Certification schemes are an important aspect of our sustainability approach and determine whether sustainability standards are adhered to in the cultivation of the raw materials used in our products. Approximately 60% of our chocolate products contain Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa and one third of our coffee volume carries a Rainforest Alliance certification seal. On top of that, we source many of our tea, and hazelnut products as well as our bananas responsibly from Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM farms.
The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation that brings together farmers, businesses, consumers and others to work towards a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. The ALDI SOUTH Group is closely collaborating with the Rainforest Alliance on the development of the standard and consultation on guidance materials. We want to be transparent about our progress, and we share the responsibility to reach this mission. It is only through collaboration and investment in building long-term capacity that systemic transformation on both a sector and landscape level will be possible.
Their refreshed green frog seal represents the next step in sustainability by ensuring minimum requirements of environmental standards are met and by focusing on an “Assess and Address” approach that is in line with the growing international consensus around due diligence, capacity-building and continuous improvement laid out in international frameworks on human rights. This shows that farmers, manufacturers and retail companies like the ALDI SOUTH Group are committed to never stop getting better at what we do.
By offering an increasing share of products carrying the frog seal to our customers in eleven countries, we contribute to better farming practices, fight against the climate crisis, conserve forests, protect the human rights of farmers and workers and improve their livelihoods.