Indeed, it’s time we set our eyes (and palates) on sustainable tea — and not just any other tea. World Environment Day 2023 and its focus on eliminating plastic pollution reminds us that humanity is primarily responsible for the planet's welfare. And in this uphill battle, our sustainable tea could show us how to protect Mother Earth.
Not only is sustainable tea a timely drink to bring about greater health and longevity for millions of tea enthusiasts worldwide but also it nurtures the planet itself. As described in the UN’s sustainability goals.
In this post, we’ll walk you through 3 unique ways our sustainable tea supports WED’s #BeatPlasticPollution Campaign. And by drinking this cuppa, you pay tribute to this year’s United Nations World Environment Day right from your precious abode. So go on now, take a sip, and grow a planet. Read on.
Taking the Lead: WED #BeatPlasticPollution Campaign
It’s true. Compared to the Olympics or the World Cup, World Environment Day (WED) doesn’t carry as much name recognition. But the yearly celebration’s goal is loftier and even more pressing.
Living in a Plastic-Dependent World
Indeed, given the negative effects of climate change, we’re talking about humanity’s survival and the planet’s preservation.
Started exactly 50 years ago, in 1972, the United Nations World Environment Day aims to bring awareness to the environmental damage done to our planet, hoping to galvanize every human being to action.
Case in point: This year’s #BeatPlasticPollution campaign. Hosted by Côte d'Ivoire, a small Western African country more popularly known as Ivory Coast, WED aims to showcase how humanity is bound to face untold disasters due to plastic pollution.
- Every minute, one garbage truck equivalent of plastic waste gets thrown into the ocean.
- Every year, 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced.
- Less than 10% of plastic is recycled yearly.
The Dire Consequences
We may not see how all this is putting us in extreme danger. But here are the possible consequences:
- Kill marine life: Over 100 million marine animals die of plastic pollution yearly, with many mistaking (e.g., sea turtles, whales, seabirds) plastic as food and others getting entangled in the material, suffocating.
- Kill land animals: Over 1 million land animals die each year because of ingesting plastic litter or becoming entrapped in one.
- Kill people: An estimated 400,000 to 1 million people die from diseases (e.g., cancer) caused by living close to mismanaged plastic waste. That’s 1 person every 30 seconds.
The problem is plastic “last forever” or at least 450 years. Worse, they break down into much smaller fragments that become part and parcel of the water and food we eat (e.g., bottled water). In short, we could be poisoning ourselves slowly every day.
3 Ways Our Sustainable Tea Makes WED Happen
Fully aware of the dangers posed by plastic pollution, we’ve ensured that we observe sustainable practices in the production of tea guided by the United Nation’s 17 Goals of Sustainability. Here’s how:
Sustainable Tea Does Away with Toxic Materials
When plastic breaks, it turns into small, easy-to-eat pieces attracting hungry fish and animals on land and in the ocean. Once ingested, plastic can lead to:
- Loss of appetite
- Internal injury
- Intestinal blockage
- Starvation
- And death.
Humans don’t have the same problem of identifying plastics as toxic. Still, plastic pollution adversely affects us.
Talk about indirect poisoning as plastic waste that is not adequately managed finds its way to the air, water, and soils and eventually to the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.
We do away with pesticides, herbicides, and other harmful chemicals to develop sustainable tea. While these chemicals may provide short-term gains, their long-term consequences far outweigh them.
Pesticides can be called a knight in shining armor. They control weeds, insect infestation and prevent diseases from overcoming the tea plantation. But at high costs.
Pesticides contaminate the soil. And not only that. It also degrades the water, turf, and other vegetation. In the long run, chemical pesticides harm humans as they have been linked to life-threatening diseases. Top of the list is cancer, heart, neurological and respiratory diseases.
To ensure that we are dealing only with sustainable and healthy tea, we make sure we do not employ the use of these toxic chemicals relying only upon natural means to grow our Camella Sinensis evergreen shrubs.
Sustainable Tea Uses Fair Business Practices
If there’s anything that should make a tea production business untenable, it’s unfair business practices.
Af first glance, these practices are ready shortcuts that entice unassuming entrepreneurs with handsome profits. But plain and simple, it’s unsustainable as it’s taking advantage of other people’s efforts.
Over time, however, as the tea business has become global and very lucrative (i.e., $93.2 billion by 2031), many business malpractices have been observed, a form of oppression in the modern world.
The plastics industry may not have branded itself as a promoter of unfair labor practices. Still, every now and then, certain plastic production laborers have filed complaints in court alleging so.
And this is why, in pursuit of the United Nations' sustainability goals, we seek business practices that are fair to every stakeholder. Here’s how:
How’s this, for starters? We market single-origin tea. Simply put, this means we label our tea so everyone who buys them knows the farm where they came from and the details of the harvest.
In doing so, buyers can support the farmers who grow the tea. By putting a single-origin label, tea buffs ensure they’re sipping nothing but quality tea from a particular region or farm on the planet. In short, it gives credit where credit is due.
When a small-time farm owner sells his homegrown tea, he may need more assurance of a reasonable price. Chances are he’ll sell low and let the seller sharks above him get the most profit.
This is why we ensure our tea products are certified by Fairtrade International. This global organization polices the prices of goods, ensuring each tea under its watch is paid sustainably. So, even the smallest tea farmers can get their due profit.
Sustainable Tea Observes No Shortcuts to Quality
We do what it takes to bring quality tea to the table. For instance, our Taiwan Gao Shan Cha (high mountain oolong) speaks for itself. Not only do they come from the most advantageous places on earth to grow tea, but they undergo a very strict quality control process. Below are some examples:
Think about it. When our harvesters harvest by hand, they echo the ethos of sustainability we live day in and day out. Selecting by hand is tedious but means only choice mature leaves ready for harvest are taken at high altitudes. So you get Gao Shan Cha at its bestest best.
Handpicking is a lot longer process, but it’s worth the effort. The result speaks volumes: top-quality tea leaves for your delicious consumption. Talk about high-end green, black, and oolong sold at very affordable prices.
Machinery makes the work a lot easier but at a cost. Clippers from harvesting machines don’t distinguish if the leaves harvested are young or old. They just cut without any form of thinking.
To ensure, you get only the best tea products from Taiwan, we partner only with farmers that harvest meticulously by hand. And do away with harvesting machines altogether.
Last but certainly not least, we use only biodegradable materials in our packaging. In the spirit of WED #BeatPlasticPollution Campaign, it’s our commitment to the growth of Mother Earth.
So go on, take a cuppa. And grow the planet.
FAQs on Sustainable Tea and WED 2023
What is World Environment Day?
World Environment Day (WED) is an annual celebration of environmental awareness and protection. It is celebrated every 5th day of June.
What country hosted World Environment Day 2023?
Côte d'Ivoire, the Ivory Coast of West Africa, hosted the 2023 World Environment Day on June 5. And it’s a timely choice. Since 2013, the country has banned the selling and producing plastic bags.
What is the trust of World Environment Day 2023?
World Environment Day is focused on #BeatPlasticPollution campaign declaring war against plastic pollution.
What is sustainable tea?
Sustainable tea is tea produced using sustainable practices as described by United Nations' 17 SDG goals. That means tea comes from organic Camella Sinensis tea leaves and does not use pesticides or herbicides.
Can you grow sustainable tea?
Anyone can grow sustainable tea, but it entails so much work and so many factors that it would be almost impossible for one person to do it on his own. A better way to do it is to have access to sustainable tea products on the market today. And that’s why Oriental Tea Box matters most.