Bio-based and biodegradable teabags add a dash of green to Dorset Tea.

I think it was last year when an acknowledgement that most large tea manufactures had plastic in their tea bags leaked out from the industry into the wider press and public causing a mix of surprise and unease. The plastic in this case is polypropylene, a sealing plastic, that keeps tea bags from falling apart and is neither recyclable or biodegradable. And added to this is recent research from McGill University in Canada that found some types of tea bag leak millions of plastic particles into our drinks not only from the sealing plastic but from the bag itself. Plus let’s not forget that the packaging the tea comes in often includes more plastic again.

So, factoring all this in, our daily cuppa was suddenly looking a little less appealing.

Not so for UK tea manufacturer Dorset Tea however, who have announced the launch of its new fully sustainable tea bags and packaging. From removing the gold lettering on the outer packaging so that it is 100% recyclable to the sift proof packaging which does not require inner foil bags, Dorset Tea has considered every aspect of its packaging. Replacing existing materials where necessary with more sustainable alternatives, this has seen Dorset Tea introducing biodegradable teabags using bio-based, heat sealable paper that can be industrially composted. And the box it comes is does not require plastic outer packaging. A number of other tea companies, have also in the past year announced changes to how they manufacture and packaged their products.

Phoebe Double, Brand Manager at Dorset Tea ( @dorset_tea ) told us; “At Dorset Tea we love the planet as much as we love a good cup of tea, so we have been working hard to make sure our products respect the environment. It has been challenging, but we are very happy to announce that as of the 13th October 2020 all of our products will be packaged in environmentally friendly packaging. Our special recyclable boxes are not wrapped in plastic and keep the teabags fresh without a foil bag and our biodegradable teabags can be popped into your council food waste bin after usage.”

This focus on bio-based and biodegradable teabags and sustainable packaging, allied with Dorset being a seaside county, has also seen the tea company team up with the Marine Conservation Society to highlight the importance of using sustainable packaging and keeping our coastlines litter-free. An exceptionally warm Summer and a rise in the number of staycations during the Covid-19 crisis has put a renewed spotlight on how we treat our beaches and the impact of littering.

“The Marine Conservation Society is delighted to be partnering with Dorset Tea’s Sunshine Blend, and to see them removing single-use plastics from their products. Single-use plastics are hugely damaging for our beautiful marine environment and we applaud Dorset Tea’s efforts to minimise their impact” stated Sanjay Mitra, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the Marine Conservation Society ( @mcsuk ).

Interested in this bio-based and biodegradable teabags news from Dorset Tea then you may also like…

Read: BBIA criticises Tesco’s new ‘no compostables’ packaging strategy.