Birchall Tea Factory Amesbury, Wiltshire

Birchall Tea Factory

At Birchall, we have always taken our responsibilities to the environment very seriously and are committed to continually reducing the impact of our company’s trading activities upon it.

Our new Birchall Tea Factory in Amesbury, Wiltshire reflects this commitment - it is the UK’s first solar-powered tea factory and its roof-top solar installation features more than 460 solar panels, which are capable of generating all the clean renewable electricity for our on-site operations.

In May 2020, we became the first tea company in the world to officially join the UN's Climate Neutral Now Initiative and achieved the Carbon Neutral International Standard, which we obtained by measuring and offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions and supporting verified volunteer reforestation projects around the world.

This means that all Birchall Tea products are now 100% Carbon Neutral.

Reducing Single-Use Plastic

The majority of our tea bags - including our plant-based Prism™ Tea Bags and string and tagged tea bags - have always been plastic-free and fully biodegradable.

Following a major review of all key product lines in 2019, we made significant changes across our ranges to reduce excess and single use plastic from our supply chain, where it was appropriate to do so.

Our superior large Everyday Tea Bags are now made from a newly-developed plant-based tissue that is 100% renewable and entirely free from oil-based plastic. This means that our Everyday Tea Bags are now fully compostable and, like our Prism™ Tea Bags, will biodegrade, as long as you dispose of them through your food waste.

The inner bags across our speciality Prism™ Tea Bags range are now made from renewable cellulose and this means that they too are certified industrial and home compostable.

Also, our tea bag envelopes are now made from a substrate which can also be disposed of through food waste systems.

Tea in a Socially Responsible Way

Although we are dedicated to creating fine tasting tea, we also work hard to ensure that all our teas are sustainably sourced in a manner which respects both the environment and our tea producers.

We are committed to improving conditions across the tea industry."

Birchall is a long-standing member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, which we work with collaboratively to raise ethical standards of industry-wide practices. We are also proud to hold full certification from NGOs the Fairtrade Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance.

The Fairtrade Foundation logo and Rainforest Alliance's green frog seal are both recognised by consumers around the world as symbols of environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Our Fairtrade Premium contributions have been used to support producers in Kenya to invest in projects that include providing clean water and sanitation facilities, improving infrastructure and energy supplies to communities, construction of classrooms and school buildings, and provision of educational bursaries.

It goes without saying that we are extremely proud that we are able to produce outstanding tea in a socially responsible way.

Virunga National Park

Today, we are supporting the protection of Virunga, Africa's oldest national park, which is close to our hearts as it surrounds many of the tea gardens we source our teas from. Virunga is one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth and is positively teeming with wildlife - including the planet's last remaining mountain gorillas.

We have pledged to donate 5p from the proceeds of every pack of Birchall Virunga Afternoon Tea, Virunga Earl Grey and Virunga Chai sold and are raising money through online donations made on our web site.

To learn more about the efforts being made to protect Virunga's mountain gorillas and other wildlife, please visit virunga.org or watch the Oscar nominated documentary Virunga, available to watch on Netflix.