Madura Tea Estates - Committing To Sustainability And Our Environment

Madura Tea’s reputation for producing pure tasting quality tea - just as nature intended - stems from a commitment to sustainability. Our forward thinking approach to environmental management is fuelled by a desire to nurture the northern New South Wales farmland that sustains our tea plantation. Madura’s policies and procedures support ideals of sustainability, offsetting our environmental footprint and giving back to the community. Says Director Ron Ford “We believe that good environmental management not only makes good business sense, it also meets growing consumer expectations. Many consumers say that enviromental performance is one of the factors that influence their purchasing decisions.”

Treading lightly

Madura strives to implement practices and procedures that take only what is needed from the environment. Water used to irrigate the plantation is drawn from three dams and clean underground springs. Annual tests ensure that water remains free of chemical residues and tea dust and other tea waste is collected and used as mulch on the plantation. We pick and pack on site to limit freight movements and have rationalised our warehousing and transport systems to further reduce our carbon footprint. The 250,000 strong plantation and factory operation is powered by more than 400 solar panels.

Green packaging

We have won Australian National Packaging Covenant awards for our sustainable approach to packaging and waste minimization. Our tea packets are made from 80 per cent recyclable materials and those products that don’t require barrier film in the packaging are 100 per cent recyclable. We have also reduced the thickness of some of the packaging for some of our products to reduce the use of cardboard. With 80 per cent of our product consumed in tea bag form we pay close attention to the materials we use when creating them and strive to minimize their environmental impact. Our tea bags are made using oxygen-bleached filter paper and sealed using heat instead of glue to minimize waste and water usage.

Raising the bar

Not content to bask in the glow of previous achievements, Madura Tea is continuing to set the standard for sustainability and environmental procedures. Our recently adopted Environment Management Plan maps out how we will improve on environmental policies and practices over the next five years. The plan underpins that way we do business and demonstrates our diligent and strategic approach to environmental management. Future projects on the sustainability whiteboard include reviewing machine usage to coincide with maximum in-house solar generation and investigating a streamlined cleaning and blending system. We also want to be sure that those we do business with employ sustainable and ethical processes. We are committed to increasing our use of Rainforest Alliance certified products and investigating buying more carbon-neutral tea and herb products.

Sharing our goals

Transparency is an important part of our Environment Management Plan. We want our customers and the community to know what we’re doing to meet our commitment to sustainability. In fact we’re so proud of our state-of-the-art tea plantation and packing facilities that we invite you to visit us and see for yourselves. Our twice-weekly Estate Tours showcase the full production process and packing facilities. Madura is committed to producing pure, healthy tea that is bursting with flavour. To discover Madura’s quality blends, organic and herbal teas visit our online store.