Human rights are not negotiable for us. They are the aim of our measures – right down to the global supply chains. We act according to the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (LkSG). Our human rights officer monitors and evaluates the implementation.
We are involved in alliances, standards, and initiatives such as amfori, Cotton made in Africa, the “Forum Nachhaltiger Kakao” (German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa) and the “Grüner Knopf” (Green Button), as well as in agreements such as the “International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment Industry”. We participate in the “Working Group of the German Retailers for Living Wages and Income” of the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA).
Our strategic suppliers use the EcoVadis sustainability platform. On basis of the results, further development measures are agreed and trainings are held (see also successes).
In our factory improvement training, we support strategic suppliers and production sites in establishing internal grievance mechanisms and train them on topics such as health and safety, wages and working hours, and ethical recruitment with a focus on women.
As part of an industry initiative, the DERTOUR Group is offering training courses for its partners on human rights due diligence in the travel and tourism value chain.
Alliance for Grievance Systems
By the end of 2025, the REWE Group intends to support the development of grievance mechanisms in relevant supply chains. In addition to introducing its own grievance channel in 2023, REWE in Germany is participating in the development of appellando, an initiative to develop an international grievance management system for retailers and their suppliers. In 2024, appellando launched its industry-wide grievance system for the fruit and vegetable sector in Spain.
The implementation of human rights due diligence throughout the entire value chain is an ongoing process. We continue to analyse the risks on an ongoing basis and adapt our measures accordingly (see the Supply Chain chapter).
Since 2023, we have been continuously informing our employees about the core content of the LkSG through the intranet and, since 2024, also in our group-wide compliance training and the new apps for store employees at REWE and PENNY. An internal e-learning programme on the obligations of the LkSG is also available for the purchasing departments of the two sales lines.
The expectations placed on our suppliers to fulfil their corporate due diligence obligations under the LkSG have been integrated into our Supplier Code of Conduct and communicated to our strategic suppliers.
We have defined guidelines with requirements and objectives based on risk analyses for focus raw materials such as palm oil, coffee, cotton or natural stones and therefore firmly integrated social issues into our procurement processes. Our targets for purchasing certified focus raw materials have been met or nearly met (see the Supply Chain chapter). In 2024, we developed a training programme for our suppliers on the EcoVadis sustainability platform, and selected strategic suppliers also completed intensive EcoVadis training.
99.9 %
All food and non-food Tier 1 production sites in risk countries are integrated into our social improvement programme. 99.9 per cent of those sites have a recognised social audit (2023: 98.9 per cent).
In 2024, the DERTOUR Group was recognised as a “Top Member” by The Code initiative (protection of children’s rights in the tourism industry) for its commitment to child protection, including its Policy Statement on Child Safeguarding.
Fairtrade – decades-long partnership
In 1993, the Fairtrade-labelled “Pedro coffee” was the first product to be listed nationwide in our REWE supermarkets. Today, consumers can find one of the widest Fairtrade product ranges in Germany in our REWE stores. At PENNY, we have also been offering Fairtrade food for more than fifteen years and are continually expanding our product range with Fairtrade-certified products. In Austria, we also rely on our partnership with the standard to improve the living and working conditions of producers – and have been doing so for more than two decades.
