Suki Tea has embraced ethical sourcing, plastic-free packaging, and workplace wellbeing to build a ... More more sustainable tea business.Suki Tea In an era of heightened awareness around plastic waste, carbon footprints, and ethical supply chains, the food and beverage industry faces growing pressure to align everyday consumer goods with sustainable values. Tea is one of the most popular beverages worldwide, with an estimated 2.16 billion cups consumed every day and a global market value exceeding $50 billion. However, this massive industry carries substantial environmental consequences. According to some estimates, the total carbon footprint of tea production amounts to 31.5 kg CO2e per kg of tea, with packaging (53%) and consumption (13%) representing the largest contributors. This translates to approximately 28 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually from global tea consumption alone, comparable to the emissions of entire small countries. Perhaps more alarming for consumers is the discovery that a single plastic teabag can release approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billionnano plastics into a cup of tea. These microscopic particles can potentially enter the bloodstream, posing potential health risks. Studies also suggest that discarding old tea bags can clog landfills and release harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater. From pesticide use and deforestation in cultivation regions, to single-use plastic in packaging and opaque supply chains, the sector’s challenges mirror those of many global industries navigating the balance between scale and sustainability. Against this backdrop, Belfast-based Suki Tea offers a case study in how small businesses can not only respond to these concerns, but lead innovation within their sector. Founded in 2005 with a mission to bring high-quality, ethically sourced tea to a broader audience, Suki Tea has evolved into a brand recognized not only for its products, but for its progressive practices. From early adoption of Fairtrade principles to recent B Corp certification, the company has consistently prioritized social and environmental integrity alongside growth. A key focus for the company has been plastic reduction. By transitioning to fully compostable packaging and eliminating glue-backed labels, Suki Tea is addressing one of the tea industry’s most persistent environmental issues—microplastic contamination. Their investment in a purpose-built facility powered by renewable energy exemplifies how operations can be reimagined around climate-conscious design. Yet perhaps more notable is how the company integrates sustainability throughout the value chain: through audits, employee engagement, and ongoing collaboration with academic institutions and policy bodies. Read more below in my interview with Oscar Woolley, co-founder of Suki Tea below. Christopher Marquis: Sustainability has been central to Suki Tea from the beginning. How has your approach to sustainability evolved over two decades, and what were some of the biggest challenges along the way? Oscar Woolley, co-founder of Suki TeaSuki Tea Oscar Wooley: From the outset of Suki Tea, sustainability has been a top priority for us, driven by a belief that business should be a force for good. We were early adopters of Fairtrade and Real Living Wage practices, for example, and have always been on the lookout for ways to be greener. In terms of challenges regarding sustainability, one of the biggest has been breaking down the enormity of the task at hand to be more socially and environmentally aware. We engaged with our network to make this happen – undergoing the Climate Action Programme as a team with Business in the Community (BITCNI) propelled our strategies and team engagement, as did becoming members of the Responsible Plastic Management and performing all-team training and plastic audit on the business. Suki Tea was also one of the first companies in the UK to achieve BITCNI’s Take 5 Workplace accreditation in recognition of its wellbeing provision for employees. Signatories of the Climate Action Pledge since 2019 have brought impactful Scope 1 and 2 reduction strategies and a great focus on Scope 3. We have also taken on board placement students from the QUB (Queen’s University Belfast) Furthermore, major recognition of our sustainability efforts came with us last year (2024) obtaining B Corp certification - a major milestone. Marquis: You recently moved to an eco-friendly factory. What are the features of the factory that make it sustainable, and why is ‘plastic-free tea’ important? Wooley: We relocated to a state-of-the-art, purpose-built production facility near Belfast, which we designed with sustainability at its core, and it runs on up to 100% wind energy, with solar panels generating 17% of its electricity and heating. And we’ve prioritised reducing waste at every step of production. The glass-fronted HQ is more than just a workspace – it’s a statement of what we stand for. It’s not only full of sustainable tea-making machinery, but is also decorated with gorgeous artworks from local art school students Suki Tea has supported over many years through grants of up to £5,000. Among those supported is talented Irish artist Ursula Burke. We are passionate about plastic-free tea as there are concerns about plastics in conventional teabags being dangerous for both the environment (including oceans), being slow to biodegrade, and for consumers, who can potentially ingest microplastics. Suki Tea is using a new method of printing directly onto compostable bags, which eliminates the last traces of plastic in packaging. Tea is a wonderfully natural product - and should not be tainted with plastics through either the convenience of placing it in a teabag, or the way its outer packaging is made. Marquis: You are soon to remove glue from your packaging to go fully plastic-free. What room is there for further innovation in sustainable production and distribution methods? Wooley: That’s right, we’re saying goodbye to glue-backed labels entirely. The label-backing material made of a composite plastic is the kind that has the largest environmental impact – we’ve put an estimated 300 kilograms of this into our mixed waste bin for landfill in the last 12 months alone. We identified this as one of our biggest sources of plastic waste in a recent plastic audit, and can now reduce this. We’re looking at potential advances in carbon footprint reduction across our distribution channels, and are always examining ways to reduce our environmental impact in sourcing, while we strive to buy local where possible. On the tea front, we plan purchases up to two years ahead to ensure the product can be produced and shipped in the most efficient way possible, in bulk, so that we aren’t operating in a ‘just in time’ scenario whereby deliveries would be smaller and more frequent - and have a higher carbon footprint. Marquis: Making supply chains greener is one of the biggest challenges for any industry. What can the tea industry do to improve in this area? More generally, what does the tea industry need to do to become more ethical and sustainable? Wooley: Transparency and traceability are key, and we knew from the early days of Suki Tea that working with Fairtrade and sustainable farms was the only way forward. Ethical sourcing practices, ensuring fair wages and working conditions at farms, should be the norm in the industry. In terms of tea sustainability, we’re looking forward to discussing suggested measures - such as the environmental impact of growing the product and challenges faced by smallholder farmers - with the B Corp network. We’re always looking for new ways to become more sustainable, and we see that even small innovations can collectively make a big difference. Marquis: Suki Tea recently became a B Corp. Why was this important to you? What did you learn through the process? Wooley: B Corp status affirms commitment to sustainability, social impact, and ethical business. We in fact kicked off our 20th anniversary year by becoming Northern Ireland’s first certified B Corp tea company at the first attempt. We felt our score of 98.3 was a very strong result for a first-time certification, and testament to the importance of the company’s ethical and environmental initiatives, including the introduction of compostable packaging that has removed 10 tonnes of plastic from circulation. It was a really pivotal moment for the team, and we believe it demonstrates accountability in all areas: sourcing, production, employee welfare, and governance. The biggest takeaway from the certification was that, over the years, all our efforts in team welfare, sustainable sourcing and delivering the best quality, honest tea in considered packaging were all part of the bigger picture, and encapsulate Suki Tea’s ethos and culture. Sustainability is a cornerstone of our business, and we have more work to do to finalise our net zero plan with integrity and ownership of the plan. Marquis: You mentioned that when you started out in speciality tea, you wanted it to be seen in the same way as speciality coffee. Are there lessons that can be learned from the coffee industry on sustainable and ethical practice? Wooley: The speciality coffee sector set the standard for ethical sourcing and consumer education, and loose-leaf tea now mirrors its emphasis on quality, origin, and ethical production. Direct trade models that are commonplace in the coffee industry are not so in the tea industry (albeit not unheard of), because of the way the majority of the latter operates through world market auctions and regional export/importers. Our commitment and advocacy of Fairtrade certified tea also narrows down our sourcing, but this is important for us to hold ourselves up the high standards of Fairtrade. Baristas are uniquely positioned to champion sustainable practices. In coffee, they’re supported by influential organisations like the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association). I sit on the board of the European Speciality Tea Association, which is working towards helping baristas elevate the industry’s ethical and responsible standards through their education platform. Marquis: To what extent does demand play a part in the drive towards more sustainable and ethical practice, both for Suki Tea and the wider industry? Wooley: Welcome to the rise of the savvy tea consumer. We very much see consumer demand for transparency and sustainability growing at a rate of knots, and ethical production is no longer a niche expectation – it’s absolutely mainstream. Our B Corp certification, plastic-free packaging, and carbon-conscious production align with these evolving expectations. Improving labour standards for the tea farmers requires a significant shift in industry practices as some big brands battle for the supermarket space, driving down the quality for ‘competitive’ pricing to achieve volume sales. As informed buyers prioritise quality and transparency, both specialty and mass-market brands should adopt responsible sourcing and packaging, raising standards across the board. Suki Tea started with a commitment to quality and a lot of creativity. Now, we want to bring it to even more people, and there’s loads more to come from us across the UK and internationally. Tea is all about connection, and we’re grateful to be a part of that. It’s fair to say tea transformed our lives!