Bigelow Tea

The Bigelow Tea Commitment to the Environment

We at Bigelow Tea are committed to reducing raw materials and energy usage in order to preserve our planet for generations to come. Here's a sampling of the many ways we are Reusing/Recycling/ and Reducing…

Energy Reduction: From Green Tea to Green Power

We have taken many steps to reduce our impact on the environment, here are a few of the ways we have achieved this:

Solar Panel Installation

Bigelow Tea installed approximately 900 solar panels on the roof top of our Fairfield, CT Corporate Headquarters and manufacturing plant in the summer of 2007. 

Annually these panels generate 207,124 KWh of energy which is enough to power 20 homes for an entire year. This also translates to a reduction in pollution equivalent to 691,200 car miles removed from the highways each year.

 Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow and Cindi  Bigelow look on with local politicians as Governor Rell  signs the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Bill at Bigelow Tea Headquarters in Fairfield, CT.

On August 14, 2007, Bigelow Tea welcomed Governor Jodi Rell to the new solar installation as she introduced the most comprehensive energy efficiency bill in Connecticut's history. Living up to the "Do One Thing" program's call for conserving energy, Bigelow's solar installation is one of the state's largest, and it will provide 10% - 20% of the facility's power demand each year.

The incorporation of alternative energy sources - solar panels - reduces energy costs associated with lighting and running the facility while benefiting the environment. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) helped support this $1.5 million initiative by assisting with funding. "Bigelow Tea is proud to welcome such a notable alternative energy initiative," said Cindi Bigelow, co-President. "Just as Governor Rell is calling upon businesses and individuals within the state to do their part, Bigelow Tea feels passionate about taking an active step toward greening Connecticut and helping protect Planet Earth."

View Bigelow's Solar Array Data

Material Reduction

Due to our material reductions, we have been able to save 18,500 pounds annually by Recycling/Reusing/Reducing and more...

In Our Plants:

• * 85% of our packaging is Biodegradable or Recyclable
• Paper filter bags are bleach free and dioxin free
• 100% biodegradable paper tea tags
• Eliminated tea bag staples on 60% of all tea bag production equipment. When tea bag staples are used, they are made of non-toxic aluminum.
• Our outer case shippers are made from 100% recyclable material using water-based glues. They are: 100% biodegradable, 100% compostable and can be recycled up to 6 times
• Reduced our tea box folding cartons by 15%
• Eliminated corrugate on raw material deliveries
• Recycling 100% of all raw tea containers

In Our Offices:

• All major departments are now paperless
• Almost 100% of company reports are electronic only
• The majority of employees receive paychecks electronically
• Recycling ink cartridges by donating them to schools
• Switched to recyclable ink toner cartridges
• Switched to 30% recycled copy paper for printers and copiers
•  Installed recycling bins in the cafeteria which separate metal, glass and redeemable items
• Use both sides of copy paper in our printers
• Recycle white paper in every department

Transportation Cost /Wasteful Fuel Reduction

We have reduced shipping miles by 50,000 a year by consolidating our shipping loads and by producing product closer to the customer.  Our target for 2009 is to reduce an additional 20,000 for a total of 70,000 miles every year saved.

We implemented a "No Idle" policy to eliminate the wasted fuel and harmful emissions associated with delivery trucks idling at our facilities.  According to the EPA (http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/what-smartway/idling-reduction.htm), "each year, long-duration idling of truck and locomotive engines consumes over 1 billion gallons of diesel fuel and emits 11 million tons of carbon dioxide, 200,000 tons of oxides of nitrogen, and 5,000 tons of particulate matter into the air."  By eliminating idling at our facilities, Bigelow Tea has done its part by eliminating 240 hours of idling, 192 gallons of wasted fuel, and 3832 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

In Our Plants

Over the past several years, we have saved over 500,000 kilowatts of energy in our Fairfield Plant alone. This translates to savings of over 1 million pounds of carbon, 16 million trees. We've also achieved major milestones in our other two plants.  Here are just a few examples of how we've been able to save this much energy in Fairfield:

• Replaced Fluorescent T12 lighting fixtures with T8 fixtures requiring less electricity in all of our facilities. We even have motion sensors to turn off the vending machine lights when they are not in use.
• Installed motion sensors in all Fairfield offices, restrooms, storage rooms and the warehouse
• Installed flow restrictors in corporate restroom sinks and kitchenettes reducing the amount of gallons per minute flowing from the sinks saving 1/2 gallon per minute of usage in our sinks
• Added automatic programming "On/Off" switches to our Torit dust collecting machines, reducing the machine run time, only running the equipment when necessary.
• Installed compressed air storage tanks in the plant in order to compress and store the air during off peak hours when it is more cost efficient This air is used to cool the laser printers used to print barcodes on our tea bags as well as to control the valves that push the teabags into the tea boxes. These new tanks are saving over 22,000 pounds of carbon or 325,000 trees per year.
• Replaced aging equipment with more energy efficient air compressors that supply air based upon demand, significantly reducing run time. The air is then stored and released as needed. The Boise plant was able to reduce air pressure from 105 pounds to 85 pounds with no loss of productivity. This has provided savings of more than 185,000 kilowatts, saving almost 3 million trees per year!
• Installed energy efficient air conditioners on our rooftop and in our Computer Room saving more than 30,000 pounds of carbon; equivalent to saving over 450,000 trees.
• Added an "economizer" to our Boise plant HVAC heating and cooling system to pull in outside air when temperatures permit. In the past, we would have run the air conditioning during the cold Idaho winter to offset the heat produced by our packaging equipment. NO MORE! Additionally, we studied and improved our thermostat settings and sealed leaks around our windows, doors, and docks.