teapigs is officially the FIRST tea company to be awarded a "Plastic Free Trust Mark" in the UK and we couldn’t be more proud!
The revelation that the UK goes through 158,400,000 teabags EVERY DAY and that the majority of those contain plastic sent waves through the tea industry. The "Plastic Free Trust Mark" is the WORLD’s first certification for plastic free food and drinks products.
The brainchild of environmental campaign group A Plastic Planet, the Trust Mark was launched last week in Europe with the goal to revolutionize shopping, and make it easier for shoppers to choose environmentally beneficial products in grocery stores. The good news is, our tea temples have always been plant based, made from cornstarch and 100% biodegradable. They will break down within 12 weeks in food scrap collection. For our packaging, we’ve switched our inner plastic bag (that keeps your tea nice and fresh) to a new wonder material called Natureflex which is made from wood pulp and suitable for home composting – total game changer!
Trust Mark-accredited packaging will include materials such as carton board, wood pulp, glass, metal and certified-compostable biomaterials. Designed to sit clearly on the front of the pack, the Trust Mark will instantly inform and empower consumers to avoid single-use plastics.
A Plastic Planet Co-Founder Sian Sutherland said: “Now we all know the damage our addiction to plastic has caused, we want to do the right thing and buy plastic-free. But it is harder than you think and a clear no-nonsense label is much needed.
“Our Trust Mark cuts through the confusion of symbols and labels and tells you just one thing – this packaging is plastic-free and therefore guilt-free. Finally shoppers can be part of the solution not the problem.”
Starting in the EU and Britain, the Plastic Free logos will be appearing on shelves later this year on our bestselling packs of 15s and 50s - and we’re so excited!
Hopefully this is just the start of exciting things to come – more innovation, and more likeminded brands and consumers making positive switches towards reducing our reliance on single use plastic. Watch this space!
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