Here we are, two and a half years since we last talked about our packaging. A lot has happened once again.
I had a baby pretty much right after the last update on our packaging journey went live. She is now a two-year-old toddler who has never known a teabag, demands chamomile "tea" (I know that is technically not tea, and the herbal distinction shall be explained in due course) and stacks Rare Tea tins as if it were a sport.
It's never too early to get them working for Rare Tea...
Whilst I was on my nine-month maternity leave (I know, very lucky for some parts of the world – thank you lovely Rare Tea team) our large and medium bags have all changed.
My lovely colleague Will – a wonderful human (and excellent at entertaining little ones too) –comprehensively tested new materials for bags. By process of elimination, we entered 2024 knowing what we needed: low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. These not only contain recycled materials but can be recycled one more time.
Why LDPE?
We sell the best tea in the world – all across the world. Our packaging must be waterproof, airtight, durable and opaque (to prevent UV damage). LDPE offers each of these features.
Unfortunately, as yet, there is no compostable, organic material that can protect our precious leaves in the freights sailing across the globe to bring you the rarest tea.
In addition to its insufficient protection of our tea, other issues arise with compostable packaging when we looked into it. While seemingly more sustainable, compostable packaging is not accepted in many UK councils as part of food waste collection – meaning that this ends up in landfill. We are a global brand and similar life cycle analysis in other countries also indicates the same issue. We have opted for a widely recycled material as opposed to something which can be composted, but is most often not. With LDPE, we know, at a minimum, that our local supermarkets have the logistics to recycle this packaging.
As a small fish in the world of packaging we had to admit to ourselves that we wouldn’t be able to reinvent the wheel just yet, but we must do the best we can and keep improving. With a high PCR content we are, at least, not just producing new plastics from fossil fuels. And these new bags can be recycled. While imperfect, we are reducing the carbon footprint of our packaging substantially.
For a deeper dive into why we opted against using compostable packaging (for now) – please have a look at my first update on this from July 2020.
What came next: samples, samples, and (you guessed it) more samples
We then went on a quest to find someone who could make these bags for us. After many, many samples were tested, we settled for Grounded, a recommendation by the lovely Hols at North Star Coffee.
What is changing?
Aside from the material and its PCR content, our new bags are also resealable, so you are now able to seal your bag again and again and store your precious tea better. We do still recommend decanting into our lovely tins for the ultimate storage.
What would be brilliant is if you buy the biggest bags we offer, because it cuts down on packaging and saves you money. And it would be amazing if you found ways of reusing the bags for other things. I am a bulk buyer of many things and have been using my resealable Rare Tea bags at home for convenient storage of everyday goods, from rice storage to washing powder. There are always more life cycles left in these bags.
Our look has changed a little too in the process of improvements- introducing our Rare Tea Blue bags. We have long had blue all through our tasting room and office, so we felt it was time to bring our blue to you and make our brand more consistent.
Our beautiful tins will also turn blue later this year. We have been working on getting our message across in a more condensed way on each bag. Thalonja, our creative mega brain behind all the new design, has drawn us little icons that make reading everything a little easier. There are also QR codes leading to infusion recommendations and more information about each tea.
We have also added that we are free from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – this might seem odd or obvious to some, but it’s important to highlight that many teas are often full of industrial flavourings (something we would never do). For example, a Mango Passionfruit Tea with natural flavouring is only "natural" if you consider combining molecules in a lab a 'natural process'.
Not only are these teas full of all sorts of unknown additives, but they use them to disguise cheap, low-grade tea. Another trick to take value away from farms who could make more money if they were selling beautiful, high value and delicious tea leaves at their true value and price.
Higher quality, pure tea is not just better for you - it’s also better for the soil. Please tell all your friends who might still be on the "fruit tea" wagon.
How do I recycle the new packaging, please?
Our new bags are 67% or 69% PCR (our medium & large sized bags have the most PCR content) and are still recyclable in the UK. This is a change that has also come around since we last talked about our packaging.
The world of recycling is by no means easy because every country has their own regulations and logistics.
- For us in the UK, the bags fall under Stream 4 recycling and can be recycled in participating stores and supermarkets. Please don’t add them to your regular recycling bins at home. We tried to make this as clear as possible on the packaging.
- US friends, the same applies to you and participating stores should be able to take these in.
- Most EU countries seem to allow you to place the bags into your plastic recycling bin, but if you are based in France, please take them to a collection point at a supermarket.
It would be fantastic to hear how this all works for you, so do please message us with your experiences.
Earl Grey Refill bag launched at Waitrose (in the UK)
Our very first retail launch in new bags has already happened and you are now able to find our Earl Grey refills at Waitrose. We have had many of our Waitrose customers email, phone or even write us letters about their ever-growing stacks of Earl Grey tins at home. We are immensely happy to be able to address this. Thank you to Waitrose for your faith in us!
You can now buy the tin alongside the refill bag, so you can get the tin once and keep replenishing it.
Are we finished?
No, most certainly not. We will continue to assess how we can improve our packaging. With technology and systems changing at a rapid pace, I am hopeful that we will be switching things up again soon. For example, scientists at Germany’s University of Bayreuth have recently developed an LDPE-mimic material that is even more energy efficient and easier to recycle. So there is hope and clear headway in the progress towards sustainable yet comprehensively protective packaging solutions.
For now, thank you for your continued support. I feel very lucky that I am able to do a job that means so much to me and it definitely wasn't possible without you drinking our teas. Danke!
Kathi
Head of Operations
