Protecting human rights

Human Rights Due Diligence

At the REWE Group, we are committed to clear rules for both our own business activities and our global supply and value chains. We source a wide variety of products and product components through supply chains that sometimes span multiple countries.

That is why we embed human rights due diligence into our processes, procurement practices, and training programs. We require our suppliers to comply with human rights through our Supplier Code of Conduct and promote this compliance through training. We conduct risk analyses and, for our private-label products, rely on certified raw materials, for example from organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade. We also participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Cocoa Forum and the Palm Oil Forum. In addition, we carry out our own projects and training programs within the supply chain.

Factory Improvement Training

62 factories have already participated in our Factory Improvement Training.

What We’ve Accomplished

Since 2020, 100 percent of Tier 1 production facilities in high-risk countries have been integrated into the REWE Group’s Social Improvement Program.
Each year, at least 10 production facilities from our private-label supply chains in the food and non-food sectors participate in our Factory Improvement Training.
Goal Achieved: We will improve access to grievance mechanisms in the relevant supply chains by the end of 2025.

REWE Group’s Approach to More Responsible Supply Chains

At REWE Group, we know that our decisions have an impact throughout global supply chains, often in places where risks to fair working conditions, living wages, or job security are particularly high. That is why we are committed to strengthening human rights, preventing violations, and addressing them where they occur. Through a four-step process, we are committed to systematically identifying, minimizing, and preventing—through mitigating measures—potentially adverse impacts of our business activities on human rights.

Risk Assessments

We continuously analyze where human rights risks exist. In doing so, we combine external analyses, dialogue with NGOs and stakeholders, and our own experiences from the supply chain. This enables us to identify risks such as child labor, lack of workplace safety, or inadequate wages at an early stage and take targeted action.

Priorities and Goals

Based on these analyses, we set clear human rights priorities for our internal strategies and develop goals.

Implementing Measures

We develop measures to counteract negative effects. On the one hand, within the REWE Group — for example, by providing appropriate training to buyers. On the other hand, within the supply chain—by implementing our own projects or by requiring suppliers to use certified raw materials. In addition, we are also active beyond our own supply chain—for example, by helping to further develop standards-setting organizations or by collaborating with Cotton made in Africa.

Monitoring and Further Development

We regularly assess whether our measures are effective. Complaint mechanisms, audits, and dialogue formats help us identify risks and measure progress. Open dialogue with civil society and NGOs is essential for us to identify blind spots and further develop our measures.

The insights we gain are directly incorporated into the further development of our approach, with the goal of effectively strengthening human rights in our supply chains step by step.

Learn more about our strategic approach in our progress report

Our Measures

All of our private-label production facilities in high-risk countries in the food, near-food, and non-food sectors must submit recognized and independent social audits. If the requirements are not met, corrective actions are defined, and the production facilities are required to participate in amfori-BSCI training sessions. The REWE Group invites strategically important production facilities to participate in an intensive, one-year training program tailored to their individual needs. The program also includes regular employee surveys to directly involve the workers. Specifically, producers receive practical and customized support to assess and improve social working conditions in their factories.

Sustainable Raw Materials

We source raw materials such as bananas, cocoa, and coffee from production systems that are more sustainable, in accordance with recognized standards such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Naturland, and EU Organic. 100 percent of the natural stone products from China listed at toom Baumarkt DIY store are XertifiX-PLUS certified. More information on this can be found in the “Achievements” section and in the “Goals and KPIs” chapter. With regard to natural stone as a raw material, we collaborate with independent experts from the NGO XertifiX, and we ensure seamless traceability of the supply chain all the way back to the quarry.
Training and Education in Our Supply Chains

We have developed a training program for suppliers on the EcoVadis sustainability platform. Selected strategic suppliers have also completed an EcoVadis intensive training course. Through our Factory Improvement Training program, we support strategic production facilities — for example, by helping them establish internal grievance mechanisms and providing training on topics such as health and safety, wages and working hours, and ethical personnel management, with a particular focus on women. In addition, all Tier 1 food and non-food production facilities in high-risk countries are integrated into our Social Improvement Program. Of these, 99.7 percent have a recognized social audit; in 2024, the figure was 99.9 percent.
Focus on Duty of Care

Due diligence obligations under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) are enshrined in our Supplier Code of Conduct and are communicated to strategic suppliers. We regularly inform our employees about the key provisions of the LkSG — for example, via the intranet, through our group-wide compliance training, or, for the purchasing departments at REWE and PENNY, via an internal e-learning program.
Strengthen complaint mechanisms

As the REWE Group, we support the establishment of grievance mechanisms in relevant supply chains and have been operating our own grievance channel since 2023. Through our participation in amfori working groups, the industry-wide “amfori Speak for Change” mechanism was implemented and is already operational in Vietnam, Turkey, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and parts of India. More countries will follow. In this way, we are supporting a unified approach for production facilities in high-risk countries.

Furthermore, REWE has participated in Germany in the development of appellando, an initiative aimed at creating an international complaint management system for retailers and their suppliers. Since 2024, appellando has been active in the fruit and vegetable sector in Spain. In 2025, the system was also launched in South Africa and Italy.
Human Rights Due Diligence in Tourism

The DERTOUR Group has been a member of Futouris e. V., the sustainability initiative of the German-speaking travel industry, since 2015. As part of this initiative, projects aimed at minimizing human rights impacts, among other things, are carried out. In addition, training sessions on human rights due diligence in the Travel and Tourism value chain are offered to partners.
Involvement in Industry Alliances and Initiatives

We collaborate with alliances, standards, and initiatives, or through long-term partnerships, such as amfori, Cotton made in Africa®, the “Sustainability” Forum, and the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment Industry. We participate in the German Retail Working Group on Living Incomes and Wages and the Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chain Initiative (SASI).

Our Achievements
- To report 2025

Focus on Cocoa

Whether it’s chocolate bars, chocolate cookies, or hot chocolate: all of these products contain cocoa as a key ingredient. But the cocoa sector faces many problems: economically and socially unstable conditions, coupled with challenges stemming from climate change. For these reasons, we at the REWE Group are committed to improving economic and social conditions throughout the cocoa value chain.
- About the Guideline
Progress

The cocoa used in our private-label products for REWE and PENNY in Germany has been certified since the end of 2020. To this end, the REWE Group relies on certifications from the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Naturland, and organic standards.

Our private-label chocolate products and sweet pastries have been 100 percent Fairtrade-certified since the end of 2020.
- Progress Report
Measures

As a founding member of the multi-stakeholder initiative Forum for Sustainable Cocoa, the REWE Group has been supporting the PRO-PLANTEURS project alongside other companies since 2012. Conducted in cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), this cocoa project in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire aims to help cocoa-producing family farms and their cooperatives become more professional.

We are actively involved in the Retailers’ Working Group for a Living Income within the Cocoa Forum.

Since 2025, we have been testing mechanisms for measuring and verifying living incomes together with partners in our private-label supply chains.
- The Forum for Sustainability in Cocoa – FORUM NACHHALTIGER KAKAO e.V.
- PRO-PLANTEURS Project – FORUM FOR SUSTAINABLE COCOA e.V.

Focus on Coffee

Demand for coffee is rising, but the situation for this raw material is critical: Prices on the coffee exchange fluctuate wildly, climate change is causing crop failures, and there are hardly any incentives for the next generation to take up farming. The incomes of smallholder farmers in many countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa are often not enough to make ends meet. As a result, children frequently have to help their parents instead of going to school. Monoculture farming erodes the soil. Water consumption and pesticide use are on the rise, with consequences for both people and biodiversity.

Climate change is exacerbating this effect. As a result, farmland is encroaching into forested areas, which are being cleared for cultivation. The challenge for the REWE Group is to meet the demand for coffee while simultaneously improving the situation for local people and reducing environmental damage caused by cultivation, such as soil erosion and deforestation.
- Guidelines for Coffee
Progress

Our private-label coffee products from REWE and PENNY Germany have been certified by the Rainforest Alliance, as organic, or as Fairtrade since the end of 2020.

We aim to secure farmers’ incomes through long-term partnerships with local cooperatives.
Measures

To improve the value chain, we at REWE and PENNY Germany set clear requirements for our suppliers. For example, all private-label suppliers are required to supply only coffee that meets the criteria of the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, or organic certification.

We strive for long-term partnerships with cooperatives. We also support selected cooperatives through projects. For example, we participate in the SASI coffee project. The goal is to improve the income of coffee farms in Peru and Honduras through responsible purchasing practices and the professionalization of producer organizations.
- To the story
- Livelihood-Sustaining Incomes in the Coffee Sector

Focus on Fruits and Vegetables

The procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables is characterized by supply structures that often vary over the course of the season and are heavily dependent on weather conditions. To nevertheless provide suppliers and producers with the greatest possible planning certainty, responsible purchasing practices are essential.

In the procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables, there are social and environmental hotspots, particularly in cultivation, but also in packaging and transportation. Agricultural activities have a significant impact on soil, water, air, and biodiversity. Furthermore, agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The cultivation and harvesting of fresh fruits and vegetables are highly seasonal and, particularly in the Global South, are characterized by smallholder farming structures. In addition to low wages, violations of human rights and labor rights are also major challenges.
Progress

To reduce or eliminate the negative effects of fruit and vegetable cultivation on people, we have set numerous goals that address the most significant hotspots. In the area of people, the focus is on social compliance and living wages.

Bananas: At least 50 percent of the bananas sourced for the German market now come from farms that meet defined criteria for living wages.

In 2020, the TRES producer program was launched. It aims to promote knowledge sharing and cooperative collaboration with suppliers along the supply chain. This not only supports the development of diverse and sustainable supply chains but also actively strengthens supply security.
- REWE Group Promotes Secure Supply Chains
- Progress Report from the German Retail 2025 Working Group
Measures

We at the REWE Group have taken numerous steps to achieve our goals. For example, we implement responsible sourcing practices, foster long-term, trust-based partnerships, and set minimum requirements for our suppliers. In addition to expanding our organic product range, we are committed to promoting regional products, optimizing packaging, and ensuring transparency in our supply chains.

We are also actively involved in various projects and industry initiatives. Key focus areas in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector include, for example, climate, greenhouse cultivation, water, and biodiversity, as well as grievance mechanisms and living wages.

We are actively involved in the German food retailers’ working group on implementing living wages in the banana sector.

Focus on Production Facilities

In global supply chains, there is a risk of human rights violations, such as child labor or forced labor, inadequate occupational health and safety conditions, excessively long working hours, or wages that do not provide a living wage.

Based on our risk analyses, we identify particularly vulnerable supply chains and production facilities in high-risk countries. We take responsibility for fulfilling our human rights due diligence obligations in our supply chains and for implementing targeted improvement measures at production facilities, including through our Social Improvement Program.
Progress

All Tier 1 food and non-food production facilities in our private-label supply chains for REWE, PENNY, and toom Baumarkt DIY store located in high-risk countries are integrated into our Social Improvement Program.

Each year, at least 10 production facilities from our private-label supply chains for REWE, PENNY, and toom Baumarkt DIY store—in both the food and non-food sectors—participate in our Factory Improvement Training.
- To report 2025
Measures

All of our private-label production facilities in high-risk countries in the food, near-food, and non-food sectors must submit recognized and independent social audits. If the requirements are not met, corrective actions are defined, and the production facilities are required to participate in amfori-BSCI training sessions.

The REWE Group invites strategically important production facilities to participate in an intensive, one-year training program that is tailored to their individual needs. The program also includes regular employee surveys to directly involve the workers. Specifically, producers receive practical and customized support to measure and improve social working conditions in their factories.
- About the Guideline
- To report 2025

Focus on Living Income

The REWE Group sources a wide variety of products through supply chains from around the world. In some countries where raw materials originate or are processed, wages and incomes are sometimes too low to enable workers or farmers to lead a decent life. Even the statutory minimum wage is often insufficient to provide employees with a living wage. The REWE Group aims to contribute to improving the wage and income situation in its supplier countries.
Collaboration with Stakeholders

The REWE Group collaborates with standard-setting organizations such as Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance, as well as with organizations like amfori BSCI, to further advance the issue of “living incomes and wages.” As a member of the Steering Committee, the REWE Group supports the development and refinement of the roadmap for the so-called Salary Matrix of IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative.

Other key elements include participation in external events, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and partnerships with supply chain stakeholders.
- IDH Roadmap on Living Wages – IDH – the Sustainable Trade Initiative
- Retail Working Group – SASI
Supply Chain Measures

Bananas: We are part of the pilot project of the Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chain Initiative (SASI) retail group, and since 2025 we have been making a financial contribution to close the income gap for 50 percent of our private-label bananas.

Coffee: A SASI pilot project was also launched here in 2025. The goal is to improve the incomes of coffee farms in Peru and Honduras through responsible purchasing practices and the professionalization of producer organizations.

Cocoa: We are actively involved in the Retailers’ Working Group for a Living Income within the Cocoa Forum. Since 2025, we have been testing mechanisms for measuring and verifying living incomes together with partners in our private-label supply chains.

Complaint Mechanism

Our complaint procedure allows affected individuals and whistleblowers to report potential human rights or environmental violations. The goal is to identify risks early on, take corrective action, and protect those affected.
- About the Complaint System for Human Rights and Environmental Risks
Grievance Mechanisms in Supply Chains

Promoting effective grievance mechanisms in supply chains is an integral part of the REWE Group’s human rights strategy. Particular attention is paid to high-risk supply chains, such as those involving specific raw materials and production facilities in high-risk countries.

Instead of isolated corporate solutions, the REWE Group relies on collaborative, systemic approaches through audit and certification systems, as well as on the involvement of labor unions and civil society organizations. Special attention is given to disadvantaged groups such as women and migrants. Multilingual, simple, and secure reporting channels are designed to facilitate their access. At the same time, the REWE Group supports the further development of existing systems and advocates for new solutions where no effective complaint mechanisms currently exist.
Measures

The REWE Group has established specific requirements for grievance mechanisms in its Supplier Code of Conduct.

As part of the Factory Improvement Program (F.I.T.), production facilities are supported in establishing internal grievance procedures.

Through amfori, we have played a key role in supporting the development of a unified, industry-wide approach for production facilities in high-risk countries. “amfori Speak for Change” is already operational in Vietnam, Turkey, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and parts of India.

REWE in Germany is participating in the development of appellando, an initiative aimed at establishing an international grievance management system. appellando has been active in the fruit and vegetable sector in Spain since 2024. In 2025, the system was also launched in South Africa and Italy.
- Speak for Change amfori Speak for Change | amfori
- appellando | grievance mechanisms for supply chains

A Clear Commitment to Human Rights

In April 2019, the REWE Group published a policy statement on human rights. In it, we commit to clear rules, both with regard to our own direct business activities and within our global supply chains.

Our comprehensive responsibility is also reflected in the guidelines for fair business practices and working conditions in our private-label supply chains. In these guidelines, we commit to strengthening human rights, improving working conditions, and promoting fair trade within the supply chains of all our private-label products. In our Sustainability Report, we describe the principles and guidelines as well as the measures we are taking to implement them.