Plastic-free, biodegradable, organic, Rainforest alliance certified, FSC certified, Fairtrade - when it comes to choosing which tea you want to slurp down with a clear conscious it can become a bit of a minefield. With over 11 years' experience under our belts, and a passion for reducing our own carbon footprint, we thought we’d share our top 5 questions to keep in mind if you’re trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
1. 你的茶包含有塑膠嗎？
The majority of paper tea bags contain a small amount of plastic, making them not 100% biodegradable. We have been proudly producing plastic-free tea temples for over 11 years (string ‘n all!) – which begs the question why are we still one of the few companies to be 100% biodegradable and plastic-free 11 years later!? Mind boggling.
2. 你的茶是否使用過多塑膠包裝？
Right, you’ve got your plastic-free tea sorted – but oh wait, it comes wrapped in a million layers of plastic. JOY. This was a real struggle for us, as freshness is crucial when it comes to brewing the perfect cuppa - but there are alternatives. Up until 6 months ago, we used a polypropylene plastic bag to hold our tea temples. However, knowing there must be a greener option, we did some research, and hey-presto, ALL our tea temples are now packed into Natureflex – a fab material made from wood pulp that is fully compostable at home.
3. 你知道你的茶是從哪裡生產嗎？
Do you know how your favourite tea is sourced? As our co-founder is a trained tea taster, it’s always been a top priority to source the very best tea from the very best tea suppliers to ensuring we are ticking 2 very important boxes.
- Tastes yummy
- Comes from sustainable well run estates.
只要留意一些細節，就可以知道茶葉是否符合可持續發展原則。首先，該品牌有否獲得雨林聯盟認證，或正努力取得認證，以確保農業屬可持續發展？其次，他們是否ETP(道德茶葉聯盟 － 非牟利組織旨在改善茶農和農夫的生活和生計)一員？再者，他們是否Sustainable Restaurant Association（可持續發展餐廳協會）的成員?
Look out for accreditation on packs, below are a few of ours:
4. 你的茶會還回饋茶園種植社區嗎？
It’s no secret that sadly tea growing communities are often some of the poorest in the world – that’s why most tea companies worth their weight will invest heavily back into the local areas. It shouldn’t require much digging to find out if your favourite tea company do this.
我們與慈善計劃中的非牟利機構 Point Foundation合作無間，幫助盧旺達吉塞尼的青年。吉塞尼正正是我們英式早餐茶茶葉的主要產地。我們已捐贈超過英鎊£200,000（折合約港幣$2,000,000）興建‘teapigs house’，為傷殘青年提供安全環境。
5. Is your favourite brand transparent with their own sustainability plans?
If a brand isn’t willing to shout about their sustainability and join in some frank discussions regarding their products – it’s probabaly a bit of a red flag (That goes for all brands – not just tea!)
We’re thrilled issues such as plastic in tea has finally become such a talking point. We always want to be as transparent as possible, and have put together a detailed guide explaining what all our products are made from, and what products we’re working on this year which you can read here
Do you care about this stuff? Would plastic in your tea put you off your favourite brew? Are you willing to pay more for a higher quality tea knowing that the brand is doing everything they can to be as sustainable as possible? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Phew, if you’re still with us you definitely deserve a cuppa and you can find our full range of plastic-free tea temples here
