ETI Press Statement
Statement on Somerfield resignation from ETI
5 May 2006
We regret to announce that Somerfield Stores have chosen not to renew their membership of the Ethical Trading Initiative which expired in March 2006. Somerfield resigned from ETI in January 2006.
Somerfield informed us that the decision was taken after the company entered private ownership on 21 December last year, which prompted them to re-consider their “short and medium term business priorities”.
Somerfield have communicated their appreciation of the benefits they have derived from membership of ETI, which provides a forum for large buying companies to tackle the very complex questions of ethical trade alongside trade union and non-governmental organisations.
As a member of ETI, Somerfield made a commitment to adopt the ETI Base Code and apply these principles in their business dealings with their suppliers, and to participating in our experimental projects to identify best practice in ethical trade. Somerfield were an active member of the Temporary Labour Working Group, which successfully lobbied the UK Government to introduce new statutory controls to help stamp out exploitation of temporary workers in the food industry.
We hope that Somerfield will remain committed to improving the conditions of the workers around the world that grow, pick, manufacture and pack the products they sell.
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For further information:
Dan Rees/Julia Hawkins ETI, 0207 404 1643;
Email: press@eti.org.uk.
Jane Lyons, ETI press office, 0208 693 6693.
See also:
ETI Library: Key documents: ETI Base Code
ETI activities: ETI experimental projects: UK Agriculture ("Gangmasters")
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