Bigelow Tea’s Commitment to Sustainability

At Bigelow Tea, we are not just passionate about bringing you the best tasting teas, we are also committed to doing our part to support the planet. With the same artisanship and dedication that goes into making every Bigelow Tea flavor delicious and good for you, we are equally determined to use our business as a positive force for social and environmental change. 

Through the leadership of third generation president and CEO, Cindi Bigelow, Bigelow Tea has developed sustainable business practices that include energy management and conservation, waste management and reduction and the preservation of agriculture. 

Let’s take a deeper look. 

Energy Management and Conservation 

Bigelow Tea is powered by 100% renewable energy! We have eliminated fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, that are responsible for harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and instead use natural energy sources, a combination of sunlight and wind, to power our facilities in Idaho, Kentucky, and Connecticut. 870 solar panels on the roof of our Connecticut headquarters, for example, converts sunlight into electrical energy.

Additionally, we are Green-E® certified. Certified renewable energy and carbon offset products meet the most stringent environmental and consumer protection standards in North America.

And that’s not all. We are also on a mission to address energy vampires which are devices that continue to use energy and drain power even when turned off. The Bigelow Green Team educates employees about phone chargers, computer cords, coffee pots and more and then audits corporate offices quarterly to track usage. Raising awareness has effectively changed employee behavior as data from each internal audit shows an increase in the number of employees who turned off these devices which has saved considerable electricity usage for the company overall.

Waste Management and Reduction

At Bigelow Tea, we know that reducing waste is important for a greener future! Maintaining Zero Waste to Landfill facilities since 2014 means more than 90% of our waste has been diverted from landfills through methods like composting food scraps in the cafeteria, recycling excess materials, and donating reusable shipping boxes to food pantries to name just a few of our efforts. Our goal is to keep our materials out of landfills where items cannot break down properly, so we have analyzed the environmental impact of our product, packaging, and processes to eliminate waste everywhere possible while simultaneously maintaining the quality of our teas. 

Preserving Agriculture

Fact: humans have altered 75% of earth's terrestrial environment. In the last two centuries alone, people have converted or modified 70% of the world’s grasslands, 50% of the savannah, 45% of the temperate deciduous forest and 27% of the tropical forest, according to a report by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). There is still hope, though, for land preservation. Bigelow Tea is committed to land preservation by sustainably preserving the Charleston Tea Garden, supporting The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 15. Located on Wadmalaw Island in South Carolina, the garden provides the perfect environment for propagating the Camellia sinensis tea plant where over 320 varieties exist on the garden’s 127-acre grounds. Home to the Bigelow American Classic Tea, the Charleston Tea Garden is the largest producer of tea grown 100% in America.

We also engage our employees in land preservation through the Fairfield Pollinator Pathway. This project aims to establish a pollinator-friendly habitat and food source for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinating insects and wildlife along a series of continuous corridors. Bigelow Tea employees nurture the pollinator pathway each spring by removing weeds, dead leaves, and planting seeds and native plants.

While continuing to build upon these conservation practices, our goal is to always do better.

“Our progress with our sustainability efforts proves how intentional we remain behind our commitment to a purpose far beyond making profits,” says third generation president and CEO, Cindi Bigelow. “From maintaining our Zero Waste to Landfill facilities to our sustainable packaging and product design, we are constantly looking for ways to reduce waste while minimizing our impact on the environment. This commitment that has been part of Bigelow Tea’s DNA since it was founded by my grandmother, Ruth Campbell Bigelow, eighty years ago.”

The next time you are sipping a cup of Bigelow tea, know that you are not only enjoying a delicious blend, but you are also supporting a company that is committed to protecting the planet.