To support our sustainable cotton commitment, Lidl has been a proud partner of the Cotton made in Africa initiative (CmiA) since February 2020. Through this partnership, Lidl is actively advocating for socially and environmentally sustainable cotton production in Africa, right at the start of the textile supply chain. When customers purchase a Lidl product with the CmiA seal, they are supporting the CmiA initiative and African smallholder farmers.

CmiA is an initiative of the Aid by Trade Foundation and is one of the world’s leading standards for sustainably produced cotton. Since 2005, the initiative behind the label has been committed to protecting the environment as well as improving working and living conditions for smallholder farmers and for the workers in the ginneries.

The aim of the initiative is to help people help themselves through trade and training rather than donations. The locally provided training teaches smallholder farmers efficient and sustainable cultivation methods. As a result of using these more sustainable agricultural methods, smallholder farmers are less exposed to climate change and price fluctuations and are securing a source of income for future generations which helps them to improve their living conditions themselves.

Further information on the CmiA initiative is available here

Lidl have designed and launched the Project for Environmental and Resource Efficiency, or ‘PURE’, a training program in collaboration with GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation), a specialist organisation in sustainability; working alongside factories in Bangladesh and China that manufacture clothing and textile products.

This training program aims to educate and share practical solutions to everyday health, safety and environmental challenges in these facilities. The companies engaging in this scheme can use this training to help continually develop and enforce their own standards. By bettering the working conditions and environmental capabilities inside the factories, this can also create a greater impact on the local communities and surrounding areas.

‘PURE’ has three main goals:

1. Promote safe storage and handling of chemicals

2. Implement measures to reduce water and energy consumption

3. Improvement of waste and waste-water management

Lidl GB openly share all 650 company names and addresses of the facilities that manufacture our textile and footwear products on our website. This list is updated every six months and expresses our continued commitment and accountability to working alongside these facilities. This list can be reviewed here.

Through every stage of the textile and shoe manufacturing process, chemicals are used to colour products, make them functional and improve their quality. These chemicals can become hazardous when they contaminate wastewater sources and come into contact with humans and the environment. At Lidl we are committed to addressing the misuse and contamination of hazardous chemicals within our textile and shoe manufacturing processes. In 2014 we became the first food retailer to join Greenpeace’s Detox campaign, and as part of this campaign we committed to removing the 11 hazardous chemicals which Greenpeace deemed as hazardous from our own-brand textile and shoe manufacturing processes.

Six years on, we are pleased to report successful progress against our goal. Through introducing a range of programmes within our supply base we have successfully removed these hazardous chemicals from our own-brand manufacturing processes. These programmes include:

• The implementation of environmental and wastewater audits with key suppliers
• An increase in the volume of sustainable materials used in our products, certified through third-party certification schemes
• The launch of our first Cradle to Cradle product
• Through training over 400 employees on environmental and resource efficiency

At Lidl we are striving to achieve systemic change and are committed to continuously promoting social and environmental improvements in our supply chain. Although we have achieved the targets of the campaign, we will continue to implement further measures to help us to work towards a more sustainable future.

For more information on our Detox journey, including an overview of the milestones achieved between 2015 – 2020, as well the ongoing actions please download the report below.

Due to the risks associated with illegal deforestation and high-chemical usage for the production of generic viscose, Lidl have made the commitment to switching all own-brand textile products that contain viscose to LENZING™ ECOVERO™. This ensures our products are made from a more eco-friendly form of viscose, which has improved environmental standards in comparison to generic viscose and traditional manufacturing methods. For example, 50% less water is used during the production of LENZING™ ECOVERO™, chemicals are recycled back into the fibre production and the raw material comes from sustainably-managed forests and plantations.

Lidl has been working with LENZING™ since 2013 as a supplier of TENCEL™ modal and TENCEL™ lyocell. These more sustainable fabrics are used across various ranges including underwear, outer garments, sportswear and home textiles.

To find out more about this commitment, please visit our Timber & Wood page.