As part of our commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), we implement human rights due diligence as part of our business operations. This means that we systematically monitor and assess human rights risks in our supply chains. Our risk assessment process is informed by greater transparency, our social compliance programme, internationally recognised assessment tools, as well as knowledge gathered through our supplier relationships and engagement with stakeholders.
As part of our human rights due diligence approach, we are committed to conducting and publishing three human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) per year across the Lidl Group, in line with internationally recognised methodologies. You can learn about our first HRIA, looking at our Kenyan tea supply chain, here.
Over the last year, the Lidl Group conducted a human rights review of its global supply chains, enabling us to better understand the risks facing people who work in our supply chains. More information on our approach, as well as further information on the high risk commodities and countries identified through the process, can be found within our ‘Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Policy’.
Work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.
Distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion (among other characteristics), “which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity and treatment in employment or occupation”.
Situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation, or by more subtle means such as accumulated debt, retention of identity papers or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities.
A living income or living wage should provide for food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transportation as well as offer the opportunity to save in case of unexpected events.
Health and safety in the workplace must be guaranteed. Contravening fundamental human rights in terms of working conditions, equipment and facilities in the workplace is prohibited. Employees must be given adequate, regular training on health and safety in the workplace.
An important aspect of employee rights is the freedom to form employee representative bodies. We therefore aim to promote freedom of association to allow workers to organise themselves effectively and engage with stakeholders to better understand and overcome the barriers to freedom of association.
Our full Code of Conduct can be downloaded here
In order to compliment social audits we are taking actions in our highest risk food supply chains.
Effective grievance mechanisms play an important role in identifying human rights violations for affected individuals. Lidl recognises ‘effective grievance mechanisms’ as defined by the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights, meaning that they are legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible, a source of continuous learning and based on engagement and dialogue. Grievance mechanisms form part of our Supplier Code of Conduct and we firmly believe that when these are implemented effectively, human rights violations can be better identified and thereby remediated in a meaningful way.
Lidl has implemented a grievance mechanism via an online platform, available here, to enable any individual (whether they be connected to Lidl’s direct operations or its supply chain), to report human rights, social and environmental violations. All grievances are independently processed by the organisation’s compliance officer and the reporting system can be accessed via an internet-based application. The effectiveness of this mechanism is reviewed annually between the compliance and CSR departments.
We are also taking steps to implement grievance mechanisms within our supply chain. An aspect of our contribution of the Bangladesh Accord, a multi-stakeholder agreement designed to work towards a safe ready-made garment industry, includes active involvement with working groups aimed to develop an effective grievance mechanism for workers specifically in the textile supply chain in Bangladesh.
Similarly, through our position as a board member of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) we are able to oversee the working group focussed around implementing and maintaining a grievance mechanism for people working within the palm oil industry.
By the end of 2021 we will enable access to effective grievance mechanisms and access to remedy (as defined by the UNGPs) in further identified high risk supply chains.
We recognise the need to support smallholder farmers to increase their resilience and prosperity. We have implemented a range of programs to support smallholder farmers within many of our key commodity supply chains.
Within the Fairtrade system it is estimated that more than 1.48 million farmers are members of small-scale producer organisations, a large majority of Fairtrade producers, producing products including coffee, cocoa and cotton. The Fairtrade Standard provides a framework for smallholder producers to build resilient and thriving organisations, generate more benefits for themselves and their communities and improve farming practices. By supporting Fairtrade producer organisations have access to training on how to strengthen their management practices and provide protection for workers. The Fairtrade Premium allows small-scale producers to drive sustainable social and economic development for their organisations, families and community. In addition, co-operatives have the flexibility to design relevant policies, including gender, to increase active and equal participation for women to access the benefits associated with Fairtrade.
Our programmes in high risk supply chains are developed and implemented in close collaboration with expert partners. Examples include improving resilience to the impacts of climate change, training towards better agricultural practices, as well as supporting women on the issue of land-rights.
We have been a member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) since 2007, committing us to improving working conditions for people employed in our non-food supply chains. As part of the membership, Lidl’s non-food suppliers are required to regularly carry out independent social audits by qualified local personnel for all non-food producers and to comply with recognised international labour standards.
Recognising that audits only present us with a snapshot in time and do not necessarily drive improvements in themselves, we work to understand the root cause of the issues and take appropriate remediating steps. Expert partners work closely with our factories to develop and implement corrective actions following an audit.
Since 2008, we have also focused on going ‘beyond compliance’ in Bangladesh, working in partnership with the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ) to provide dedicated training programmes for production facilities to support compliance with international labour standards. Our current joint programme focuses on Bangladesh, where GIZ currently employs more than 20 people who work exclusively for Lidl and to date have delivered on-the-ground training to 80 textile manufacturers across the country. Learn more about this training program here.
We are a member of the Bangladesh Accord, which is an independent, legally-binding agreement between brands and trade unions designed to work towards a safe and healthy Bangladeshi ready-made garment industry.
