Sara Lee announced on February 23rd that it has sourced the first sustainable tea approved by its partner US CERTIFIED. 

Sara Lee already sells UTS CERTIFIED coffee, having recently announced plans to source 40,000 tons of of sustainable coffee in 2010.

The successful completion of UTZ CERTIFIED audits in Joure, Indonesia and Malawi will allow Sara Lee, which sells its tea under flagship brands such as PICKWICK and HORNIMANS, to purchase 2,000 tons of certified tea to market in 2010, comprising one third of the company’s total European tea volume.

“At Sara Lee we’re very happy to be able to bring sustainable tea to our leading PICKWICK and HONIMANS brands in the European market.” Said Frank van Oers, CEO International Beverage and Bakery at Sara Lee.

“Our long term vision is to source all our tea from sustainable sources, and we plan to steadily increase the proportion that we buy.”

To enable the sourcing of sustainable tea, Sara Lee has supported certification for major estates in Indonesia and Malawi, and secured certification also for its tea factory in Joure.

Sara Lee’s sustainable tea programs are part of the Tea Improvement Program of the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative.  This program enables the major stakeholders in the tea sector to join forces in stimulating sustainable trade.

Sara Lee is also a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, an international non-commercial alliance of 20 tea-packers, with a vision for a thriving global tea sector that is socially just and environmentally sustainable.

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