Lidl Hellas

 Lidl’s strategy focuses on ensuring compliance with human rights and environmental due diligence throughout the entire value chain. The company’s goal is to create a sustainable future by taking into account the social and environmental impacts of its operations.

The strategy is structured around three main pillars:

1. Labour: Lidl ensures equal treatment and equal opportunities for all employees, avoiding any form of discrimination. It prohibits forced labour, modern slavery, and child labour, while guaranteeing sustainable wages and working hours in accordance with applicable laws. It upholds the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, while also protecting the health and safety of workers.
2. Environment: Lidl ensures compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, preventing soil damage, air pollution, noise pollution, and excessive water consumption. It includes laws for the protection of the environment and natural resources, as well as the management of environmental impacts.
3. Compliance: Lidl implements measures to enforce the Code of Conduct across the supply chain, including reporting, corrective actions, audits, and grievance mechanisms. A comprehensive system for managing deviations from the Code takes risk into account to ensure that all requirements are met.

Lidl’s aim is to strengthen a shared understanding across the company regarding social and environmental standards, ensuring alignment with international guidelines and principles. The company seeks to promote human rights, fair wages, and safe working conditions, offering online training to support awareness and compliance.

Lidl Hellas’ strategy on human rights and environmental due diligence is aimed at a broad range of stakeholders. Primarily, it targets the company’s employees and those of its partners, ensuring equal treatment, safety, and decent working conditions. It also addresses business partners across the supply chain, setting clear expectations for compliance with social and environmental standards. Finally, it concerns consumers, who are increasingly interested in the ethical and sustainable practices of the companies they support.                     

The initiative is of a continuous nature. It is not a time-limited project but a long-term strategic commitment by Lidl, which evolves and strengthens over time in line with international developments and growing demands for sustainability and accountability.                   

  As a leading retail company, Lidl is committed to respecting human rights, protecting the environment, and preventing potential risks, taking into account the entire value chain. The company acknowledges its responsibility to comply with human rights and environmental due diligence, striving for improvements in its supply chains and operations through targeted engagement.

The Code of Conduct of the Schwarz Group, to which Lidl Hellas belongs, sets out expectations for business partners regarding compliance with environmental and social standards, as well as human rights protection. It is based on international guidelines and principles, such as the International Bill of Human Rights and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Code includes three main sections: Labour, Environment, and Compliance.

In the Labour section, the Code ensures equal treatment and opportunities for employees, prohibits forced labour, modern slavery, and child labour, and guarantees sustainable wages and working hours in line with applicable laws. It also guarantees freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, while protecting workers’ health and safety.

In the Environment section, the Code ensures compliance with environmental laws and regulations, preventing soil damage, air and noise pollution, and excessive water use. It includes provisions for the protection of the environment and natural resources, as well as the management of environmental impacts.

In the Compliance section, the Code outlines measures for implementation across the supply chain, including reporting, corrective actions, audits, and grievance mechanisms. A comprehensive system for managing deviations from the Code takes risk into account to ensure compliance.

The Code of Conduct is applied to reinforce a shared understanding across the company of social and environmental standards. As a global company, Lidl ensures compliance with these standards, promoting human rights, fair pay, and safe working conditions. The Code is an integral part of every contractual agreement, and online training is provided to support awareness and compliance.

        Lidl Hellas Stakeholders           

All Lidl Hellas employees who work with external partners are responsible for ensuring that these partners agree to and follow the Code of Conduct.

 The initiative is implemented globally, as Lidl operates internationally and its strategy applies across the entire value chain, regardless of geographic location. Specifically for Lidl Hellas, the Code of Conduct is applied both to domestic operations and to collaborations with international suppliers.                    

The implementation of the Code of Conduct and Lidl’s sustainability strategy has a positive impact on multiple levels. For employees, it ensures the protection of human rights, fair wages, and health and safety in the workplace. For suppliers and partners, it promotes transparency, accountability, and alignment with international standards. At the same time, Lidl strengthens consumer trust by demonstrating its commitment to social and environmental responsibility. The availability of online training tools further enhances awareness and compliance across all levels of the organization.                   

This strategy offers multiple benefits for Lidl Hellas. Firstly, it enhances the company’s reputation and credibility as a responsible and sustainable business. Secondly, it reduces operational and legal risks, as compliance with international standards protects the company from violations and penalties. Thirdly, it strengthens consumer trust, as more people choose to support companies with strong ethical and environmental values. Lastly, it contributes to the long-term sustainability of the business by reinforcing supply chain resilience and employee satisfaction.