A new alliance for complaint systems in supply chains wants to set up an international complaint management system together with retail companies and their suppliers. A pilot project in the area of fruit and vegetables from Spain is scheduled to start with the partners Kaufland, Edeka, Migros, Markant, Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd, Rewe and Lidl in the first quarter of 2024. FashionUnited spoke to former Global Gap boss Kristian Möller, now EHI and head of the project called Appelando, about its goals and milestones.
Through his work on global gap solutions, Kristian Möller has been able to gain more than 20 years of experience in quality assurance for agricultural operations that have been introduced and established. These have now become an international system and a benchmark for safe and responsible practices on farms around the world.
Since June 1, 2023, under the auspices of the EHI Retail Institute, he has been entrusted with setting up a complaints mechanism that meets the requirements of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.
Mr. Möller, could you describe Appellando in one sentence?
The initiative wants to create the opportunity for employees in cultivation and production companies to be able to point out deficiencies in social and environmental standards in their companies in a neutral system.
How far has the project progressed?
More than ten meetings have already taken place with the trading companies, there are eight different working groups that meet regularly – I have led a total of over 100 hours of online working groups. The first stakeholder meeting took place in Madrid at the beginning of June and the second will now take place on October 2nd and 3rd, also in Madrid.
Are there plans to expand the initiative to other sectors, such as textiles?
The project is planned as an international complaint management system that is not limited to a specific industry. If there is already a critical mass for the textile industry, then it is certainly possible to develop this in parallel. There are already some inquiries.
How should we specifically imagine the complaint mechanism?
It is more than a helpline, a branded contact, so to speak, with a call center, but it goes beyond telephone contact; there will also be an app. The scope is based on the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and includes topics such as wages, child labor, discrimination (sexual, racial), environmental aspects and more.
And where does it come from?
In the factory, the packing station or later the sewing room. Employees can use the complaint mechanism and the relevant companies will then be informed of the complaint. NGOs then turn to the traders and middlemen. A person you trust will then go to the relevant company, conduct interviews and create an analysis of the situation. Solutions are then developed accordingly. This will also lead to statistics so that companies can keep an eye on the interface from different countries.
Finally, what would you say makes this initiative unique?
It’s about a standard, a short supply chain and eight principles that were developed according to the basic rules of the ILO, UN and OECD. Local initiatives are involved, as are technology providers. Overall, the focus is on employees. This involvement of employees is key.