John Battle Supports Ethical Tea Partnership

John Battle, Labour MP for Leeds West, joined the Ethical Tea Partnership for a cuppa this week.

John Battle said, “The Fair Trade Mark is the independently checked guarantee that people who produce tea, coffee and a host of other products get a fair deal. Fair Trade tea is available in Parliament – and in my home in Leeds – and this new initiative from major tea companies shows that not only are Fair Trade sales rocketing in every supermarket, but that other tea producers are also tackling the ethics of the tea trade. I do welcome this initiative.

The Ethical Tea Partnership consists of 17 member companies, and from Spring 2005 onwards, Ethical Tea Partnership brands will begin to reference their membership on packaging. Tens of millions of tea packages will carry an invitation to find out more about the work of the Partnership with the aim of sparking dialogue and consumer interest in ethical trade.

Katy Tubb, Chair of the Ethical Tea Partnership, said, “Tea is an intensely competitive market but Ethical Tea Partnership members are working together on this issue because they recognise that ethical trade is not just good for our thousands of tea producers around the world it also makes good business sense. The Partnership is working for greater transparency; monitoring conditions in tea production and raising consumer awareness of the issues.”

The Ethical Tea Partnership’s seventeen members are:

- Accord Services Ltd

- Matthew Algie & Co Ltd

- Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate Ltd.

- DJ Miles & Co Ltd

- Gala Coffee & Tea Ltd

- Gold Crown Foods Limited

- Finlay Beverages Ltd

- Imporient UK Ltd

- Keith Spicer Ltd

- The Metropolitan Tea Company

- The Nambarrie Tea Company Limited

- Sara Lee/DE

- The Tetley Group

- R Twining & Company Ltd

- Unilever (Europe)

- Williamson Fine Teas Ltd

- The Windmill Tea Co Ltd

The Ethical Tea Partnership promotes social responsibility in the tea trade by monitoring conditions in tea production in seven countries worldwide: India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

These seven countries produce 65% of world tea exports. China will be added to the monitoring programme in 2005.

Central to the Partnership’s work is its independent, rigorous and credible monitoring programme which looks at six key areas:

- Employment (including minimum age and wage levels)

- Education

- Maternity

- Health and Safety

- Housing

- Basic Rights.

©John Battle MP 7 February 2005