Supermarket company ALDI Australia has joined the Slave-Free Alliance, a social enterprise launched by anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice to support businesses in working towards a slave-free supply chain.

As part of its membership, ALDI has also published its annual Modern Slavery Statement outlining actions to mitigate modern slavery during a challenging year for the supply chain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will continue to identify and address modern slavery risks and remain compliant with our policies, ensuring ethical practices that uphold our responsibility to the communities in which we operate,” said Tom Daunt, CEO of ALDI Australia.

ALDI has become the first Australian member of Slave-Free Alliance and together the organisations will conduct a Human Rights Risk Assessment and roll out Modern Slavery Awareness Training for ALDI employees and business partners.

The Modern Slavery Awareness Training Program will ensure all employees with sourcing responsibilities, as well as merchandise suppliers, are equipped with the skills they need to understand risks, identify the signs of modern slavery, and take action to address them.

Lynnette Kay, Director at Slave-Free Alliance in Australia, said it is critical to take a holistic approach, and work closely with all parties in a supply chain to properly mitigate the risks of modern slavery.

“We are delighted that ALDI Australia is leading the way in Australia’s fight against modern slavery, and we are looking forward to working together to achieve our shared goal; a slave-free supply chain.

“As an international company with suppliers in Australia and across the globe it’s wonderful to see ALDI putting in place robust programs to prevent worker exploitation. We hope that other businesses will follow its example so that we can tackle modern slavery collectively,” said Kay.

ALDI’s Human Rights Risk Assessment will look into important local supply chains such as fresh produce, fresh meat and goods not for resale.

Daniel Baker, Corporate Responsibility Director at ALDI Australia, says the partnership with Slave-Free Alliance will support ALDI’s proactive approach to prevent modern slavery and work towards ensuring fair and safe working conditions.

“Modern slavery is a complex issue requiring thorough and progressive action. We understand the significant impact we can have on intercepting the exploitation of workers within our supply chain and our partnership with Slave-Free Alliance will help to ensure modern slavery continues to be identified and addressed,” said Baker.