"Twinings" is the art of being close to Nature

Across Twinings products in the UK, more than 90% of our current packaging materials are recyclable, and they are working hard to improve the remaining non-recyclable materials. They support the principle of Remove, Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse and believe that whilst there is currently an important role for some types of plastic to help package and protect their teas, They should ensure they are using the right packaging materials, in the right way, as part of a ‘circular economy.

Over the past two years, they have undertaken a lot of work to address the use of plastics and want to share their next steps towards a more sustainable future.

Twinings Approach

Twinings are actively working on our use of plastics in three key areas:

· To ensure that the teabags are made from plant-based and biodegradable materials.

· Moving our inner ‘foil’ wrap into materials that are fully recyclable.

· Changing the individual sachets in which we pack some of our specialty and catering teas into fully recyclable materials.

Teabags – Moving to Sustainable Solutions

The traditional teabag was first introduced in the 1940s and is used widely by most tea blenders in the UK. This type of teabag uses a very small amount of plastic that is embedded into the paper to help seal the edges of the bag when they are pressed together and heated. Without this seal, the teabags would split open and release the tea leaves inside.

Having undertaken extensive quality tests, from January 2020 they are changing all the traditional teabags into a new type of paper that is entirely plant-based and fully biodegradable when placed into local authority composting. For example, your council food-waste or garden-waste bin.

Some of their ‘tag’ teabags (those that consist of a teabag with a string and paper tab) are already made from a similar biodegradable plant fiber, or cellulose-based paper that is folded and then stitched with cotton. They are also working to transfer all their ‘tag’ teabags into this same material.

Twinings' premium hot and cold ‘mesh’ teabags look as though they are made from plastic, but this is actually a corn-starch-derived material that will also degrade in local authority composting.

Their aim is to find a tea bag paper that is fully compostable in home-garden compost as well as industrial composting. Yet, they are not aware of any suitable material being commercially available, but Twinings are continuing to work with our tea bag suppliers on this as our ideal long-term solution.

Whilst they are still striving to improve the packaging as a key priority for 2020, some of their initiatives will see slight delays due to Covid-19. The health and safety of their manufacturing team at this time is paramount and they have made the tough decision to suspend all non-essential production and trials for the safety and wellbeing of their employees. Whilst they still endeavor to make enough tea to meet the extremely high demand for everyone in their homes this will delay some of their exciting packaging initiatives. Twinings is still fully committed to this project and expects to transition to plant-based tea bag materials by early 2021.

sources:

https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/the-history-of-tea

https://blog.englishteastore.com/

http://lovetealoveblogging.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-i-love-twinings.html https://www.marketingweek.com/twining-hails-the-role-of-marketing-in-its-success-as-it-readies-10m-campaign/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342250146_Twinings_Tea

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/food/specialty-tea-firm-twiningsovo-partners-with-nihilent-for-digital-centre/articlesho

Sai Varshitha KAVALI.