Aldi

Is Aldi an ethical supermarket?

German-owned brand Aldi is one of our top-rated supermarket brands within the Ethical Supermarkets sector.

As a result, it has a high score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Supermarkets Ethical Ratings Table and is eligible for Ethical Accreditation.

All Aldi needs to do to be awarded with our logo is get in touch and apply. The Good Shopping Guide would provide Aldi with an assessment and some sustainability consultancy on how it can improve to become even more ethical, and improve its ESG and CSR initiatives, before awarding it with our certification.

If you wish to find out how other well-known brands within the Ethical Supermarkets sector compare against Aldi, you can visit the Supermarkets Ethical Ratings Table. Our Ratings Table can help you to find out more about the criteria that a brand must meet before it can reach our minimum Ethical Benchmark.

Before submitting an application for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide encourages all brands to follow the lead set by our top-rated brands and introduce more ethical practices.

What does Aldi receive a top rating for?

As one of our best supermarket brands, Aldi receives a top score in most of our categories. However, we are especially pleased with Aldi’s score for its Environmental Report. Aldi has a Corporate Responsibility page which contains a range of targets on waste, packaging and plastics. It also has links to details about how it is reducing plastic, encouraging healthy living and responsibly sourcing produce.

What does Aldi receive a bottom rating for?

Unfortunately, Aldi receives a bottom score from The Good Shopping Guide for our Animal Welfare category.

A recent investigation by non-profit animal protection charity Mercy for Animals has revealed that Aldi chicken suppliers keep animals under shocking conditions. Hidden camera footage at a contract farm for the supermarket shows tens of thousands of chickens packed into overcrowded sheds and forced to live inhumanely in waste-soaked litter for weeks.

Countless birds were also documented to be suffering from open wounds, twisted beaks and other serious injuries.

What can Aldi do to improve its score? 

Aldi’s above-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Supermarkets Ethical Ratings Table is the result of a calculation of multiple ethical criteria. Even though it has an above benchmark score, Aldi still has some bottom scores to work on, including its low score for Animal Welfare.

We encourage Aldi to apply for Ethical Accreditation so that we can offer it some guidance on how it can improve upon its bottom scores and award it with our logo. By doing so, Aldi can see its score rise even further on our Ratings Table.

Could your Supermarket brand benefit from Ethical Accreditation? The Good Shopping Guide’s Ratings Tables displays which other brands within the Ethical Supermarkets sector have received The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation. If you would like more information, contact us or fill out a rapid initial sustainability assessment form.