Arbor Teas Commitment to Sustainability

At Arbor Teas, our daily mission is to find the world’s most fantastic organic teas and deliver them to you as sustainable as possible. From our exceptional collection of organic and Fair Trade Certified® teas, to our Carbonfree® business practices, to our backyard compostable packaging, our passion is steeped in a desire to do worldly good, and our vision is to remain organic to a tea.™

Sustainability at the Tea Source

Arbor Teas is deeply committed to organic agriculture, offering an entire catalog of organic teas and tisanes. Organic tea production makes a far smaller impact on the environment than conventional agriculture by eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Sustainable Transportation of Tea

We’ve teamed up with CarbonFund.org to offset the carbon emissions created in the transportation of your tea from its source to the Arbor Teas facility.

Additionally, the majority of our teas are transported by sea freight, which is the most energy-efficient method of transportation.

Arbor Teas Sustainable Facility

Our dedication to protecting the environment pre-dates our love of tea, which is why we’ve taken every step we can think of to reduce the environmental footprint of Arbor Teas. By participating in DTE Energy’s GreenCurrents program, we promote the generation of energy from renewable sources, preventing approximately 10,000 pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere each year.

For those carbon emissions that we just can’t avoid (yet) at our facility, we’ve teamed up with CarbonFund.org to offset them by promoting the development of green energy, energy efficiency and reforestation.

We aggressively recycle our solid waste, reusing office supplies and packaging materials wherever possible. These efforts have been recognized through our partnership with the Washtenaw County Waste Knot Program.

We also take a green approach to printing, which means we keep our printing minimal, and use post-consumer recycled paper and, whenever possible, soy- and/or water-based inks that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Sustainable Shipping Options

You can help by choosing to have your order shipped via USPS Parcel Post, which doesn’t rely on air transportation (except to Alaska and Hawaii). Air transit generates far greater greenhouse gas emissions than ground transportation. Additionally, we’ve teamed up with CarbonFund.org to offset the carbon emissions created in the transportation of your tea from the Arbor Teas facility to your doorstep.

Sustainable Packaging: 100% Backyard Compostable

With our industry-leading backyard compostable packaging, you can compost your used tea leaves and packaging in your backyard compost heap. Arbor Teas is the first and only tea company to deliver its full line of organic loose teas in 100% backyard compostable packaging. In doing so, we've significantly reduced both the carbon emissions and waste stream associated with our products.

Additionally, you can check out our Eco-Brewing Tips to further reduce the environmental footprint of your tea-drinking habit!