Lidl is to switch its entire supply of bananas to sustainable sources by the end of the year.
The commitment follows a similar pledge by Asda which comes into force in March, and will see the retailer source some 88% of its bananas from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms, with the remaining 12% coming from Fairtrade Foundation farms.
It currently sources around a third of its bananas from Rainforest Alliance farms.
Lidl fared particularly poorly in the Fairtrade Foundation’s Supermarket Scorecard banana sourcing survey in 2014, scoring just 20 out of 100 in a ranking which judged retailers on sustainability; social, economic and environmental good practice; and transparency of information about their banana supply chains. However, it had been working “proactively with our supply partners” to become fully sustainable this year, it said.
“We are extremely pleased to make this commitment to sourcing our bananas from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and see this as a positive step for all involved - from the producer to our customers,” said Lidl’s head of fresh produce buying John Covey.
“We fully recognise and respect the work of the Rainforest Alliance in promoting the well-being of workers and the conservation of natural resources,” he added. “We are totally committed to ensuring fairness throughout our supply chains.”
The switch follows news last week that Lidl had doubled its range of sustainable sourced seafood, with more than half its wild-caught range now MSC-certified. The retailer has also moved to 100% Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee for its Deluxe range, with plans to certify its entire range of coffee products to either Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade by 2017.
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