Plants & Flowers

Plants & Flowers

Responsible sourcing of plants and flowers

Responsible sourcing of plants and flowers

We are committed to sourcing our plants and flowers from suppliers who uphold high social and environmental standards, and work with suppliers that have internationally recognised schemes to accredit these practices.

Lidl GB is committed to British sourcing and, when seasonally possible, sources plants and flowers from long-term British suppliers. This includes iconic British products, such as Daffodils, Gladioli and Hyacinth. However, due to the growth and nature of the horticultural industry, most of the plants and flowers grown within Europe come from the Netherlands and Italy, whilst a large portion of production takes place in countries where climate conditions are more favourable to grow flowers all year around such as Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya and Ethiopia.

We acknowledge that the improper use of pesticides in the horticultural industry can lead to health issues for employees and cause harm to the environment and the biodiversity of the area, especially in countries where appropriate protective measures are not common. We are also aware that the flower industry has a largely female workforce, which can be more vulnerable to poor working conditions and human rights violations.

Our Commitment

We are committed to sourcing 100% of our plants and flowers from sources certified with both environmental and social standards by the end of 2020.

We have committed to ensuring that all of our gardening products will contain less than 50% peat by 2022.

Download our plants & flowers sourcing policy here

Fairtrade Flowers

In 2020, Lidl GB launched its first permanent range of Fairtrade Flowers, sourced from Kenya.  Our Fairtrade flower supplier has established a range of programs and opportunities to support their employees, the local community and the environment from investing their Fairtrade premium. This investment is wide ranging, from building new classrooms to avoid overcrowding at the local schools, to funding new hospital equipment, as well as reforestation projects and adult education courses.

Supporting Women in the Flower Industry

Responsible sourcing of plants and flowers

Within flower farming workforces with a high proportion of female workers are common place. 42% of workers on Fairtrade flower farms are women, making it important to ensure the risk of gender discrimination is minimised.

Through our commitment to Fairtrade, we are supporting the development of policies to protect women within our flower supply chains. Pilot policies involve training staff and raising awareness of issues such as sexual harassment amongst employees. Projects like these aim to support particularly vulnerable workers, who may not know what their rights are. A policy addressing such systemic issues allows workers to understand their rights and be provided with an opportunity to report through a dedicated grievance mechanism. As a result, the implementation of gender committees and increased awareness of HR staff who are given the confidence to deal with investigations, address issues identified and understand how to follow procedures to address incidents. Projects that include policy implementation help to promote gender equality, empower women to access opportunities for promotion and access Fairtrade Premium-funded trainings.

Responsible and Sustainable Sourcing