Today, ALDI Australia as part of ALDI South strengthens its efforts to eliminate child labour risks in its global and complex supply chain, by publishing an independent Child Labour Policy. While many organisations incorporate child labour policies into broader policies, for example code of conduct, ALDI South has launched the Child Labour Policy as a means of prioritising the issue and providing a framework to engage business partners in action against child labour.

Whilst many of our products are made here in Australia, others are sourced from our business partners (suppliers) overseas. To ensure social standards are upheld across our supply chain, we work closely alongside our business partners.

The policy also coincides with a significant moment in time. On 20 November, 30 years ago, the UN adopted the ‘Convention of the Rights of the Child’. This exact day 60 years ago, the ‘Declaration on the Rights of the Child’ was proclaimed.

ALDI South’s Child Labour Policy defines child labour so any potential incidents can be identified, and outlines our expectations of business partners and processes upon identifying any cases of child labour. The policy is based on The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions No 138 (Minimum Age) and No 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour), and The Children’s Rights and Business Principles.

Announcing the policy across all ALDI South markets, the following initiatives have also been implemented with ALDI Australia’s business partners to further remediate child labour, including:

  • An internal child labour guideline for relevant business partners explaining our requirements in more depth.
  • An e-learning that further details ALDI’s requirements, international laws and standards in regards to child labour.
  • A child labour prevention and remediation workshop for select business partners.

This additional step further reinforces our dedication to preventing child labour in our supply network.

 

*Image copyright: German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa / Photographer: Gaël Gelle.