Awards honour tea changemakers
The Tea Association of the USA and the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada have announced the winners of the 4th annual Sustainability Awards held at the North American Tea Conference.
The annual Sustainability Awards for the tea sector encourage tea growers to not only deliver a delicious beverage, but also a healthy product that is socially responsible with a positive impact on the environment.
From water and sanitation to sustainable agriculture and farming, here’s how these tea changemakers are creating a sustainable future:
- Apeejay Tea – Apeejay Tea is working with 1,200+ small tea growers who are now part of the supply chain linked to 12 factories manufacturing tea. The company has given all of them a Supply Chain Certification. Manufacturers of green tea leaf from small tea growers is predicted to reach 5 million kg in 2019, up from 3.6 million kg in 2017.
- Sorwathe Ltd. – Sorwathe Tea Factory is situated in Rulindo District in Rwanda and employs around 2,500 workers a day and 2,500 tea farmers. Working with the Rwanda government, Sorwathe is investing in agriculture to reduce poverty and to target the lack of funds to plant tea, assist in the livelihood of the farmer and dependents of current land that are being converted to tea, and improve the lack of knowledge in organic tea cultivation.
- Finlays – Globally, Finlays has been involved in water stewardship programs with the aim to provide safe access to safe water. In Argentina, Finlays work within the Tabay river basin to ensure the flow of water throughout the basin. Their efforts are environmental (diagnosis, recovery of degraded areas), production (co-ordinate with government programs), and social (collaborate for management of roads, bridges and transportation).
- Eastern Produce Ltd. – In 2018, the EPK initiated its project for helping schools in Nandi County, Kenya gain access to water after realising how much rain water was wasted through existing systems. Through rain water harvesting programs, a total of 12,600 pupils and students have more sustained access to water. 21 schools have benefited from a sustained and self-sufficient water resource and absenteeism rates have reduced.
