Fresh water

Water - the resource

Water is a necessity for the survival of humans, which is why a central challenge for the 21st Century is providing sufficient clean water for a growing world population. Access to clean water was even defined by the United Nations as a human right in 2010: Every person has the right to clean water for drinking and personal hygiene. Fresh water is also essential for the production of industrial and agricultural products.

Seventy percent of the water resources used worldwide is used by agriculture - the majority being for irrigation and the production of food. Twenty percent is used by industry, and ten percent is used in the household area. In addition to its enormous consumption of water, industry and agricultural production processes also contribute to water pollution.

For a more conscious use of water

For Lidl, water is not a problem for the future, it is a core topic for now. A large portion of our revenue is made through agricultural products. Because agriculture consumes particularly large volumes of water, it should participate in limiting the negative effects of this use. Taking responsibility when it comes to water and using it more efficiently as a resource is very important to us. By reducing our own water consumption and by keeping water use in mind along the entire value creation chain, we can succeed in being aware of our so-called water footprint.

For example, the water footprint of a cup of coffee (125 ml) is 132 liters, most of which is water used by the coffee plants. A large water footprint in regions with a lot of rain is less problematical than a large footprint in dry areas. So, simply thinking about the water footprint alone is not enough.

For Lidl, the consideration of water use along the entire value chain while taking regional challenges into account is central. To do this, we use water risk analyses. We can then use these to structure our water use with our suppliers in a more sustainable way.

Lidl's commitment to sustainable water

Lidl works on actively initiating changes in the area of water management. One of the measures is to expand the portion of certified products in its assortment that reflect the subject of water. We are therefore supporting recognized seal initiatives and simultaneously ensuring minimum standards for sustainable production practices. For example, Lidl is a member of the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) which has the goal of pursuing a socially fair, ecologically sustainable and economically beneficial water use. More accurately, the AWS is the first global, international standard that measures water use at a location based on social, environmental and economical criteria with an independent, verifiable framework. In addition, we want to work more closely with certifications that have an explicit focus on water. An example of this is Global GAP Spring.

Lidl became committed itself to Greenpeace's Detox Commitment to largely eliminate the use and release of eleven chemical groups classified by Greenpeace as priority chemicals in its textile and shoe production by 2020 in December of 2014. According to the Detox Commitment, waste water and sewage sludge in our production plants are tested for pollutants at least once a year to ensure that our chemical specifications are being implemented. For more information regarding Lidl's commitment visit the dedicated page here.

In addition to the measures we have already taken, we published a water policy paper that describes our frame of action regarding the global challenges of increasing water consumption and water pollution. It is our hope that the water policy not only provides transparent information about our measures in this area but also provides a basis for deriving other goals and measures with which Lidl can successfully contribute to solving the global water issues. Find out more about this here.

Every drop counts - Saving water made easy

In addition to optimizing our water management within our supply chain, we also want to encourage awareness of how water is consumed. This is in keeping with the motto that everyone should do what they can to reduce their water consumption and thus contribute to the preservation of our water resources.
We have also put together some tips for those who want to think more about their water consumption and how to save water at home.