Lipton and Rainforest Alliance

Unilever is the largest seller of tea in the world, producing tea from our estates in East Africa as well as buying from third parties, including smallholders, and on the world market. Because tea is grown in some of the most beautiful and bio-diverse parts of the planet, unsustainable tea-growing can have serious impact on habitat, water quality and soil retention.

Our large estates in Tanzania and Kenya make tea a raw material in which we have particular expertise, and we have already taken the opportunity to promote sustainability within the areas that we control.

Unilever has established a global initiative to source 100% of our tea leaves from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms by 2015. It’s great for the planet, and great for the farmers, their families, and their communities.

In the US, we are near to reaching our target with 90% of our tea portfolio containing tea leaves sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.

What is the Rainforest Alliance?

The Rainforest Alliance is an independent organization that works with individuals, communities and companies whose livelihoods depend on the land. Rainforest Alliance certification is built on three pillars of sustainability:

• Environmental
• Social
• Economic

The organization works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.

Where are the Rainforest Alliance Certified farms?

While we purchase tea from many farms to ensure an adequate supply, our commitment to Rainforest Alliance certification began on our own tea estates in 2006. Since then, the farms, communities, workers and their families are thriving. Furthermore, these sustainable practices help to improve soil quality, resulting in healthy crops for the farmers and tasty, high quality tea for you. 

What does Rainforest Alliance Certification mean for my operation?

Menuing Lipton® teas that carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal of approval is a great way to show you care about the world and how the products you serve are produced.

• 7 out of 10 consumers say they would be more likely to frequent a socially responsible restaurant¹
• 66% of consumers agree that “by choosing to do business with companies that are more socially responsible, I can make a difference in this world”²

Our commitment by the numbers

• Unilever was the 1st manufacturer to make Rainforest Alliance Certified™ teas available to foodservice operations
• 20% of Unilever’s global purchases of tea come from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms (December 2010)
• 170,000 tea estate workers and farmers have benefited from the Unilever Rainforest Alliance commitment
• 97% of energy used on our Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms is renewable  
• All Unilever teas globally will contain tea leaves sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms by 2015

Green from the Ground Up

¹ Technomic, American Express Market Brief, Sept. 2 2010
² Monitor 2010: United States Market Brief