Sip, Savor, Repeat

Going the distance

How we’re moving forward

We hope you’ve enjoyed a look through last year’s sustainability efforts. There’s a lot more than just tea in our boxes: thought, care, and inspiration come standard.

We’re far from finished, however. As our business grows, our commitment to doing good will grow along with us. With 2022 well under way we aren’t about to rest on our laurels! There’s a lot of excitement brewing already – here are some highlights.

Reducing carbon emissions

If 2021 saw us come to grips with our carbon footprint, in 2022 we’re getting down to business reducing it. Our sustainability managers are working hard to prioritize high-value reductions targets and put plans in place to mitigate our impacts.

As always, making change takes collaboration. To that end, we’ve formed carbon working groups in the US and Europe. Comprised of specialists in every department – shipping, packaging, manufacturing, and sourcing – these teams are going step by step through everything we do to reduce our emissions.

Improving our packaging

Teams on both sides of the Atlantic are working hard to ensure that our packaging is hitting high standards for composting and recyclability. Finding ways to improve our sachets, envelopes, and boxes without sacrificing product quality is a delicate balance. We’re optimistic that new innovations will come around this year to keep your tea pristine without contributing to landfill waste.

Packaging is a big issue and a significant part of our business. It’s a global problem, but our solutions must account for local capabilities: Municipal composting, for example, is common in Europe but rare in the US. 2021 was a year of learning, and we devoted resources to analysing our current packaging and assessing what new developments might help us work as sustainably as possible. We’re thinking about recycling, composting, lowering our carbon footprint, and exploring where our materials come from. The year ahead promises to hold some exciting innovations!

Meet our Operations and Quality Director, TeaPak

My name is Alice Sirtori. As Operations and Quality Director of TeaPak, the manufacturing site of Yogi Tea Europe, our mission is to harmonize high efficiency and supreme quality together with the most sustainable practices, always aiming to reduce our overall impact.

- Alice Sirtori

Getting closer to the source

As we discussed earlier in this report, finding exactly where our ingredients are coming from can be a challenge, with lots of systemic obstacles working to keep us away from the source. It’s a priority for us to get down to farm level, however, and lift up our suppliers however we can. Knowing is half the battle, and this year you can look for more stories from the field through our websites and social media.

Keep in touch

We’re all in this together

Thanks for sharing your time with us and reading our report. If you have any questions, concerns, considerations, or just want to share your thoughts, feel free to contact us at sustainabilityreport@eastwesttea.com. We’d like to close with some thoughts from our CEO; until next year, be well, live fully, and enjoy tea.

A Letter from our CEO, Giancarlo Marcaccini

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our approach to sustainable business and how we exist to inspire. We hope our message inspires you to invest in being a part of change for the better of our planet. It’s not just the big initiatives, it’s the decisions we each make every day. Ask yourself, is the world better off?

At East West Tea, Yogi Tea, and TeaPak, we have made a decision: To make this way of doing business a priority. It’s woven in our culture throughout our company. Each one of us is committed to having a positive impact on the world. As you have read, there are many facets to this impact. As a growing and evolving company, we focus on what we can do to create connection, collaboration, and oneness, with our consumers, our customers, our partners, and our team members. We are here to build a legacy for the future generations of our world.

We know our plans will evolve as we learn more. As we evolve, we promise to share our story and our learnings with you. We will be open and transparent about what we encounter through this journey. Please come along with us and be a part of the inspiration.

Stay Inspired,

Giancarlo Marcaccini

Global CEO