PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOOD AND TRADE AID
Since 1976 Trade Aid has been bringing good quality, fair trade tea to New Zealand. Their tea is completely fair trade, certified organic and now comes in plastic-free tea bags. Read about their journey towards creating a tea range that’s not only perfectly balanced and refreshing, as all tea should be, but is also sustainably grown with limiting the negative impact on the environment.
Fancy a dose of plastic with your cup of tea? We thought not.
However, most teabags in New Zealand are made using filter paper which incorporates a fine mesh of plastic (polypropylene) to strengthen and seal the bag.
We’d certainly prefer not to have plastic in our cup of tea, so it was music to our ears to hear that Trade Aid teabags are now completely plant-based and free of petroleum-based plastics like polypropylene, which is the plastic that is left behind when normal teabags break down.
By working closely with their paper suppliers and their partner in India, Tea Promoters India (TPI) they found a new filter material that does not contain polypropylene.
The result? Trade Aid teabags will perform just the same as they always have, but have no strings, staples or tags and are now sealed with a starch-based PLA.
So not only does this eliminate plastic from your cuppa, it means these tea bags can actually go in the compost bin!
Trade Aid teabags are certified compostable by TÜV Austria with the OK Compost Industrial label.
They will completely break down in industrial composting systems. They can also be disposed of in your home compost or worm farm.
The good tea story doesn’t end here. TPI has been a pioneer in bringing environmental and social reform to the Indian tea industry, notably in their support of small-scale tea farmer initiatives which provide an alternative to the usual plantation model of tea production.
Small-scale tea farmers have very limited land area, typically as little as two or fewer hectares.
They carry out much or all of the work on their farm themselves and usually own the land.
Their income from farming provides a large share of their total income, and they use limited technology in their production. In a nutshell, every sip of Trade Aid tea supports small-scale farmers, not large-scale plantations.
Look out for the beautiful new range of Trade Aid organic fair trade tea online and in all Trade Aid stores, selected supermarkets and organic retailers.
Including new variety: Organic Loose Leaf Green Tea which is a lightly fragrant tea with a smooth and refreshing flavour, and sits alongside familiar favourites, English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Masala Chai.
