Tea and Sustainability

Wikipedia: Sustainability
Last Updated: Apr. 3, 2012Sustainability is a broad concept encompassing environmental and ecological issues as well as human rights issues and other humanistic questions. A practice is sustainable if it is beneficial for the environment, for people, and for communities, and can be practiced indefinitely without harm.

RateTea is committed to promoting sustainability, especially as it pertains to tea drinking and the tea industry. Although we want to provide accurate information on all important tea companies, it is our goal to highlight companies that are leaders in sustainability and are incorporating sustainability into their business practices and goals.

Facets of sustainability relevant to tea:

• Fair Trade - Promoting economic justice and protecting the human rights of all people and prosperity of all communities involved in tea production
• Organic & Sustainable Agriculture - Ensuring that tea is produced in a way that is beneficial, and not harmful, to the earth's ecosystems
• Composting Tea - Viewing used tea leaves as a valuable resource rather than waste to be disposed of.
• Tea Packaging - Tea packaging, including boxes, tins, and teabags, include reusable items, recycled and recyclable materials, compostable and biodegradable materials, and synthetic materials that are not easily recycled or composted.
• Energy & Resource Use - Production, packaging, shipping, and consumption of tea all use energy and other resources; minimizing the use of these resources is important in promoting sustainability. This is one reason loose tea is more sustainable.
• Locally Grown Tea - While the tea plant cannot be grown in all locations, it can be grown in a broader range of conditions than most people realize, including locations in the UK, southeastern U.S., and the Pacific northwest. In addition, virtually anywhere has a broad array of plants that can be grown for use in herbal tea. Buying locally-grown tea is a much neglected aspect of sustainability as it pertains to tea drinking.
• Slow Food - Exploring and developing a taste for different teas encourages diversity within and the preservation of local food and drink traditions.

What you can do to promote sustainability:

You can do your part to promote sustainability by:

• buying organic and fair trade teas when possible
• buying teas from companies known to support sustainable practices
• composting your used tea leaves
• using loose tea rather than teabag tea when possible.
• practicing multiple infusions when brewing tea.
• avoiding bottled tea and brewing your own iced tea.

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