Report: Sustainabilitea
01-05-2006
Worldwide, and also in the Netherlands, tea is a popular beverage. Tea grows in tropical and subtropical countries, and several developing countries are strongly dependent on tea for their export earnings. Over the last decades, several tea-producing countries have increased their production levels, which has resulted in an worldwide oversupply of tea. Since 1980, the real price of tea has fallen by at least 15 percent. With falling prices and rising input costs, there is pressure to limit the labour costs of workers in the production of tea. At the same time there is an urgent need for improvement of labour, social, ecological and economic conditions throughout the tea sector in the global south.
The first part of the report provides an overview of the global tea
market and a description of a tea value chain. In particular, the
report focuses on the Dutch tea market: consumption, production and the
major players of the Dutch market. The second part of the report
examines labour, social, ecological and economic issues in the tea
sector. Current responsible business initiatives of mayor players on
the Dutch tea market are analysed on the basis of internationally
agreed upon standards and operational principles. An overview is also
given of the social organisations, including trade unions, active in
tea producing countries.
The primary aim of the report is to inform a broad audience of tea
companies, sector organisations, civil society organisations, trade
unions, government bodies and the media in the Netherlands, Europe as
well as in tea producing countries. With its critical analysis, the
report hopes to contribute to a discussion among all stakeholders
involved in the tea production chain in the global and Dutch tea
markets, with the aim of improving labour, socio-environmental and
economic conditions in the global tea industry by means of effective
and fair CSR policies and practices.
