Recently, German supermarket chain Lidl announced it will launch an innovative tool and new processes to address wage disparities among banana plantation workers.

The tool was successful in trials in Germany with the Banana Living Wage Project, where Lidl stores now exclusively offer bananas that guarantee payment of the discount chain premium, closing their share of the living wage gap.

The company reported that in September, the mechanism will be rolled out across Lidl Great Britain's entire banana supply chain.

Related article: Lidl Great Britain set to launch a banana worker's wage-disparity analysis tool

This first-of-its-kind tool was developed in collaboration with IDH, a nonprofit organization that advocates for sustainable trade and calculates the premium Lidl must pay to make up its share of the living wage gap for workers and plantations.

The banana industry in Ecuador welcomed this news and congratulated Lidl for its commitment to the sector. In a statement, the Banana and Plantain Cluster of Ecuador celebrated the commitment of the German chain in the United Kingdom to exclusively offer 'Living Wage Bananas.'

Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas, and the industry aligns with the highest living wage standards. The sector generates work for 250,000 people who receive fair remuneration, enabling workers to cover their basic needs and improve their quality of life and that of their families.

“Lidl's commitment to exclusively offer 'Living Wage Bananas' reinforces our belief that the future of the banana trade must be centered on fairness and respect for labor rights. In this context, Ecuador is a key partner for those seeking high-quality products that also reflect a serious commitment to workers' welfare,” the cluster said in the letter.

“Our vision is to consolidate the position of 'Ecuador Premium Living Wage Bananas' in the European market, highlighting not only the excellence of our products but also the social and economic effort involved in maintaining fair wages and decent working conditions throughout the sector,” the entity added.

In this sense, the Cluster stressed that “it is essential that our fruit is valued with a fair price in the markets, thus allowing us to continue supporting this commitment”.

The Banana and Plantain Cluster of Ecuador is made up of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE), the Association of Banana Marketing and Export (ACORBANEC), the Regional Corporation of Banana Growers of Ecuador (AGROBAN), the Chamber of Agriculture of the Second Zone, the Association of Banana Exporters (ASOEXPLA) and the Commission of Associativity of Small Producers with the participation of the associations: Fincas El Oro, Producción y Vida, Oro Verde, Asoproabacao, Tierra Fértil, San Miguel de Brasil, Asoguabo and Asoprorey.