trustea has verified 608 million kg of tea, which is almost half (46%) of the total tea produced in India annually. trustea is a locally developed and owned Indian tea code and verification system which promotes sustainable agricultural practices, improves productivity and reduces costs to ensure future security of the tea supply in India and initiative of the industry, by the industry for the industry.
In collaboration with IDH, trustea has been driving sustainability in the Indian tea industry for the Indian domestic tea market.
So far, trustea has been creating a positive impact by engaging with nearly 49,000 smallholder tea growers, 300,000 female workers and 2,5 million male tea workers, and certifying over 460 estates and bought leaf factories for demonstrating progress and improvements under the good agricultural and manufacturing practices of the trustea Code. The Code has reported an 38% year-on-year increase in 2018, indicating a clear transition towards changing production and business practices in the industry.
Together with its partners, IDH co-developed and co-funded trustea as the Indian Tea Sustainability program, along with support from the government, industry and supply chain partners, to work with smallholder tea growers, bought leaf factories, estates and packers to address some of the key challenges in the industry. These issues include poor working conditions, health and safety of tea workers, water pollution, food safety, soil erosion and contamination.
