Source: Flickr
On the road to the future
“The protection of the environment is important to us. Just as important as the products we sell in our stores, are produced under fair conditions. We have been working with Rainforest Alliance since 2011 to achieve this,” tells Geert van der Velden, responsible for purchasing for Lidl Germany. “We are glad that we can expand this cooperation.” The Rainforest Alliance isn’t the only organization that cooperates with Lidl. In 2006 Lidl was the first German discounter who sold their own brand of fair-trade certified products, with the name Fairglobe. And Lidl will expand the range of organic products. The company wants to take their responsibility for the environment and society with these and other actions. The slogan “On the road to the future” will be implemented in many different ways.
Increase the production, protect the environment
The Rainforest Alliance works with pineapple farmer in Costa Rica. The pineapple is the most important export product for this Central American country. The surface used for cultivating the pineapple has increased with 300% over the last few years. But the production of pineapples can harm the environment, when chemicals pollute the water and rainforest is destroyed to create new plantations. The Rainforest Alliance has set itself a clear goal: the cultivation of pineapples should become sustainable. The organization trains farmers to manage their plantations in a sustainable and efficient way. Furthermore the Rainforest Alliance supports farmers to improve the working conditions and safety measures. At the moment 7,500 hectares of pineapple farms in Costa Rica are Rainforest Alliance certified.
