We are committed to protecting the planet and we factor the environment into every single decision we make as a business.
Here are some of the activities and choices which we have implemented as a part of this process. We are always happy to hear your feedback.
- SOURCING – to save on air travel we use local scouts to do preliminary research about producers before we ask for sending of samples or visit producers.
- FREIGHT – as much as possible, we avoid using air freight to receive our tea and teaware from producers. Instead we combine individual imports to make larger shipments to be delivered by sea. This means that most of our tea will arrive to market a month or two later than other sellers but we think that this is a price worth paying to reduce air fuel usage.
- STORAGE – we have changed all of our storage bags in our warehouse to cellulose based material.
- DISPATCH – we are using more and more paper in our dispatch packing materials. Unfortunately, we do still need to use some bubble wrap for some fragile items but we are working on more sustainable options.
- PRODUCT PACKAGING – all of our single use taster bags and reusable pouches are made from ‘Natureflex’ which is a cellulose based material certified as suitable for HOME COMPOSTING. This is very different to PLA which needs to be composted industrially.
This material is:
- Home compostable to good quality soil
- Made from wood pulp derived from PEFC and FSC sustainably managed forests
- Biodegradable
- Not made from any GMO inputs
- Reusable for any food storage
- Suitable for incineration without harmful emissions
Please be sure to follow these guidelines regarding pouches:
- Reuse the pouches as many times as possible. Peel off the Mei Leaf labels and there will be convenient spaces for writing on the pouches. We advise using semi-permanent markers for dry goods or permanent marker and erasing with alcohol.
- At end of use, please either home-compost or dispose with food composting waste.
- If you do not have composting options then we advise incineration (be careful) rather than putting in landfill. The material will eventually biodegrade but the conditions in landfill are too cold and it will take decades to biodegrade.
- DO NOT RECYCLE – this material is not suitable for recycling and, just like PLA and other films, will contaminate the recycling stream.
We know that reducing our environmental impact and contributing to sustainability is a continuous work in progress and there is more that we can do. We are working in the background for more improvements to our whole organisation to further these goals.
Check out Don's short vlog from the warehouse upon arrival of our new packaging:
