Lidl has become the first UK discounter to join the United Nations Global Compact – a voluntary initiative for the “development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices”.

The discounter said under the new partnership, it will “align its operations and strategies with the company’s 10 universally accepted principles” in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Lidl staff will also be offered free learning modules from the UN Global Compact Academy in a bid to “drive engagement and awareness across the business”.

Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world and includes more than 20,000 companies from 160 countries. 

Lidl said by joining the initiative it was “demonstrating its commitment to taking responsible business action to create a more sustainable future”. 

Lidl GB head of sustainability Matt Juden said: “At Lidl GB, we believe that access to health and sustainability should be a right, not a luxury. By joining the UN Global Compact, we are committing to democratising sustainable practices across our business.

“We aren’t just here to broadcast our progress, we are here to collectively solve some of the biggest issues facing society. This membership allows us to work alongside global peers to engineer waste out of the supply chain and secure a resilient future.”

Topics