our top-priority areas is climate protection. Back in 2020, we set our first science-based emissions reduction targets. These goals covered Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which refers to the emissions generated from one’s own operations, including our stores, offices, distribution centres and transport fleet, as well as indirect emissions from purchased electricity for our assets. Our time frame for achieving these targets was to 2025, yet we achieved our goals in just two years.
We built on this achievement by, in 2024, becoming one of the first global grocery retailers to have science-based net-zero-by-2050 targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. This significant milestone paves the way for us to achieve net-zero carbon emissions not just in our stores and operations, but across our entire supply chains.
