Responsible Sourcing
Given our scope and scale as a grocery retailer, we are committed to reducing the social and environmental impacts in our supply chain by using responsible sourcing practices. In fact, our stakeholders have signaled this as one of the most material sustainability topics for Kroger. The goals of our responsible sourcing program are to mitigate risks and negative impacts and to drive positive change.
Our Responsible Sourcing Framework summarizes our policies and commitments.
Review our 2020 Sustainability Goals pertaining to responsible sourcing.
To read a detailed description of our management approach to Responsible Sourcing, visit our 2019 ESG Report.
Kroger Vendor Code of Conduct
Our customers trust that the products we bring to market are sourced from reputable suppliers who provide safe and fair working conditions for their workers. We share this concern for human rights, as articulated in our Statement on Human Rights. All suppliers that provide products for our company, including Our Brands products, must maintain safe and fair working environments for their workers at these facilities and meet all other requirements of our Vendor Code of Conduct. We have a Zero Tolerance policy for human rights violations like child and forced labor, discrimination and bribery. If suppliers (or their suppliers) do not live up to our Code, we will not do business with them.
As discussed in detail in our 2019 ESG Report, Kroger validates and confirms the expectations outlined in our Code of Conduct through onsite Kroger Social Compliance Audits.
Animal Welfare Requirements
As articulated in our Animal Welfare Policy, Kroger has a long-standing commitment to responsible business practices, including the humane treatment of animals. We require our suppliers to adopt industry-accepted animal welfare standards that we endorse for beef, pork, chicken, turkey and eggs, and we monitor our suppliers for compliance with these standards.