Here at the Drifting Leaf our philosophy is simple.

The Ethical Tea Partnership

WHAT IS THE ETP?

The ETP monitors and regulates social conditions on tea estates. The organization is run by member companies and bolstered through external audits by Price Waterhouse Cooper (The global accounting firm responsible for tabulating and guarding votes for the Academy Awards.)

A TRANSPARENT VIEW OF THE TEA TRADE

The goal of the ETP is to provide consumers with a transparent understanding of where tea is grown and how it is manufactured. Everything from fair compensation to health coverage, housing and childcare is closely scrutinized.

NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST SIGNEE

When ETP membership was opened to non-UK members in 2003, Metropolitan Tea (The Drifting Leaf's main supplier) was the first company to sign on in support. As a member, Metropolitan Tea contributes to organizational policy and purchases ETP certified teas whenever possible.

HOW DOES THE ETP DIFFER FROM FAIR TRADE?

The ETP has many of the same goals as Fair Trade, but deals only with the tea industry. Because tea is not a publicly traded commodity, such as coffee, Fair Trade is unable to penetrate many of the nuances and regional peculiarities of the tea trade.

Where the ETP also differs from Fair Trade is in primary focus. Fair Trade's primary concern is ensuring sustainable profits for local producers. The ETP on the other hand is a socially and environmentally directed organization. This difference is significant. Why? In some instances, an economically based model in which higher prices are paid to producers leaves the door open for unscrupulous companies to bolster lost margins.

 

RESPONSIBLE TEA PRODUCTION

 

A CONTINUOUS CROP

Unlike many other commercial crops, tea can be grown 12 months of the year. For workers in the developing world, this means a sustainable income is available year-round. What's more, the tea bush is a very earthy plant and certain varieties can yield suitable leaf for up to 100 years. This fact means that the emissions and financial output associated with replanting crops can be greatly minimized.

 

QUALITY TEAS ARE HAND-PLUCKED

Due to the mountainous terrain and high altitude of the world's leading growing regions, such as Darjeeling, Sri Lanka or Kenya, luxury teas must be hand-plucked. This means that for most of the world's luxury teas, and virtually all of Metropolitan's products, the harvesting process consumes very little fossil fuel and releases virtually no CO₂.
One notable anomaly to this trend is Japan, where exceptional green teas are typically harvested by machine.

 

TEA PLANTATIONS ABSORB CO₂

As a rule, tea plantations are net absorbers of CO₂, one of the common gases responsible for global warming. Most estates use renewable timber, refuse wood and root stock from exhausted tea bushes as a fuel source as often as possible. Not only are these fuel sources renewable and less costly than fossil fuels, they also emit fewer emissions.

Soil rehabilitation on a regular schedule, fields are rotated and left fallow to rehabilitate soil. Chemical input is kept to a minimum to ensure soil beds remain healthy and nutrient rich.

 

PESTICIDE USE

Wherever possible, our tea is pesticide free. Certain highly elevated tea districts, such as Darjeeling or the Kenyan highlands, can support tea without pesticides since pests that typically attack tea cannot survive at the lofty altitudes.

In cases where pesticides are used, The Drifting Leaf and its suppliers take great care to ensure all growers meet and exceed European Union or Japanese Minimum Residue Levels, the most stringent in the industry.