SustainabiliTEA

and ResponsibiliTEA

Responsibility down to the smallest detail.

Our goal is to provide our customers with excellent tea that meets high standards of quality and responsibility. We apply this philosophy from the plant to your cup and beyond.

 

With our stable partnerships in the areas of resource efficiency, quality assurance and recycling, we are committed to taking responsibility for our products along the entire supply chain. 

 

At Avoury, we want you, our customers, to feel good about buying our tea products and be able to shop with a clear conscience. That is why we base a good purchasing decision on the following cornerstones:

 

The capsule cycle: our tea capsules are made from used plastics that can be recycled via the “yellow bin”, with other plastic recyclables or by using the Avoury recycling bag

Responsible tea cultivation: we adhere to strict environmental and social standards when it comes to tea growing

Best quality: we do not use any GMOs or chemicals

Great variety: we have over 30 types of tea to suit all tastes

Shipping: Emissions generated during transport are reduced as part of the DHL GoGreen Plus program through measures such as the use of electric vehicles for transportation and heat pumps in buildings
 

 

Recycling affects us all. That is why, at Avoury, we tackle this issue head on using powerful concepts and an innovative capsule design; a type of packaging that has never before been seen on the German market.

ResponsibiliTEA – more than just a question of taste

We see it as our responsibility to make a positive contribution through responsible practices throughout our value chain. To achieve this, we have been campaigning for years – both in our cultivation regions as well as here in Germany. The way in which we grow, obtain and consume tea now and in the future, will have a long-term effect on our entire ecosystem. However, the exact impact is entirely up to us. We are convinced that together we can make a difference.

 

Certifications at a glance

In many countries around the world, tea products are an important export commodity and shape the livelihoods of countless people. So that this remains the case in the future, it is our aim to promote ecological and social sustainability within the tea trade. All the teas in our range have at least one certification.

 

Organic certification

Many of our teas are certified organic. We source our tea plants from cultivation that meets defined environmental and social standards. That means no chemical synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, no GMOs, no food irradiation and fewer additives while diversified soil management preserves the future fertility of the ground.

 

Fairtrade / Rainforest Alliance

We mainly source our teas from suppliers and/or producers that are Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified. These certifications ensure that certain social, ecological and economical standards are adhered to in the places where our tea is grown. They confirm that the producers are knowledgeable about the protection of trees, soil, waters and local forests.

In agricultural training and certification programmes, growers are taught about climate-friendly growing methods that help them adapt to events such as droughts, floods and soil erosion, and to purposefully tackle the issue of climate change. Furthermore, these certifications confirm that the rights of the local population are taken into consideration with regard to working conditions, fair wages and a ban on child labour.

You'll find our statement in this document.

Original quality – sustainable local aid

These initiatives make an important contribution to producing tea in accordance with regional quality criteria and defined standards. In the countries of origin, they help to train local farmers, improve their productivity, increase their yields and therefore achieve a strong, long-term negotiating position on the market. For us it’s clear: first-class tea and sustainable enjoyment are two sides of the same tea leaf!

Plastic as part of the circular economy

We design our products with the principles of the circular economy in mind – from demand-based single servings and the Avoury® TeaCycle Cap to measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions during shipping. Our top priority is to prevent new plastics coming into circulation and to develop products that help close the loop for used plastics.

The Avoury® TeaCycle Cap revolution

The perfect tea capsule must have numerous qualities. It should be transparent making it easy to see the hand-picked leaves, flowers and fruit, and it also has to be able to withstand the high temperatures of the hot water during brewing without affecting the flavour. As far as our experience goes, the only material that can do all this is plastic. That’s where our Avoury® TeaCycle Cap comes into play.

 

Tea capsule recycling

And there’s a good reason why we named our tea capsules this way: the body of the capsule is made from certified recycled plastic*. To make them, we use the mass-balance approach in which recycled raw materials from used plastics are combined with renewable and petroleum-based raw materials. This approach allows us to gradually reduce the use of petroleum-based raw materials while simultaneously using existing resources and raw materials more efficiently.

This is made possible due to molecular recycling. In this process, plastic products are fully broken down into their individual components and used to create recyclate – new plastic made from old materials. This recyclate is used to make new tea capsules and many other products.

Thus, we ensure that plastic does not just end up in landfill, but is returned to the raw materials chain and, after recycling, can be used to make things such as packaging materials. You can dispose of the capsules in the “yellow bin” or with other plastic recyclables to make sure that they will be reintroduced to the circular economy.

 

*  ISCC PLUS certification under a mass balance approach. The certification refers to the allocation of certified raw materials within the system.

 

Picture describes the circular economy of Avourys TeaCycle Cap

Plastic Bank. Because less is more.

Sustainable plastics management is very important to us. That’s why we have a close partnership with Plastic Bank, a social enterprise that has made it its mission to rid the oceans of plastic and prevent our seas being further polluted by plastic waste while giving people living in poverty a chance at a better future. To achieve this, Plastic Bank builds ethical recycling ecosystems in Indonesia, Brazil, Egypt, and the Philippines.

The non-profit organisation turns plastic waste into currency and allows collectors to exchange plastic waste for cash and non-cash benefits. Giving value to plastic waste makes it a prized resource that is worth collecting – and by collecting it the amount that ends up on beaches and in the sea is reduced. Through our collaboration with Plastic Bank, we support programs that collect plastic from the environment.

 

Recycling. The cycle.

Tea doesn't have to be boring and plastic can be recycled to conserve resources and avoid waste. As one of the first food manufacturers, we do not use new plastic for our tea capsules - the patented Avoury® TeaCycle Caps - but recycled plastic from consumer waste.

 

Recycle your capsules and help us revolutionise plastic recycling. Learn more in our video!

Do you need to know more?

 

We admire your curiosity! Here we answer all your questions on the topic of sustainability and quality. Find out about the certifications we use, how our capsules are recycled and why we use plastic to package our teas.

Questions & answers.

Some of the teas from the Avoury range are certified organic and bear the EU organic logo. Our tea plants, and the fruit and herbs used in our infusions are sourced from controlled farming operations.

We are Avoury – the tea.

Do you want to find out more about the various teas in our range? Or do you have a question for our customer service team? Our FAQs will give you the answers to many different questions.

And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to contact our TEAm! For questions about our products, capsules and how to use them in our Avoury One tea machine, we can be contacted quickly and easily and will be glad to provide assistance.