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We are not aware of specific ETI base code violations on salad vegetable and soft fruit farms in Almeria and Huelva supplying to Aldi and we would welcome any information on allegations about specific farms, so that we are able to investigate them. We recognise there are human rights issues in the agri-food sector and we are working collaboratively with other retailers as part of the Spanish Ethical Trade Forum. To increase transparency, we also conduct our own Aldi assessments on farms to evaluate the processes and management systems that are in place in support of human rights and environmental protection and human rights. [...]

Our ‘Social Standards in Production’ outlines the requirements for our suppliers regarding human rights and fair labour standards.

This is a contractually binding agreement for all suppliers and business partners we work with, outlining the necessary due diligence, management systems, policies and procedures needed to implement fair working standards. Our suppliers and business partners are expected to apply these standards to all sub-suppliers throughout the entire production process. In addition, our international policy on forced labour and our international policy statement for human rights outline our requirements and our commitment to human rights in our supply chains. [...]

The fresh produce Aldi sources from Spain forms part of our high priority supply chains. We implement specific measures to address any impact on human rights for those workers.

One of such measures is our CR Supplier Evaluation (CRSE), which reviews the performance of suppliers beyond certification or audits. As part of this process, we conduct our own risk assessments on farms to assess how human rights of workers are maintained and protected, and how our requirements are met.

We also evaluate the level of support our business partners give to producers in this process. To incentivise our business partners to improve their performance regarding human rights, we have publicly committed to sourcing 80% of our buying volume in high-risk supply chains from suppliers with a good CRSE rating. A good rating would also demonstrate access to effective and transparent processes around grievances for all workers.

In 2023, we have already conducted several assessments for our Spanish fresh produce suppliers and aim to increase coverage...