Lidl has said it is committed to sustainable water management in agriculture, and has promised it will have 100% of its fruit and vegetable range from nine risk countries certified according to recognised water standards by February 2026.
The risk countries include Spain, Egypt, Greece and Italy, and Lidl said conserving resources is one of six focus topics forming part of its international sustainability strategy ‘Towards Tomorrow’.
Highlighting the recent “devastating droughts and floods” around the world, Lidl noted the importance of businesses using precious resources consciously – and that includes adopting the most sustainable water management practices.
Lidl is working on the figure that agriculture is responsible for 70% of global water consumption. It therefore wants to work with its wider supply chain to improve its operations.
The supermarket chain’s goal is that, by February 2026, 100% of fruit and vegetable producers from high-risk countries should be certified according to recognised water standards. Using the WWF water risk filter as a guide, the discounter is focused on Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Chile and South Africa.
Jan Bock, deputy CEO of Lidl, said: “With our ambitious water strategy, to which all 31 countries in which Lidl has branches have committed, we want to set new standards for sustainable water management in our industry.
“As buyers of water-intensive foods, we have a special responsibility and also a pioneering role. We are convinced that our efforts in the fruit and vegetable sector can make a valuable contribution to the long-term protection of water resources worldwide.”
Lidl is also guided by the water standards of the Basket of Water of the Sustainability Initiative Fruit & Vegetables. This includes, among other things, the Global G.A.P. Sustainable Program for Irrigation and Groundwater Use standard – which contains a set of criteria for assessing sustainable water management on farms.
As a member of the multi-stakeholder initiative Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), Lidl said it also supports joint projects in river areas with high water risks. Evidence of that in action include, in spring 2022, a large producer and a cooperative in southern Spain, which grows, berries and tomatoes and other produce across 1,100 hectares, received AWS certification.
[Image credit: Lidl]
