A theme in the nutrition space for the year is centered around sustainability so it is very fitting with it being Earth Month that we discuss the importance of what we do at Big Heart Tea to practice this. At Big Heart Tea our mission is to make” healing herbs more fun and accessible”! We are a female-founded company that is certified organic, sourced directly from farmers who use sustainable practices, and does not use microplastics in our packaging.
Certified Organic
Let’s first start off by discussing the importance of certified organic when it comes to tea. Being a certified organic company is no small feat. It requires a lot of effort and intentionality throughout the entire supply chain process. Standard tea practices include the use of spraying pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. These chemicals that end up on the tea leaves, unfortunately, end up in your tea water, leading to a potentially negative impact on your health. Farming practices that include spraying of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers impact the quality of nutrients that end up in our food system as well. When they are used they deplete the soil of minerals and micronutrients which can lead to deficiencies.
The impact on the environment with non-organic farming practices is also negative as it causes soil and water runoff pollution. When you choose organic, you're not only making a better choice for your health, but also making a positive choice for our environment.
From a positive perspective choosing to include farmers in our supply chain that value organic farming practices tends to lead to the tea having more bioavailability in antioxidants and nutrients so that you can truly reap the benefits of having tea that helps you heal!
Microplastics
Tea bags make things significantly more convenient, but are traditionally made with plastic which leads to microplastics. That thing that keeps the tea bag sealed, unfortunately, a lot of the time they use plastic to keep your tea leaves in place. So if you're now thinking about plastic soaking in your hot water and it makes your skin crawl a little, it’s time to start making a swap! While there is more of a movement to make this change, not all tea companies are transparent. One of the ways we can help the environment is to make changes in how we spend our dollars. Selecting brands that value holistic and transparent practices is one of the ways we can improve things in the nutrition space and environment.
Big Heart’s tea bags are made with Soilon which is derived from non-GMO sugarcane, so that they are not only gentler on your stomach but are also compostable, which is a win-win! The inner lining that the tea bags are placed in is made from compostable plant based material which is derived from sugarcane in an effort to reduce waste that ends up in landfills. The way we treat our bodies and mother nature is important because both impact our environment and overall well-being.
Sustainable Practices
There are several components that make up sustainable practices in the tea industry. They get broken down into social, economic, and environmental branches.
Social:
- Develop local employment
- Enhance labor conditions
- Favor generational renewal
Economic:
- Soil preservation, yield, economic sustainability
- Organic products
- Niche positioning
Environment:
- Biodiversity preservation
- Biodynamic cultivation techniques
- Packaging
When it comes to choosing the farmers we partner with that deliver the tea leaves that you sip out of your cup we do not take lightly the importance of sustainability. The preservation and cultivation techniques are key to our environment just like the packaging we chose so that we can reduce landfill waste.
Over here at Big Heart Tea you never have to question the quality and core values! We are continuing to be leaders in the field where we are constantly improving the quality of our tea alongside supporting the farmers we source from and the environment!
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