The Teabags With out Plastic In The UK In 2024

Want to know which teabags with out plastic exist throughout the UK in 2024? Look no further – I’ve rounded up the right eco-friendly and sustainable plastic-free tea baggage available on the market correct now. I’ve moreover shared the teabags with plastic, that can enable you to avoid sudden plastic in your drinks.

Once more in 2017, I wrote regarding the gorgeous hidden plastic in teabags. Teabags that many individuals had been composting in our gardens or by means of our kerbside meals waste pickup. That submit had such an have an effect on as many people found for the first time that teabags comprise plastic, alongside a bunch of various gorgeous objects that comprise plastic.

Since then, I’ve been sustaining tabs to see the place the tea enterprise is presently at in lowering plastic from the nation’s favourite drink.

As such, I’ve regarded into over 20 teabag producers throughout the UK, to see what teabags with out plastic may be discovered. I’ve moreover regarded into how most interesting to do away with the baggage if you’re accomplished.

Why Do Teabags Comprise Plastic?

You is maybe questioning why there is a need for plastic to be current in teabags. Properly, plastic (polypropylene to be exact) is added to the paper teabag to help heat seal them all through manufacture. 

Heat sealing the baggage like which suggests the teabags gained’t come open throughout the area, or your cup. It moreover signifies that these tea baggage aren’t 100% biodegradable. This generally is a draw back in that these tea baggage you are composting are leaving bits of microplastic throughout the soil.

What Is Microplastic?

Microplastic is a big draw back, that is nonetheless being understood by scientists right now. Microplastics are tiny gadgets of plastic, decrease than 5 mm prolonged.

What everyone knows is that microplastics are current in the soil, in the ocean, in our ingesting water, inside fish and completely different animals we eat, and even in individuals. When microplastics are throughout the meals we eat and the water we drink, this means we’re ingesting plastic, and the long-term outcomes of this are presently unknown.

Microplastic comes from various sources. It’d derive from greater plastic particles that has degraded into smaller and smaller gadgets. Nonetheless, it moreover comes from teabags which had been heat-sealed with plastic, that we have unwittingly composted.

How loads damage can a teabag do, likelihood is you will be questioning? Properly, one teabag alone will do little or no damage. Nonetheless, when you consider that throughout the UK alone we drink better than 60 billion cups of tea a 12 months, then it’s a variety of teabags and an entire lot further microplastic.

The good news is that since 2017 tea producers have started to remove polypropylene from their teabags.

Teabag Terminology

Sooner than we dive in, let me get you in management on a couple of of the terminologies spherical teabags.

Types of Teabags

First off, you’ll see some dialogue spherical sorts of teabags. Here is a visual data to the sorts of teabags referred to on this data.

What About PLA Teabags?

On this data to teabags with out plastic, you’ll see a variety of dialogue spherical PLA. PLA stands for Polylactic Acid. PLA teabags are technically not plastic-free, as they’re constituted of plant-based plastics. It is also called a bio-plastic. This merely means the plastic does not come from a fossil fuel-based provide.

There are some factors spherical PLA. Firstly, typically the plant supplies used to provide PLA can be sourced from genetically modified (GM) crops.

Secondly, PLA tea baggage are often not home-compostable. It’s subsequently important to do away with them appropriately. In case your native council collects your meals waste or yard waste bin for industrial composting, they will compost shortly. Nonetheless, in case your council does not collect your meals waste, then these teabags perform no in any other case than typical oil-based plastic tea baggage.

If you don’t have entry to council meals waste collections, then to do away with PLA teabags it is best to tear open the bag to may help you compost the tea leaves in your yard. Then put the teabag in collectively together with your frequent waste.

When you want to know further, do study my data on what’s PLA and is it biodegradable for a further detailed deep dive.

I don’t suppose PLA is a perfect reply. Like many options of sustainability, there are on a regular basis compromises. Nonetheless, other than switching to loose-leaf tea en masse, I don’t suppose there is a wonderful reply that may moreover make tea an affordable every day staple.

The Plastic-Free Teabags In 2024

Proper right here is the current state of affairs plastic-free tea bag state of affairs correct now throughout the UK (updated October 2024), with notes on the best way to dispose of each mannequin’s teabags, and if the mannequin presents loose-leaf tea.

Aldi

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Aldi’s teabags are literally plastic-free. In June 2021, Aldi confirmed it was eradicating single-use plastic from its own-brand fluctuate of teabags. We’re comfortable to see that this has now rolled out all through the nation. Now all of Aldi’s private mannequin tea – along with decaffeinated, and fruit and pure infusions are constituted of PLA – so are industrially compostable.

Asda

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

In October 2022 Asda launched that all of its private mannequin teabags – along with the Merely Requirements and Extra Specific ranges – will doubtless be constituted of industrially compostable PLA. Asda says “Tea is a staple in most purchaser’s households so for us to make a change which can make such a distinction is a huge second for us.”

Chook & Combine Tea

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Brighton-based Chook & Combine sells its hand-blended teas in PLA teabags. Or when you want to avoid PLA it’s possible you’ll retailer for loose-leaf tea. Alongside its regular black teas, the precept area the place Chook & Combine excels is in its distinctive tea blends. Suppose Rhubarb & Custard, or Chocolate Digestive flavoured tea for one factor a little bit of fully completely different.

Brew Tea

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Along with its tasty loose-leaf tea selection, Brew Tea swapped over to PLA teabags in September 2017. Brew Tea then moved over to plastic-free packaging in 2018. Black tea is Brew Tea’s speciality, nevertheless it absolutely does carry a small fluctuate of fruit and pure teas.

Clipper

Place in your meals waste bin | String and tag teabags dwelling compostable

Once more in 2017, people had been most shocked by the reality that Clipper’s unbleached pure teabags contained plastic. Attributable to shopper demand, Clipper took movement, and switched its pillow teabags to a plant-based PLA a variety of years prior to now, sourced from non-GM plant supplies.

Co-Op Private Mannequin 99

Place in your meals waste bin

Attributable to shopper pressure, The Co-Op switched its own-brand Fairtrade 99 tea over to PLA teabags in 2018.

Eteaket

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Edinburgh-based Eteaket primarily sells loose-leaf tea. That’s packaged in dwelling compostable Natureflex™ baggage and cardboard caddies. Its tea simply is not essentially the most reasonably priced. Nonetheless, if you already have a caddy, then their loose-leaf tea may also be obtainable in 100% plastic-free refill baggage, which are a little bit of cheaper.

Whereas its fluctuate of teabags is small, all Eteakat tea baggage are constituted of PLA. These are packed into dwelling compostable Natureflex™ baggage, and recyclable cardboard cartons for a smaller carbon footprint.

Good & Right

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Good & Right’s fluctuate of award-winning teas – from its black teas to its fluctuate of pure infusions – can be found in PLA teabags. When you want to avoid PLA, you possibly can even retailer for quite a lot of tasty loose-leaf teas.

Hampstead Tea

Dwelling compostable or can go in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Hampstead Tea has an prolonged historic previous of sustainability. It was the first tea producer to introduce stitched teabags reasonably than heat-sealed teabags. As such, its teabags have on a regular basis been home-compostable.

Considerably than resting on its laurels, Hampstead Tea has taken large steps with reference to the setting. Consequently, the overwhelming majority of its merchandise are plastic-free (other than its Earl Grey and Inexperienced Tea with Jasmine tea bag envelopes).

Lidl

Place in your meals waste bin

Lidl lastly launched in August 2023 that it could possibly be switching from plastic tea baggage to compostable ones. Lidl talked about that its new compostable tea baggage would land in retailer over the approaching months whereas present stock commonly sells by way of. I would take into consideration by March 2024 that it should have supplied its non-compostable stock – nonetheless do look at the sector earlier than you buy.

Marks & Spencer

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Marks & Spencer quietly switched its teabags over to PLA in 2023, with little or no fanfare. I really feel it’s on account of M&S issued a press launch once more in 2018, saying that it was taking a “razor-sharp take a look at how we use plastics” and that “we’re taking plastics out of all 450 million teabags we promote“.

Though it took six years, I am genuinely comfortable to see that M&S’s teas are literally compostable.

Morrisons

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

One different straggler, I’m comfortable to lastly report that Morrisons own-brand tea is now plastic-free. Morrisons says they supplied 331 million plastic tea baggage a 12 months, so this generally is a good step forward.

Neal’s Yard

Dwelling compostable or can go in your meals waste bin

Neal’s Yard 100% pure and eco-friendly tea baggage are FairWild™ licensed. That could be a world regular that helps the sustainable use of wild-harvested substances. It moreover ensures a very good deal all alongside the availability chain.

Neal’s Yard PLA-free teabags are constituted of pure abaca (a plant from the banana family) and are oxygen-bleached. This system is chlorine-free and sort to the setting. As such these plastic-free teabags can go straight into your property composter.

Nemi

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Nemi is a specialist London-based tea agency that gives various tea blends, every as free tea and teabags. Along with selling great-tasting tea, Nemi gives employment to refugees to current them native work experience and job readiness talents to enter the UK workforce and to help them mix into broader society.

All of Nemi’s teabags are constituted of PLA. Moreover, its packaging is compostable, and its teas are pure, fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance licensed. The packaging is pretty funky too.

PG Ideas

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

PG Ideas made the swap to PLA a couple of years prior to now as a result of shopper pressure. Now its whole fluctuate can be industrially composted by means of your meals waste bin.

Pukka

Dwelling compostable or can go in your meals waste bin

Pukka makes pure and fairly sourced pure teas. Its string and tag teabags have on a regular basis been plastic and PLA-free. Nonetheless, each specific individual bag used to return wrapped in an unrecyclable plastic-lined envelope. The good news is that Pukka has taken its environmental obligations considerably, and now makes use of extensively recyclable envelopes. 

Roqberry

Place in your meals waste bin

Roqberry’s flavourful fruit and pure infusions can be found in PLA plastic-based pyramids. From banana-flavoured tea to blueberry, these distinctive tea blends tread flippantly on the planet.

Sainsbury’s

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

I added Sainsbury’s to this plastic-free teabag guidelines in August 2021. After data that from summer season 2021 Sainsbury’s own-brand teabags will doubtless be plastic-free, as part of its ongoing dedication to halve plastic packaging by 2025, this lastly rolled out in-store in August 2021.

The model new tea baggage are constituted of PLA and are industrially compostable. What I moreover like is that the packaging is completely plastic-free too. The sector isn’t wrapped in plastic, and neither is there a plastic foil bag contained within the area. Accessible plastic-free tea for the win!

Suki Tea

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Based in Belfast, Suki Tea ethically sources and blends loose-leaf teas, pure infusions and fruit blends from all around the globe. Suki Tea is most interesting recognized for its tasty loose-leaf tea, nonetheless, it does have a selection of PLA-based pyramid teabags.

T2

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Australian mannequin T2 reached the UK in 2014 and has pretty only a few Extreme St outlets dotted throughout the UK. I would say T2 might be most interesting recognized for its loose-leaf tea selection. Nonetheless, its fluctuate of pyramid teabags is constituted of PLA for a further sustainable cup of tea.

Teapigs

Place in your meals waste bin

Sustainable tea stalwarts Teapigs have on a regular basis made teabags with out fossil fuel-based plastic – its tasty tea pyramids have on a regular basis been PLA-based. Nonetheless, Teapigs didn’t stop there. Quite a few years prior to now the mannequin moreover switched the plastic inside bag to a home compostable bag. Prime plastic-free marks!

Currently a reader educated me that Teapigs is owned by Tata. This generally is a giant industrial conglomerate that owns many producers – along with Starbucks – which is disappointing to take heed to.

Tesco

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Tesco lastly transformed to plastic-free teabags in 2023. This suggests all of Tesco’s own-brand black teas, pure teas and speciality teas will doubtless be compostable. Plus, in a daring dedication, your entire billion tea baggage supplied by Tesco – own-brand and branded – are compostable by way of council meals waste collections. 

Tick Tock Tea

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Tick Tock’s fluctuate of naturally decaffeinated rooibos teas is obtainable in every PLA teabags and in loose-leaf codecs. Packaging-wise, the within pouch of its Chilly Brew Rooibos tea fluctuate can be composted by means of industrial composting providers, and the pouches of all completely different Tick Tock teas are recyclable at large supermarkets.

Twinings

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

I’m delighted to report that Twinings have made the swap to plastic-free teabags. A spokesperson from Twinings talked about “We’re comfortable to say that your entire teabags we produce use plant-based biodegradable provides, from our black teas to our large number of wellbeing blends. The material we use for our teabags will break down completely if positioned right into a neighborhood authority compost caddy or meals waste bin.”

Twist Teas

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Twist Tea’s fluctuate of fruit, pure and black teas may be present in loose-leaf and PLA pyramid teabag codecs.

Yorkshire Tea

Place in your meals waste bin | Free leaf tea selection obtainable

Yorkshire Tea – along with frequent Yorkshire Tea, Yorkshire Gold, Yorkshire Tea Decaf and Yorkshire Tea for Arduous Water – have, since September 2021, been manufactured from PLA.

Yorkshire Tea moreover says “All our merchandise are literally carbon neutral, and what we want subsequent is for all our packaging to be “spherical” – which means constituted of renewable, plant-based or recycled provides, and reusable, recyclable or compostable after use“.

Which Teabags Do Comprise Plastic?

As of October 2024, only a few teabags from big-name producers nonetheless comprise plastic. These embrace the following producers.

Tetley

Tetley is presently throughout the technique of switching from plastic heat-sealed teabags. The mannequin says “With 9 million (teabags) to remodel, we’re in a position to’t change all of our luggage at once, nonetheless we’re starting with our large sellers of lovely Tetley Distinctive 120s and 240s“. 

Tetley has been saying this for a very very very long time, and I haven’t been able to find a single change on this. As quickly as I’ve affirmation that all of Tetley’s teabags are plastic-free I’ll switch them out of this class.

Waitrose

It’s just a little little bit of a blended bag at Waitrose. To date it appears its private mannequin of caffeinated tea baggage is constituted of PLA, so can be disposed of in your meals waste bin. And it’s Duchy Pure fluctuate is now dwelling compostable. Nonetheless, its private mannequin of decaf tea won’t be plastic-free.

I requested Waitrose for an change on twenty second March 2024 – I didn’t get a response, so I’ve reached out as soon as extra to them in October 2024. I’ll change proper right here if I get a response.

To Conclude The Plastic-Free Teabag Dialog

Many teabag producers have made the swap to further planet-friendly teabags. Nonetheless, it’s clear that a couple of of the large players, like Tetley and Waitrose ought to nonetheless have a little bit of strategy to go sooner than your entire large teabag producers are plastic-free.

In case your tea producer of different isn’t talked about proper right here, then do electronic message or tweet them to ask about their teabags.

Phew, that was an prolonged one! Time to put the kettle on for a plastic-free cuppa I really feel! If you’ve beloved this, then do moreover check out my data to the most interesting oat milk. I’ve regarded into every kind of ethics behind the popular oat milk producers throughout the UK and uncovered every kind of murky points.