‘First of its kind’ tea sustainability survey results are in!
Image: Firsd Tea
Ensuring a sustainable future – from origin through the supply chain – for coffee and tea is, has been, and will continue to be a priority both industries. Sustainability and all its pillars – economic, environmental and social – is also core focus for Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
The global coffee industry has been extremely active in implementing sustainability initiatives from farm to consumer, and in promoting these efforts. The global tea industry, while just as passionate and committed, has been less conspicuous about highlighting its sustainability endeavours. So, in December 2021 T&CTJ announced that we were collaborating with Firsd Tea to create what we believe was the ‘first of its kind’ tea survey to gauge sustainability perceptions of the tea industry among business leaders in the tea, coffee, cocoa, and wine sectors.
The survey launched in December 2021 ran through February 2022. For every completed response, a contribution was donated to 1% for the Planet, an international organisation whose members contribute at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental causes.
The results of the survey have been tabulated and the report is now available. The survey revealed some interesting aspects in terms of sustainability concerns among respondents within the tea industry. For example, most respondents believe incremental progress has been made in sustainability in the last 10 years. They also predict a similar improvement trajectory in the next 10 years. However, there is overwhelming concern about climate’s potential impact on the tea industry, with 80% of respondents expressing worry about the effects of climate change on their business operations. Furthermore, respondents considered the tea industry (93%) more sensitive to climate change than the coffee (82%), wine (65%), and cocoa (63%) industries.
T&CTJ will be publishing a three-part report based on the results of the survey, beginning with our July/August issue. The first article will focus on the skew toward climate concerns, while the second story will discuss where the concern for human welfare stands. The final installment will detail the disparity between certification preference/valuing and purchase decisions versus sustainability.
Access the full report here and here.
- Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
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