UTZ Herbal Tea Partnership | Ethical Tea Production

Cultivation of relationships, land and plants.

At Red Seal we believe in the importance of working towards a more sustainable and ethical supply chain and this all starts with the cultivation of land, plants and relationships.

We use a range of incredible ingredients in our herbal blends, including the leaves, fruit, flowers, roots and bark of hundreds of different plants from all around the world. Herbal teas can be cultivated, as in the case of chamomile, or collected from wild sources, like rosehip or liquorice root.

In our partnership with UTZ and our sustainable suppliers, we are helping to support responsible practices, like the promotion of biodiversity, conservation, traceable supply chains and long term relationships between producers and buyers.

Read on to learn more about the UTZ herbal tea program and discover the journeys that some of our incredible ingredients like liquorice root and peppermint embark on from cultivation to cup.

Farmers and collectors pick, bag and deliver their ingredients

Thousands of farmers and collectors around the world cultivate and collect ingredients that go into the worlds herbal teas, each one with their own story.

UTZ and our suppliers have programs in place to ensure fair working conditions and better livelihoods for the people in these industries. These programs include working towards living wages for workers, gender equality, no child labour and better farming & living conditions.

Ingredients are dried and shipped to our experts for blending, taste testing and packing.

After the ingredients are collected and dried, they are sent to our experts to carefully blend together and create the flavours you know and love.

Careful quality control is used through the process to ensure the final product that reaches you is of the highest quality.

Your favourite teas, brews & blends are carefully packed and delivered to stores across Aotearoa and around the world

Red Seal Tea, Brew and Blends carefully packed and delivered to stores in NZ and around the world

So you can shop, sip and enjoy your favourite brew, knowing that together, we are supporting a better world.

Sip and enjoy Red Seal Tea, Brew and Blends

Please dispose of our blends responsibly, here’s how.

Teabag & tag

Our teabag filter paper is made of natural fibres, meaning it’s 100% plastic free, biodegradable and compostable. As for our teabags, they are carefully stitched together with cotton (no staples) so you can easily remove the tag and string to add the bag to your compost when you’re finished.

And yes, our tea bags are home compostable, but the time it takes for them to breakdown all depends on conditions, such as temperature, humidity, bacteria and how often your compost is turned.

While our tea tags are made of paper, due to their size, they cannot be recycled.

Box

Your cardboard box can easily be flattened and popped into your curbside recycling bin.

Plastic wrap

Did you know that the plastic wrap on our herbal tea boxes is actually recyclable? This material is made of#5 Mono Propylene (PP) and can be used to make things such as landscaping border stripping, brooms & bins or even some benches and playground equipment.

You can recycle our plastic wrap through the soft plastic recycling program. Find your local collection point here.

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Steps towards sustainability

At Red Seal we believe you can make products that taste great and be kind to the planet in the process. That is why we work together with our suppliers, UTZ and UEBT to protect the environment and improve the living conditions of farmers, workers and their families. Our blends range from 50%-90% UTZ certified. We think this is a good start, but are working towards making our blends even more sustainable in the future.

In Partnership with UTZ

When you buy UTZ certified tea you are helping build a better future.
UTZ stands for sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet. The UTZ program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of their children and the environment.
Through the UTZ program farmers grow better crops, generate more income and create better opportunities while safeguarding the environment and securing the earth’s natural resources. Now and in the future. And that tastes a lot better.

The UTZ certification program is now part of the Rainforest Alliance. The UTZ organization joined forces with the Rainforest Alliance in 2018 to create a better future for people and nature and to be an even better partner for the many stakeholders we work with.

Learn more here.