The Rainforest Alliance Initiative
We are doing pioneering work
Tea is a valuable commodity and an important economic factor for many of the countries where our tea plantations are located. We meet our responsibility for the quality and origin of our raw materials with a variety of measures. One of these is our close cooperation with the Rainforest Alliance. We are a world pioneer in the Rainforest Alliance Certification for the herbal and fruit tea sector. The certification helps us to ensure strict social and environmental standards in the countries where our raw materials originate. The Rainforest Alliance seal of approval confirms that the high standards are met and thus ensures maximum tea enjoyment with a clear conscience.
The Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is an international environmental protection organization that works to preserve biodiversity and ensure more sustainable livelihoods. The Rainforest Alliance and the UTZ Certification Program joined forces at the beginning of January 2018, in order to be able to further expand their activities as a unified organization and to drive more sustainable development forward even further. Agricultural land is being renewed worldwide, forests are being preserved, more sustainable living conditions are being promoted and resistance to the consequences of climate change is being strengthened through the certification of various raw materials in the countries of origin. In addition, strict regulations to ensure appropriate working conditions are introduced and regularly reviewed.
Find out more at ra.org
Why cooperation with the Rainforest Alliance is so important to us
We demand compliance with our „TEEKANNE Code of Conduct“ from all our suppliers. Our social and environmental standards are laid down in this Standards and Practices Policy, which is prescribed by TEEKANNE. All our suppliers must unconditionally commit to comply with these standards by signing it.
However, signing the „TEEKANNE Code of Conduct“ is not enough for us to meet our responsibility within the supply chain. This is where the Rainforest Alliance comes into play as our cooperation partner. It is important for us not to leave our suppliers in the countries of origin to face their challenges on their own but to support them as best we can. In addition to our buyers, who are in direct contact with our suppliers, the Rainforest Alliance supports us locally as a credible, experienced partner and expert on sustainability issues. We have a partner which we, our suppliers and the public can trust without reservation.
With the help of the Rainforest Alliance, our suppliers receive training in environmental and human right issues related to their business/farm. An independent organization also conducts regular on-site audits and monitors compliance with all the relevant environmental and social standards. Our suppliers can only sell Rainforest Alliance Certified raw materials to us after successfully passing the audit. The audits are repeated annually to help ensure a more sustainable development.
Of course, we at TEEKANNE support a shared responsibility approach to ensuring that we share the cost and the benefits of the products that they produce in a more sustainable way.
The further processing of the certified raw material
When the Rainforest Alliance Certified raw material arrives at our premises, it is very important that it is clearly recognizable as such and that this remains so throughout the entire manufacturing process. All containers are therefore clearly marked and all materials in our systems are clearly labeled as certified raw materials. This is the only way we can ensure beyond doubt that our finished TEAKANNE teas contain the specified amount of certified raw materials.