WORKING TO CUT PACKAGING WASTE
New Tetley Tin Features in Tesco Loop Trial
What have we done?
Our mission to eliminate single use packaging has taken a big step forward with the introduction of a new reusable Tetley tin.
In a first for the UK, the new Tetley tins, containing 80 biodegradable tea bags, will be available in 10 Tesco stores as part of a trial to introduce the ‘Loop Zero Waste’ system into supermarkets and convenience stores.
Stores participating in the Loop reuse trial:
What’s Loop About?
Put simply, Loop is the new wave in sustainable shopping and is worth a look.
For this trial, you would go to the reuse station in one of the participating Tesco outlets and add the Tetley tin to your shopping. Take it home and enjoy, and when the tin is empty return it to the special collection point in Tesco. From there, it will be collected by Loop to be washed and refilled ready to return to store for sale.
The price of the tea includes a deposit for the tin which gets paid back to your Loop account when you return it. All you need to do is download the Loop Deposit App from the Apple app Store or Google Play.
“It’s so exciting to be at the very beginning of exploring the potential for the Loop system in UK stores. Reducing the amount of packaging waste is so important to secure the future of the planet. Any solution we introduce has to be efficient and easy for shoppers to support, so we look forward to seeing how our new tins are received - essentially the longer they can stay in the Loop, the greater the environmental benefit.”
Cassie Shuttlewood, Sustainability & Communication Manager Tata Consumer Products
BAGS OF FLAVOUR, BAGS OF LIFE
Part of our sustainability commitment is to always work for better; and finding a way to give our tea bags a brighter future is a big part of this.
It’s been a real journey to ensure that we can still deliver the same great tasting blend that you know and love that’s kinder to the planet, and we’re really proud of our engineers at our tea factory in Eaglescliffe who have helped us to do this.
Our new biodegradable bags are now beginning to enter the market.
With 9 million to convert, we can’t change all of our bags at once, but we’re starting with our big sellers of lovely Tetley Original 120s and 240s.
We want to get these new bags into the market as soon as possible, so for now we’re putting the new bags into our current packaging. So far, we have produced 163 million, with the number growing every minute.
It will be a little time until you see our new biodegradable pack artwork - but it will be coming to a shelf near you in the not too distant future - so keep your eyes peeled!
In the meantime, keep checking in here to see how we are getting on with transitioning your favourite tea.
Meanwhile, for our other products, the advice from the UK Tea & Herbals association is if you would like to put tea on your garden compost, it's recommended that you speed up the process by ripping open the bags before placing the used tea leaves on your compost heap and disposing of the teabag paper separately in your bin.
You can find out more about this below...
The UK Plastics Pact
In 2018, Tetley signed up to the UK Plastics Pact, an initiative led and managed by sustainability experts WRAP.
Within the initiative many different types of organisations that are involved with plastic in some way are working together. The aim is to work towards a system that will keep plastics in a circular system meaning that they get used again and again and stay out of the environment. To achieve this single-use packaging needs to be eliminated through design and innovation.
The target by 2025 is for 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable; for 70% of plastic packaging to be effectively recycled or composted; and for all plastics packaging to have an average of 30% of recycled content.
The UK Plastics Pact recently included tea bags in its list of single use plastic items, this brings it in line with our own standards which we are working to apply to all our products globally, not just the UK.
You can find out more about the UK Plastic's Pact below...
Our Packaging...
Tetley Softpack
Our Tetley Original and Decaf products come in a special softpack packaging. Although this is predominantly paper, it has a thin layer of plastic lamination so is not currently recyclable.
For now, it’s useful to know that Softpack produces around 30% less waste compared to a normal carton. Less material is used as the square base of the packs means that they can be stacked on top of each other and support themselves. Being able to double stack these on pallets for transportation also means that fewer vehicles are needed to move product around, which reduces its carbon footprint.
Whilst this packaging has many different benefits which minimise its environmental impact, we are committed to sourcing a recyclable alternative.
Tetley Cartons
Our cartons are all made from paperboard which means that they are all 100% recyclable. So when you're done enjoying the tea simply pop them into your household paper recycling.
Tetley Envelopes, Inner Pouches & Overwraps
We use individual envelopes, pouches and overwraps on some of our products to protect the flavour and freshness. We have recently changed the material to make it more recyclable, however this cannot be recycled via your regular household collections yet.
We are in discussions with our retailer partners who are exploring front of store recycling facilities to be able collect this material and are committed to working towards widely recycled solutions.
Tetley Bottles
Reusable water bottles are better for the environment and that’s why the Tetley Cold Infusions on the go bottle has been designed to be reusable in order to minimise single use plastics. To keep the bottle in shape always wash by hand. Should you ever need to dispose of it (but we hope that you don’t) the bottle is 100% recyclable.
We have also ensured that our Super Squash bottles and lids are 100% recyclable – just remember to leave the cap on when popping it in your recycling bin.
Tetley Cups
If you are out and about for work or leisure and are able to get a cup of Tetley on the go, we are pleased to say that these are now fully recyclable if they go to specialist recycling centres or coffee shops.
For Tetley Fresh Seal On the Go which you might have had on a plane before, we have removed the fresh foil lid and replaced with a cardboard alternative and completely removed the plastic widget. This simple change has removed 19 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic from the range, equivalent to more than a double decker bus.
We have also replaced the plastic sip lids of our Tetley On The Go solution which is popular with cafes and catering outlets. More than 900,000 of these are sold each year so replacing the lid with an alternative recyclable plastic lid has reduced CO2 potential by 19%, that’s the equivalent of a family car cutting 4,500 car miles a year.
Tetley Large Packs
Our biggest packs need to be strong and sturdy so are currently made from Polypropylene & Polyethylene, which whilst technically recyclable, is currently not widely collected in the UK for recycling. Retail companies are working for better collection of PP based films so it can get recycled, but we are working on alternative solutions as well - so watch this space.