Near-term targets (2030)
in scope 1, 2 and 3 energy and industry emissions from a FY19/20 base year
in Scope 3 FLAG* emissions from a FY19/20 base year
Net-zero targets (2050)
in scope 1, 2 and 3 energy and industry emissions from a FY19/20 base year
in Scope 3 FLAG* emissions from a FY19/20 base year
Cutting emissions in our own operations
Approximately 2% of our total carbon emissions are generated in our own operations, including our factories and offices. This is mostly from natural gas (Scope 1) and emissions associated with the electricity we purchase (Scope 2).
What we’re doing:
Renewable energy
12% of our energy now comes from renewable sources and we have solar panel installations at our manufacturing and office sites in the UK, Poland and Australia.
Energy and manufacturing efficiency
We’ve implemented a number of efficiencies to reduce emissions at our two main manufacturing sites, Andover in the UK and Swarzedz in Poland, including:
- Battery-powered automated guided vehicles at both sites, including a robotic palletiser that uses 75% less energy than the previous model
- A trigeneration system at Swarzedz, which efficiently converts natural gas into cooling, heating and electricity, capturing and reusing generated heat
- LED lighting at both sites, which uses half the energy of fluorescent lighting
Cutting emissions in our supply chain
Almost all our emissions (98%) occur outside our own operations. They are mainly generated by our raw material suppliers of tea and herbs, while a small portion are due to our packaging and logistics.
Since farming communities, particularly smallholders, are already experiencing climate change impacts, we want to support them to reduce their emissions – which in turn reduces our own footprint.
What we’re doing:
Working with suppliers
- We’ve conducted bespoke Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) with our largest tea suppliers in Kenya, China, India, Sri Lanka and Argentina – covering 80% of our total tea volume – to gather accurate, site-level data on carbon footprints. This includes existing reduction plans, renewable energy use, farm inputs, regenerative farming practices and soil management. Partnering with carbon experts, we are using this information to help improve the accuracy of our emissions factors and help support suppliers in reducing their emissions.
- We’re piloting a new responsible sourcing strategy that will see us prioritise relationships with suppliers that want to work closely with us on cutting carbon.
- Through the UKTIA Carbon Consortium, we’ve collaborated with brands, producers and NGOs to create a tea-specific version of the Cool Farm Tool carbon calculator that producers are now testing.
- We’ve engaged with the majority of suppliers representing packaging emissions to assess their carbon footprints, reduction plans and use of product-level data.
Logistics
- We ship raw ingredients rather than flying them, so logistics account for a small share of our Scope 3 emissions.
- We’re minimising the use of empty trucks, using jumbo trailers to cut the number of trips, and trialing combining road with rail so that goods travel more efficiently.
- We’re also exploring alternative fuel options.