Kroger has made a public statement on its commitment to uphold high standards and expectations for human rights and fair labor practices in its U.S. and global supply chain. The statement lays out Kroger’s policies regarding responsible sourcing and its Vendor Code of Conduct.
Praxis Mutual Funds® and other investor members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility have been in dialogue with Kroger for several years on the company’s efforts to integrate human rights standards into its policies. Kroger’s policies are now aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the ILO Conventions.
Recent shareholder dialogues with Kroger have covered social compliance audits, high risk commodities, and first and second tier suppliers. The company now uses a supplier screening process with third-party assessments when evaluating new suppliers.
When strong human rights standards are integrated into a company’s supplier policies, it sets expectations for vendors and helps companies prevent and mitigate human rights abuses within its supply chain.