How WWF Will Work on Sustainability in Lidl’s Value Chain

Lidl, one of the world’s largest retailers, and WWF, one of the globe's largest independent conservation organisations, have announced the start of a new five-year international and strategic partnership in 31 countries.

As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry.

The supermarket, which has around 376,000 employees globally, currently operates over 12,200 stores and more than 220 logistics centres and warehouses in 31 countries.

This new long-term cooperation with WWF will focus on working alongside Lidl’s value chain, with an effort to help address the global ecological challenges facing the modern world.

It will look to ensure households have access to more sustainable choices and encourage business models which work in harmony with nature and within planetary boundaries.

This new partnership will become the new cornerstone of the sustainable commitments which Lidl has been working towards over the years as part of its international sustainability strategy.

The common goal of the partnership is to enable its shoppers to make even more sustainable choices.

Stronger together

Christoph Pohl, Chief Purchasing Officer at Lidl International, adds: “In our role as one of the largest food retailers, we are aware of our responsibility and our influence.

"We take responsibility with the aim of doing business within planetary boundaries.

"For Lidl, sustainable management is not only a question of attitude, but also the basis for the future viability of our business model.

"With the support and expertise of WWF, we will now take our commitment to sustainability to the next level.

"We can only overcome major global challenges such as climate change and nature loss by working together.

"That's why we believe in strong partnerships to work together to provide more sustainable choices.”

This is not a new partnership, as Lidl and WWF have also been working together already in other individual markets, for example, in Switzerland and Austria, over the last few years.

This new partnership will expand the scope of this work across the planet as a way to accelerate sustainability at an international level.

Lidl has given itself the goal of making sustainable shopping even easier for its customers globally in the future and to work together with WWF to provide more sustainable choices and thus actively shape the sustainable transformation.

As well as Lidl’s engagement along its own value chain, it will support various WWF conservation projects to help protect the environment in regions it sources materials from.

Supermarkets aiding WWF

This most recent development follows last year’s announcement from Lidl GB, which became the first discount supermarket to sign up for WWF’s Retailers’ Commitment for Nature – an agreement to work with WWF to halve the environmental impact of UK shopping baskets by 2030.

With the global food sector driving 60% of deforestation and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, WWF is working with supermarkets across the UK to address their environmental impacts in seven key areas which make up the WWF Basket.

These areas are climate, deforestation and conversion of habitat, agricultural production, marine, diets, food waste, and packaging.

As well as setting science-based net-zero targets aligned with 1.5 degrees across all scopes, Lidl has also confirmed alignment to WWF's more recent joint retailers’ climate action focused on reducing supply chain emissions.

Kirsten Schuijt, Director General WWF International, adds:

“The way we produce and consume food and energy is one of the leading drivers of nature loss and climate change.

"In order to halt and reverse what is the biggest crisis facing humanity today, we need bold and urgent actions towards changing our food and energy systems, and the food and retail sector has a big role to play in driving this change.

"As one of the largest retailers, Lidl has enormous international leverage to drive sustainable change in the food and retail industry.

"WWF is proud to accompany Lidl on this journey on which we will both support and challenge the retailer.”

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