Being a force for good has always been at the core of our work here at Charity Tea. This year, we officially earned our stripes as an eco-friendly and ethical tea company by becoming a Certified B Corporation.
Find out what B Corp status means plus the extra accolades we’ve achieved to show our ongoing commitment to green business practices and social responsibility.
What is B Corp status?
When Charity Tea was awarded B Corp status in April 2023, we officially joined a global community of over 6,000 businesses that were all recognised for putting people and the planet before profit.
Gill Bredl, owner and founder of Charity Tea, explains why the status means so much to this ethical tea supplier in beautiful Aotearoa.
“We wanted to certify as a B Corporation because we value people and the planet in all of our business operations,” she shares.
“We try to make ethical decisions in everything we do and we recognise the value and importance of verifying the good that we do with external certification.”
B Lab is a non-profit network that stands by the notion that there is no Planet B. Companies certified as B Corps are helping to transform the global economy for the benefit of all people, communities and the planet.
The network was born out of the idea of the necessity to develop a different type of economy, one where businesses would lead the way by taking action to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, of being accountable and of transparency.
As B Lab states themselves, the aim of the B Corp movement is to shift our global economy – from a system that profits the few to one that benefits all.
Charity Tea joins the B Corp community
Putting people and the planet before profit is at the core of Charity Tea and began when our founder Gill started her mission in 2018 to feed malnourished children in Haiti.
“Many children only have one or two meals a day,” explains Gill. “If a parent is unable to feed their children, the only option they have is to give their child to big charities who can.”
As a mother herself – and a social worker – this was a heart-breaking realisation. Gill instantly took to work to provide much-needed nutritious meals for children in Haiti and to keep families together.
First, Gill made a personal commitment to sponsor meals for one child a year. This later grew into Charity Tea, a New Zealand based social enterprise who, with our partners, have provided over 14,000 meals to children living below the poverty line.
“Through this program, we’re not just filling hungry tummies. We’re keeping families and communities together.”
Today, Charity Tea also supports projects closer to home for children who are going hungry in New Zealand.
Feeding programs are helping families stay together in Haiti
Eco-friendly tea
Charity Tea is also passionate about green issues and minimising the impact we and our products have on the environment. Rather than passing on waste and recycling issues to the consumer, we take extra steps to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place.
As an eco-friendly tea company, our packaging has been carefully designed and selected to limit the environmental impact and ultimately reduce the amount of waste produced.
All of our packaging is either compostable, recyclable, and/or refillable.
With our range of small and large tea refills, you can select your chosen quantity and recycle or compost all the waste afterwards.
The Signature Charity Tea storage tins are made to refill and store in a cupboard, but – if need be – they can also be recycled at the end of their life.
On the few rare occasions when a plastic-like pouch is required to keep ingredients fresh, we use ‘NatureFlex film’, a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic packaging. Rather than toxic petrochemicals, the film is made from home-compostable cellulose derived from wood pulp and sourced plantations that have been responsibly managed.
While we prefer loose leaf tea for the reduced waste produced (and also how you can make a cuppa exactly to your preferred strength), we understand that some prefer tea bags for their added convenience. Our tea bags are plastic free, 100% compostable and are sealed through extreme heat rather than toxic glues or other chemicals, keeping microplastics out of our environment and out of our bodies.
An Ekos Certified Climate Positive Company, the carbon credits from our business operations come from the Rarakau Rainforest Conservation Project, 738 hectareas of tall coastal indigenous rainforest on New Zealand’s South Island.
Where possible, we choose to sell tea that has been grown here in New Zealand. Homegrown NZ tea helps to showcase the delicious herbs and plants native to Aotearoa, many that have been used traditionally by Maori healers. These include kawakawa tea and the manuka leaf used in mint tea with manuka leaf.
Kawakawa tea: Immune-boosting medicinal herbs including the native kawakawa leaf
Ethical tea supplier
All of our teas are either Certified Organic or organically grown as it’s better for the soil and for the people who grow it.
When it comes to quality, we choose the premium grades of tea rather than ‘tea dust’ that is common in many standard brews.
You’ll find that most of our teas are sourced from Fair Trade plantations, but those that aren’t are sourced from growers who are committed to safe and fair work conditions.
Charity Tea is an Ākina Certified and can be found in their directory as an Impact Supplier among other New Zealand businesses that are putting social and environmental impact at the heart of what they do.
Green business practices
Another area that Gill feels has made a difference to Charity Tea is through employing people from disadvantaged groups through our partnership with the Ministry Of Social Development. “It was a secondary driver but one where we have seen a lot of growth,” says Gill. “Since starting the partnership, I’ve seen staff grow in leadership, confidence and live more purposefully.”
On achieving the B Corp certification, B Lab asked Gill what she’d like to see change in the patterns of general consumption from businesses and individuals in the coming years. “I’d like to see a shift in people valuing quality over price,” she shares.
“Cheap clothes, cheap tea and other cheap products costs lives. I’d like to see people valuing ethics when considering their purchases. I’d like to see businesses using their social procurement budgets to support local businesses and care about the triple bottom line.”
About Charity Tea
We’re an ethical tea company providing premium organic teas that really nourish. Every purchase helps feed children in New Zealand and overseas allowing us to build a legacy of zero hunger for the world. By putting people and the planet over profit, we ensure fair wages for everyone and offer compostable packaging and plastic-free and toxic-free tea bags.