We’re working hard to do business in away that’s responsible and that unlocks opportunities for everyone, supportingfair treatment of workers and care for the land.
Transparent sourcing
We source our tea from 142 gardens or estates in seven key sourcing countries, while our herbs and spices are sourced from farms and processing sites in up to 60 countries.
We know where 100% of our tea comes from. Every garden or estate must be certified by the Rainforest Alliance and undergo a Twinings Community Needs Assessment. You can find our suppliers' gardens and estates here.
For herbs, we are targeting 98% traceability for our 17 key herbs, based on volume and risk, and 95% for all herbs (by 2030). We have already achieved 94% traceability across our key herbs and 85% across all herbs and are on track to meet our targets. Achieving 100% transparency for cultivated and wild harvested ingredients is challenging due to the complexities in identifying often small and remote growing areas, but we are committed to working towards establishing as much transparency as possible.
Where possible we source our herbs from certified sources.
Our 17 key herbs:
Apple, Blackberry Leaf, Camomile, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger, Hibiscus, Lemongrass, Lemon Peel, Liquorice, Orange, Peppermint, Rosehip, Rooibos, Spearmint, Turmeric, Vanilla.
Responsible purchasing and exit
We are embedding purchasing practices that aim to help our suppliers invest in their businesses, improve conditions for workers and support thriving communities.
As part of our Twinings Community Needs Assessments, our on-the-ground teams focus on ensuring workers are legally paid the correct amount, in line with each country’s wage guidelines.
We are now piloting a new responsible sourcing strategy with a key supplier. Our ambition is to build a long-term partnership with this supplier, prioritising a multi-year contract based on volume and mutual agreement. This agreement would provide a clear framework for both us and our supplier, supporting improvements in our sourcing communities, including better working and living conditions and respect for workers’ rights.
While we prioritise active communication and collaboration when working with suppliers to manage issues, we recognise there may be times when, as a last resort, we need to exit a supplier relationship. In these instances, we are committed to adopting a considered best practice approach, with a focus on prioritising workers’ rights and wellbeing.
Grievance and remedy
We are committed to working with suppliers and the wider industry to help workers across our global supply chain have a safe and formal way to raise concerns.
Effective and trusted grievance mechanisms are crucial for identifying and addressing human rights risks early. They support remediation activities and help to uphold fair treatment for all. They also help us assess the effectiveness of our social programmes.
Grievance and remediation monitoring is part of our human rights due diligence programmes on the ground in our tea and herb supply chains.
Partnering with external experts, we will deliver training for suppliers on what effective grievance mechanisms look like and why they are essential.
We’re assessing the current grievance mechanisms across our value chain and exploring the possibility of a universal system, reviewing what’s currently available in our key sourcing countries and the potential for industry collaborations that would allow workers to raise any grievances or concerns formally and safely, independent of their employer.