Traditional Medicinals, a best-selling producer of herbal wellness teas [Wellness tea refers to the SPINS unique category of medicinal tea and product placement within a category is determined by SPINs], today announced highlights from its first annual sustainability report, including efforts to source exclusively certified organic and Non-GMO Project verified botanicals, as well as ensure ethical sourcing practices, and a commitment to sustainable and responsible packaging for its products.

While sourcing more than one hundred botanicals from more than twenty-five countries to both preserve ancient knowledge and stay true to traditional herbal formulas, the company works to support social justice and environmental health - from collection to cultivation to consumption. 

“Social responsibility is part of our DNA,” said Josef Brinckmann, vice president of Sustainability for Traditional Medicinals. “Our ultimate goal is to help transform the commerce of herbs by supporting ethical and sustainable trade at every point of the value chain. On the cusp of our 40th anniversary we want to formally share decades of work in hope of inspiring others.”

Developed under the Sustainable Food Trade Association guidelines, the report captures achievements as of 2012, including:

Environmental Certifications

• Increasing the certified organic percentage of its herbal ingredients to 97 percent.
• Earning Non-GMO Project verification for 100 percent of its tea products.

Ethical Sourcing

• Securing nearly 35 percent of its herbs from certified fair trade and/or FairWild sources or through the company’s Revive! Project, supporting senna farming families in the Thar Desert region of Western Rajasthan, India.
• Earning social sustainability certification labeling for about half of its tea products.

Sustainable Packaging

• Using tea carton packaging made from 100 percent recycled paperboard.
• Using 100 percent recycled fiber for its case packing boxes.

Renewable Energy

• Generating the majority of electricity from company’s own solar panels.
• Offsetting about 20 percent of its total electricity use while supporting delivery of clean wind energy into the power grid through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).

Global Community Investment

• In collaboration with World Wide Fund for Nature (China), supporting the development of the Panda Friendly Standard, which earned an Outstanding Contribution Award from the Chinese State Ministry of Environmental Protection and an Equator Prize from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2012. The initiative is helping ensure the sustainable management and collection of wild medicinal schisandra berries while preserving and protecting the rare giant panda habitat in the upper Yangtze region of China.

• In partnership with Gravis (the Centre of People’s Science for Rural Development), investing $150,000 (and $500,000 over the past 5 years) in the organic agriculture based Revive! Project reducing poverty, creating food and water security, enhancing community self-reliance, providing education and health services and empowering women among 12,000 impoverished villagers in the Thar Desert region of Western Rajasthan, India.

Tea Pioneer Shares Long-Term Goal

Progress to date moves the company toward its long-term goal of achieving full ingredient sustainability by its 50th anniversary in 2024, if not sooner. That includes the goal of 100 percent certified organic, fair trade, FairWild and Non-GMO Project verified ingredients, as well as biodegradable, compostable recyclable packaging, including certified sustainable resources for the Manila hemp fiber used to make its tea bags and the attached cotton strings.

About Traditional Medicinals

Traditional Medicinals, Inc., a Certified B Corporation and California Certified Green Business, is a leading seller of wellness tea in the US and the pioneer of the wellness tea category in the U.S. and Canada.  TM is also the leading seller of both organic tea and Fair Trade Certified™ herbal teas in the US and Canada.  The company is passionate about connecting people with plants and sharing centuries-old wisdom of how to use them. Their more than 50 high quality wellness teas are formulated by herbalists using pharmacopoeial grade herbs. This is one of the defining qualities that set Traditional Medicinals apart from many leading tea brands. Founded in 1974, Traditional Medicinals is an independent and employee-owned company (ESOP) and embraces sustainability, ingredient purity, and social and environmental activism.  For additional information, visit www.traditionalmedicinals.com.

Traditional Medicinals

Traditional Medicinals

For nearly forty years, we’ve been passionate about connecting people with plants. And we're equally as passionate about passing along the centuries-old wisdom of how to use them. So even though our look has changed, our aspirations remain the same: help you discover the power of plants. We differentiate ourselves by our investment in the quality systems, research, testing and pharmacopoeial quality herbs. We were and are pioneers in the wellness tea categories and will continue to lead the way. We don’t just make formulas because they sound good. Every tea and herbal product that we make must have sufficient evidence of safety, quality and efficacy in support of our claim statements and formulation rationale.

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