Member Article

Typhoo Strengthens Sustainability in Tea Communities Worldwide – Joining Ethical Tea Partnership

Typhoo Tea, the second largest tea producing company in the UK is helping to improve the lives of tea workers worldwide. Joining the Ethical Tea Partnership, Typhoo Tea is looking to further improve the sustainability of tea production and the lives of tea workers across the industry.

Working closely with the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), the not-for-profit organisation aiming to achieve lasting positive change in the tea sector, Typhoo has pledged its support to help ETP create a thriving and sustainable global tea industry.

Typhoo Tea is a leader in ethical trading in the sector and has a long-standing history of helping raise industry standards. Co-owning numerous tea plantations, Typhoo was one of the first tea companies to send its buyers to monitor various aspects of life across their tea estates – offering retailers greater transparency on tea provenance.

Becoming an industry leader in initiating a structured ‘ethical tea programme’ as early as the 1980s, Typhoo has helped many producers gain the necessary knowledge and insight to develop their own ethical programmes. Built on strong values of responsible trading, Typhoo Tea is now a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership adding its weight to a sector wide approach that will increase supply chain accountability.

ETP is a not for profit convener, bringing the industry, development agencies, governmental, and non-governmental organisations together to achieve lasting, positive and sustainable change and improve the lives of tea workers and their communities.

“At Typhoo, our commitment to sourcing responsibly in an ethical and safe manner is of high importance, says Somnath Saha, CEO, Typhoo Tea. “ETP works across the supply chain with external partners to improve the lives of tea workers, farmers and communities around the world. We’re looking forward to a broader partnership with them to ensure standards of living, nutrition and gender equality are improved industry-wide. We take pride in knowing where our tea is from, how it is plucked and the working/living conditions of our workforce and aim to help transform and protect the lives of children and young people living in tea communities”.

Sarah Roberts, Executive Director, ETP said, “Typhoo has a strong heritage in tea so it’s great to have another long-standing staple British tea brand join ETP. Typhoo already supports some of our work and we welcome this opportunity to broaden our partnership further. We know more needs to be done, and with Typhoo on board our influence in tea-producing regions and collective impact have been strengthened. We look forward to being able to go further and faster as a result.” Family founded in the early 1900s, Typhoo Tea holds between 50-60% of own label tea in the UK retail branded tea market[2]. The company produces over 16,000 tonnes of tea per year[3] in its factory in Moreton, Wirral. Typhoo Tea is passionate about innovation, and has also recently invested over £2m in its factory redesign, allowing it to increase production of pioneering fuso/pyramid tea bags for retailers’ own label teas.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Typhoo Tea .