Lidl and WWF launch ambitious international partnership

Lidl and WWF announce the start of a new five-year international and strategic partnership active in 31 countries.

The long-term cooperation with WWF will focus on working along Lidl’s value chain, thereby helping to address the global ecological challenges of our time, ensuring that more households have access to more sustainable choices and encouraging business models that work in harmony with nature and within planetary boundaries. 

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

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

Lidl has set itself the goal of making sustainable shopping even easier for its customers worldwide in the future. The partnership with WWF will support this goal through focusing on the following key areas: 

• Conservation and promotion of biodiversity 
• Responsible management of water resources 
• Climate protection through science-based climate targets 
• Building and expanding traceable, deforestation-free and conversion-free supply chains 
• Responsible sourcing of critical raw materials such as palm oil, soy, cocoa, tea, coffee, wood, and paper products 
• Responsible sourcing of fish and seafood and safeguarding of critical fishing grounds and stocks 
• Engaging in advocacy for more conscious, sustainable diets and consumption 
• Reduction of food waste 

In addition to Lidl’s engagement along its own value chain, the company will support various WWF conservation projects to help protect the environment in regions it sources from. 

Find out more here.