Value from
crop to cup
Value from crop to cup
Sustainability starts with creating value for all parties across the supply chain
The tea industry employs around 13 million people worldwide, many of them smallholder farmers. For these communities, tea is more than a crop. It is a vital source of income and stability. Most tea is grown in developing regions where favorable climates and available land make cultivation possible. However, global demand for low-priced tea puts pressure on both people and the environment. Building a sustainable future for tea means ensuring that everyone along the supply chain, from growers to buyers, shares in the value created from crop to cup.
We are part of certified tea supply chains
Promoting responsible tea production
Because much of the world’s tea is grown in developing countries, challenges such as low wages, gender inequality, child labor, deforestation and excessive pesticide use remain risks for both people and the environment.
We work with certification schemes that set clear requirements for sustainable tea production. These schemes provide transparency about social and environmental practices, protect workers’ rights and encourage sustainable farming methods.
Our possibilities:
- The Rainforest Alliance: The Rainforest Alliance aims to create a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.
- Fairtrade: Fairtrade contributes to sustainable development for certified producers by enabling fairer trading conditions, social change and environmental protection.
- Organic: Organic certified products are grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers, ensuring a more eco-friendly product.
Due diligence: what we expect from our suppliers
For us, the quality of tea is not only about its characteristics such as color, aroma, and grade. Equally important are the conditions under which it is produced and handled in the supply chain. Our due diligence process is designed to increase transparency and is built on two key steps:
- Suppliers’ Code of Conduct: All suppliers are asked to commit to our Suppliers’ Code of Conduct, which sets clear expectations on business integrity, labor practices, worker health and safety, and environmental management. It defines the minimum standards we require in our supply chain.
- Risk assessment: We assess potential sustainability risks in our supply chain, including verification of the certifications our suppliers hold.
