Aldi Ireland has sold over 2.6 million of its Fairtade roses in 2017, marking a 30% increase compared to the year before.
The discount retailer is the largest seller of Fairtrade-accredited flowers in Ireland, currently offering a Fairtrade mixed roses bouquet for €5.99 and Fairtrade posies for €4.99.
Aldi's announcement was made following the launch of ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’, a campaign by Fairtrade to encourage customers in Ireland to learn more about the social movement from 26 February - 11 March, 2018.
Ethiopian Farms
The retailer supports Fairtrade in Ethiopia, with all its Fairtrade roses purchased from the Herburg farm, one of the largest Ethiopian flower growing farms.
Sales of Aldi’s roses help fund workers’ access to vital medical services and reduced prices for staple foods, according to the retailer.
“Fairtrade is hugely important to Aldi as it enables us to deliver great value in a sustainable way,” said Finbar McCarthy, Aldi Ireland’s group buying director. “We have been sourcing Fairtrade for the last number of years and we now offer our customers Fairtrade organic bananas, Fairtrade chocolate, Fairtrade coffee and Fairtrade roses at the very best prices possible.”
Commenting, Peter Gaynor, executive director, Fairtrade Ireland said, “Most retailers aren’t doing Fairtrade flowers at all, yet Aldi has Fairtrade roses all year, Fairtrade poinsettias at Christmas and is also looking to see what more it can do, which is great for Fairtrade.”
Other Efforts
Aldi noted that it also supports products that are certified to Rainforest Alliance and UTZ standards that create better social and environmental conditions for growers in its supply chain.
It was the first retailer in Ireland to pledge to buy 100% of its bananas from sustainable sources.
Back in its native German market, Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord have previously committed to sourcing all their flowers and plants from sustainable sources for their Aldi branches and their online range.
© 2018 - Checkout Magazine by Kevin Duggan
