Tea lovers around the world are pretty terrific people, in my humble opinion.  I have found tea drinkers to not only be kind and very self aware, but also very concerned about their impact on the environment.  A major concern of many tea drinkers over the years has been what their tea bags are doing to the environment.  They may be practical and handy for a quick cuppa' tea, but what happens to the bag when you're all finished sippin' away?

According to the Tea Association of the United States, Americans consumed approximately 3 billion gallons of tea last year, 65% of which came from tea bags.   If the average cuppa’ tea is about 14 ounces and uses 1 tea bag, then quick math tells us that tea drinkers across the states used approximately 17.8 billion tea bags last year alone.  Imagine if all of those bags and their packaging wound up in landfills . . .

One solution is simply drinking loose tea only, brewing your cuppa' tea with an infuser.  However, for most people, this option isn't very practical as many tea lovers like the convenience of tea bags or sachets.

At two leaves and a bud, we’re keenly aware of the concerns tea drinkers have in regards to the environment, and we were determined to make our packaging more environmentally friendly.  Having already been providing our teas in a pyramid style, corn-based sachet, we felt like we were already doing a pretty good job with providing a biodegradable product.  However, many of our customers felt like we were negating our efforts by putting this beautiful biodegradable sachet into a non-biodegradable plastic sleeve.  You know … those customers were right! So, we investigated ways to make an environmentally friendly, protective sleeve for the sachet that would continue to keep the tea fresh and flavorful, while also allowing tea lovers to carry the sachet with them when they were “on the go.”

What we were able to find was an amazing product that has the same look and feel of our existing sachets – but now biodegradable.

New Biodegradable Sleeves

The new biodegradable sleeves are made with Reverte™.  Reverte™ is an innovative product line of resin additives used globally to degrade plastics and is commonly used in consumer packaging, such as food packaging and bags.  Plastics incorporating Reverte™ will ultimately oxo-biodegrade into CO2, H20, and biomass when properly discarded.

Reverte™ additives comply with FDA and EC Food Contact regulations and are harmless to humans, animals, and plant life and are non-toxic, leaving no known harmful residues in the soil or waste streams.

Now, fans of two leaves and a bud tea can now enjoy the fabulous flavor of our tea and know that their favorite cuppa’ isn’t harming the planet.

What do you think of biodegradable packing for your food and beverage products? Does eco-friendly packaging make a difference to you when you’re making your selection?