ALDI Australia becomes founding member of Slave-Free Alliance in Australia
Supermarket chain ALDI Australia has today (Monday, 28th June) set a new standard for businesses in the fight against modern slavery, by announcing it is the first member of Slave-Free Alliance in Australia.
ALDI Australia is joining forces with the social enterprise, which is part of the pioneering global anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice. Slave-Free Alliance supports Australian businesses that want to protect their supply chains and operations from modern slavery.
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.
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 Mr Baker.
Lynnette Kay, Director at Slave-Free Alliance in Australia, said: “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 help 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.”
Membership of Slave-Free Alliance in Australia is open to all businesses of any size that wish to protect their supply chains and operations from modern slavery. New members become part of a global force for change, which began in the UK and now counts as members global multinationals and household names including AstraZeneca, Dixons Carphone, Suez and ALDI UK.
Industries represented globally include professional services, engineering, data analysis, IT, utilities, energy, environmental services, manufacturing, agriculture, insurance, legal, pharmaceutical, property, recruitment, retail, transport and waste management.
Businesses in Australia wishing to find out more about membership of Slave-Free Alliance in Australia can contact Lynnette Kay at info.aus@slavefreealliance.org or phone 1300 899 184.